Ten families from Crashwater, Region Nine now have a comfortable and spacious environment to call a home, thanks to the Hinterland Housing Programme.
Each house, measuring 20 by 25 feet, has two bedrooms, a living room, a kitchen area, and a water tank for rainwater harvesting.
Minister of Housing and Water Collin Croal presented the keys for the new homes to the families on Thursday.
Minister Croal highlighted that 40 out of 120 houses have already been handed over to the beneficiaries in the region under this initiative.
He further noted that this initiative alone has injected $25.5 million into the village economy.
This project has generated employment opportunities and provided additional disposable income to many households. The building materials were procured directly from the region.
The government has committed to building 400 houses in Regions One, Seven, Eight, and Nine, providing sustainable housing to vulnerable families.
The government, Minister Croal highlighted, has invested $1.41 billion in the housing sector in the region.
“You have a government that continues to ensure that you have access to equal services and the country’s resources no matter where you live,” he reiterated.
As such, the government has spent over $32 billion to execute various programmes in Region Nine alone, since August 2020.
During this period, Crashwater, like other hinterland communities, has seen rapid development through a slew of programmes and investments amounting to $31 million.
In the water sector, he announced that Crashwater will benefit from the drilling of another well by the end of next month, to expand coverage.
Present at the ceremony were the Permanent Secretary of the Ministry, Bishram Kuppen, Senior Engineer at CHPA with responsibility for Hinterland Housing, Cy Rodrigues, Hinterland Services Director at Guyana Water Inc., Ramchand Jailal, Regional Vice-Chairman, Bertie Xavier and Crashwater’s Toshao, Handley Thomas.