Enhanced quality of life for four East Coast residents as they receive Core Homes

Four low-income families of Good Hope and Lusignan located on the East Coast of Demerara received the keys to their brand new two-bedroom core homes, providing them with improved living conditions.

The deserving beneficiaries of these homes are Chandradai Harilall, Tulsiram Sutraban, Pranpattie Mangal of Good Hope, and Sabrina Joseph of Lusignan.

The keys to the units were handed over by Minister within the Ministry of Housing and Water, Susan Rodrigues alongside IDB Country Representative, Lorena Solórzano Salazar.

Chandradai Harilall and her husband Ralph Ramotar expressed their heartfelt appreciation to the government for granting them the wonderful opportunity to benefit from a brand-new home.

Due to a medical condition, Ramotar is unable to work to support his family. He said the new home is a significant upgrade from the dilapidated structure they previously occupied.

“I feel happy about this…It will be better for we because this [ their previous home] was four feet off the ground and when the flood came it hit it down and so we continue live inside,” Ramotar told the Department of Public Information (DPI).

Another beneficiary, Sabrina Joseph, who was living in a small cramped space with her family of five, shared how elated she was to be granted a new home.

“I feel very happy… my living condition was terrible, it use to flood… the entire process was smooth and I’m grateful,” she said.   

The Core Homes Initiative falls under the $5.8 billion (US$28 million) Adequate Housing and Urban Accessibility Programme (AHUAP) funded by the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB).  

Minister Rodrigues highlighted the programme as a crucial component of the government’s housing drive, with a particular focus on the most vulnerable sections of society.

Each unit costs $4.9 million and beneficiaries are only required to contribute a sum of $100,000 towards the cost of the home.

She stated that since the project’s inception, the ministry has successfully reached the intended target group.

“There’s an application process, a vetting process that is approved by the IDB and the beneficiaries are selected,” the minister explained. 

According to the IDB country representative, the programme is expected to enhance the quality of life of some 360 low-income families.

“It’s not about the houses it’s about enhancing the areas where they live…in some areas, it enhances accessibility of the roads, street lights. So, it’s not just the house, it’s the whole effect of the operation,” she noted.

The ministry is in the process of constructing another 70 core homes in targeted communities in Region Four.