Meeting hosted with ‘C’ Field Sophia residents
─ residents interested in benefitting from Adequate Housing and Urban Accessibility programme
─ Minister Adams-Yearwood promises speedy action to Sophia residents housing pleas
─ regularisation of squatters’ land on stream
DPI, Guyana, Monday, November 5, 2018
Minister within the Ministry of Communities, Valerie Adams-Yearwood and a team from the Central Housing and Planning Authority (CH&PA) sought to assist a group of approximately 31 residents of ‘C’ Field, Sophia. The residents had indicated their need for land, housing and any other assistance that can be offered to them.
The meeting was facilitated by Minister within the Ministry of Natural Resources, Simona Broomes.
Minister Adams-Yearwood and her team informed the residents about the recently launched Adequate Housing and Urban Accessibility (AH&UA) Programme which caters for housing and infrastructure development in the Sophia area.
Those who met with the minister were further informed of the importance of regularising squatters’ lands. Once this is done, residents are urged to make complete payments.
If payments have not been completed those persons will not be able to benefit from the AH&UA programme. The minister assured that the CH&PA will work speedily to regularise the squatters’ lands, giving residents the opportunity to benefit from the programme.
The AH&UA programme caters for 250 core houses and 2,000 home improvement subsidies. Beneficiaries for the core homes must be residing on CH&PA allocated lots which are paid for in full.
Those squatting on the conservancy dam in Sophia will not be regularised. Minister Adams-Yearwood highlighted a number of disadvantages of squatting. However, the CH&PA will be working to ensure that those persons access low-income house lots.
“For those on the conservancy dam, we will give you priority once you have applied. We have some lands which we are going to develop in Cummings Lodge early next year and once you have an application, of those that are meeting here with me today, you will get priority when we are allocating lands in the new area,” the minister explained.
These lands are low-income lands and beneficiaries will be required to pay $92,000.
“Sophia is well poised for the new development that is what CH&PA will be engaged in shortly… life will get better for you with this APNU+AFC government… We will work with you but you must work with us,” the minister added.
Chief Executive Officer of CH&PA, Lelon Saul, Director of Projects, Omar Naraine and Deputy Director of Community Development, Donell Bess-Bascom were in attendance.
Delicia Haynes.
Images: Giovanni Gajie.