No more living with parents – young mother among 28 allocated homes in Berbice

Gracy Thomas, a young mother of two boys, was in high praise of the government’s housing programme after she was allocated a home at Hampshire, Region Six (East Berbice Corentyne) on Saturday, June 4.

Thomas, who is a teacher of the Central Corentyne Secondary School was one of 28 low-income families to receive two-bedroom flat units at an allocation exercise at the Central Corentyne Chamber of Commerce (CCCC).

Gracy Thomas and her childre after a tour of her home alongside Minister of Housing and Water, Collin Croal,MP, Chief Executive Officer, Sherwyn Greaves and Regional Executuve Officer, Region Six, Narindra Persaud.

“I am very excited today, especially since it’s my son seventh birthday…It is a long-awaited dream come true for me,” Thomas told the DPI.  She said she will now be able to provide a safe and comfortable home for her two children.

The young teacher is currently living with her parents and always dreamt of owning her own home. She thanked the administration for helping her realise that dream.

“As a young woman with two kids, my living condition was not ideal and so, it’s nice to finally own a home,” she stated.

The two-bedroom flat units cost $5.5 million each, inclusive of the cost of the land. It measures 20 feet by 30 feet (600 square feet). Following the allocation exercise, the beneficiaries were taken to the housing scheme by the CHPA team led by Minister of Housing and Water, Collin Croal, M.P, to identify their homes.

Shivanie Shaheed, a young mother of one was also thrilled to identify her home. She is currently renting an apartment which is costing her more that what she will pay to the bank for her monthly mortgage.

Shivanie Shaheed and daughter

“This is really great for me. I never own a house before…I feel happy about this programme.”

After applying for a house lot for many years, Osmond Gilead, who is currently residing with his in-laws in Sisters Village, is finally on his way to owning his own home.  He too, lauded the government’s turn-key initiative which he said is very impactful, especially for young people.

“It’s a great initiative because a lot of people don’t have the cash to go and build directly so what the government is doing is something great, and I applaud them for that,” he said.

The allocation marks the first set of 100 homes being constructed at Williamsburg/Hampshire by the Central Housing and Planning Authority (CHPA) at a cost of $750 million.

Minister Croal said that in its quest to create wholesome communities, the government has also allocated millions of dollars to ensure the area is equipped with the necessary infrastructure including road and drainage network, as well as water and electricity. An area was also identified for recreational and other facilities.

Speaking on the impact of the turn-key programme, Minister Croal announced that additional lands were set aside for the construction of another set of units to meet the demands of the region.

“The government understands that renting is hard on the Guyanese populace and for that reason we have created programmes like these, to ensure the delivery of more affordable housing programmes,” the minister stated.

Chief Executive Officer of CHPA, Mr. Sherwyn Greaves, Regional Executive Officer, Mr. Narindra Persaud and President of CCCC, Mr. Mohammed Raffik were also present at the exercise.

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