A new phase of life, fewer rent woes as 1,200 house lots distributed at West Coast

Allottees at the Uitvlugt community center ground on the West Coast of Demerara (WCD) on Friday (Photo: News Room/ September 23, 2022)

Another 1,200 house lots were developed at Meten- Meer- Zorg and Stewartville on the West Coast of Demerara (WCD), Region Three, and were distributed to residents of the region on Friday.

For some, this is the start of a new phase of their life; for others, it is an end to the burden of paying rent monthly.

Renesha Matthias, 26, is a pregnant woman who lives with her fiancé and sister. For years, she has been hoping to own her own house and as such, she applied for a house lot at the Central Housing and Planning Authority (CH&PA).

Renesha Matthias (Photo: News Room/ September 23, 2022)

On Friday, at the Uitvlugt community centre ground, WCD, she received that house lot. Moments after, she told the News Room that she happy that she and her family will have their own place to reside.

This allocation, she said, is all the more meaningful to her as she is expecting her child.

Radhika Dwarka (Photo: News Room/ September 23, 2022)

Salma Khan, 27, is another allottee. She told the News Room that she has been living with her parents but now, looks forward to living in her own space.

“It’s a good feeling for me to accomplish something on my own,” she said.

Easing the financial burden associated with renting was another interest of many.

For the last 10 years, Radhika Dwarka has been renting the places she has resided. With her allocation, she intends to build her house soon. Similarly, Sue-Ann Melville, a 29-year-old mother of three, will soon be living in her own house.

“I could actually get to help my family… I don’t have to rent anymore,” Melville said, as she welcomed the allocation.

Sue-Ann Melville (Photo: News Room/ September 23, 2022)

With these allocations, Minister of Housing and Water Collin Croal related that a total of 3,264 houselots have been allocated in this region over the past two years. And this, he said, significantly reduces the backlog of some 14,000 applications in this region.

There are plans afoot to continue addressing that demand, Croal said too. In fact, Minister within the Ministry of Housing and Water Susan Rodrigues said those plans are much-needed since this region has the second highest demand for housing in the country.

Cognisant of that, Croal announced that at least $4 billion will be spent on much-needed infrastructural works to develop new areas for housing in the region. Housing units should also be constructed.