Turnkey Housing Programme to be expedited in 2023

The Turnkey Housing Programme, reestablished in 2020 by the Ministry of Housing and Water offers varying models of houses constructed to suit differentiating households and income streams. Key beneficiaries of this reintroduced exercise include young professionals and those households defined as earning low or moderate income. According to Minister of Housing and Water, Collin Croal, "As part of our focus in 2023, more emphasis on home construction, not just about allocation, but construction. We want to in a fast-track way, to be able to encourage homeownership." This programme currently has over 1200 homes being developed for such households across regions three, four, six, eight and ten. Keys to 300 of these homes have been placed in the hands of beneficiaries, in alignment with the government’s manifesto to distribute 50 000 house lots to citizens. Within this figure, 19 000 lots have been delivered in 2022. In facilitating home ownership, the Adequate Housing and Urban Accessibility Programme (AHUAP) likewise, introduces another aim to improve the quality of life in urban and peri-urban Georgetown, specifically catered for low-income households within such mobile perimeters. This programme allows for home renovation subsidies up to a maximum of GYD $500 000. These initiatives came forth as a result of observable social and economic gaps affecting vulnerable groups; the implementation of adequate and sustainable housing as opposed to direct construction of housing units has steadily improved home ownership for those who experience difficulty in qualifying for traditional loans and other similar forms of access-to-finance. The incremental housing approach taken by each of these programmes covers home and interior design, construction, including materials and labour, and supervision.