AFFORDABLE HOUSING

Feb 01, 2016 Editorial

An interesting development took place in Guyana in late December that has caught the attention of some but not the majority of people who were busy enjoying the Christmas holidays.
President Granger reshuffled his cabinet and in the process has named two new ministries and has removed or demoted Junior Minister Keith Scott from the Ministry of Housing to Labour and replaced him with Mrs. Valerie Sharpe-Patterson. It left many guessing as to why Mr. Scott was removed from the Ministry of Housing.
Was it because he was incompetent to manage the Housing portfolio which is in a complete mess, or was it because the President felt compelled to give a candidate from Linden a high profile in order to please his supporters there?
Which begs the question, if the rumors are true that Mr. Scott was incompetent at Housing then why would the President believe that he would not be at Labor? And since his replacement is not an expert on Housing, the country could benefit immensely if the government taps the skills of Guyana’s foremost housing expert and mogul, Leyland Roopnarine in Queens, New York.
Guyana is faced with a housing shortage, especially affordable housing for youths and the lower working middle class. Youths who make up 65 percent of the population cannot afford to purchase a house, and many believe that the government is not truly looking out for their interest. Many youths continued to be passed over for government jobs, most of which have been given to friends, pensioners and military personnel.
Youths have not been able to uplift themselves in society and only a few have matriculated up the social ladder. All over the country, youths are becoming hopeless by the hour. They are disappointed at the treatment meted out to them by the government. Some have turned to crime as a way to act out their frustrations. Others are not likely to vote in the up-coming Local Government Elections (LGE) or in future General Elections. It is likely that APNU and the AFC may receive a sound thrashing at the LGE.
It is estimated that more than half of the youth population in both the urban and rural areas do not own a house, and almost 65 percent of them would be living in rented houses by 2020. It does not take a great math whiz or a scientist to realize that youths are the future of the country but it is almost impossible for many to own a home.It is a distant dream that may or may not come true.
The reason is, too many youths have short-term employment and too many are earning minimum wages and therefore do not have the resources to make a down payment on a house or are qualified to obtain loans.
Statistics have shown that in the last ten years, the number of youths who owned homes has declined and many are struggling to pay their mortgages. Almost 66 percent of the country’s urban dwellers are youths and most live in decrepit housing.
The jobless rate among youths is 45 percent and those who are employed cannot make ends meet. Many are trapped in a cycle of poverty and substandard living. They do not have access to quality education, proper health care and adequate social services and needless to say, decent paying jobs.
Indeed, low wages and short-term employment have made housing unaffordable to youths. Other structural constraints such as unsubsidized housing, long waiting lists and fierce competition have compounded their problems to acquire a house.
Consequently, they end up having no other choice but to accept accommodations that are of low quality and with few amenities. For example, many youths are often forced to live in areas with inappropriate housing, usually with no running water, no electricity, no proper sewage system, unpaved roads, poor drainage and few employment opportunities or training facilities.
The government has to develop a national housing plan for youths to procure their own homes and gain meaningful employment in order for them to make their mark in society.

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