The housing backlog for all regions, except Region Four, is expected to be cleared by the end of next year as demand for house lots continues to rise across the country
This is according to Vice President Dr Bharrat Jagdeo on Monday, who was speaking during an outreach at the Arthur Chung Conference Centre, where hundreds of citizens gathered to raise concerns directly with senior government officials.
Jagdeo said housing remains one of the most pressing issues raised by residents and that efforts are underway to expand housing development programmes, particularly for low-income earners.
“But we are aiming to clear the backlog… by the end of next year,” he said, adding that Region Four may take longer due to higher demand.
He said the administration is also planning major investments to accelerate home construction and improve access to housing nationwide, with the programme expected to cost hundreds of billions of dollars.
Residents at the outreach raised a range of concerns, including delays in house lot allocations, employment opportunities, drainage, garbage collection, street lighting and security infrastructure.
Many said they welcomed the opportunity to engage directly with senior officials and seek updates on longstanding issues.
“I definitely I’m pleased because there are many people here and we were just to meet with the vice president and have my first interaction with him, and I’m excited about that,” resident Andrea Hendricks said.
“My concern mainly was housing allocation and possible job employment opportunities,” she added.
Another resident, Shawna Henry, described the outreach as a positive initiative.
“I think this is an excellent initiative and trying to reach out quite some time. But they want to work with us to come on the ground and see them face to face,” she said.
“My concern, it’s a little bit more personal than I was able to get my problem solved,” she added.
Other attendees also said the forum provided an important platform for citizens to raise community issues and receive direct feedback from officials.
Vice President Jagdeo interacts with a resident
