The Housing Recovery Project (HRP) of the Ministry of Housing & Urban Development is pleased to advise that an additional 22 projects have been awarded this week, for the rebuilding of homes. This brings to 94 the total number of projects awarded to 32 active contractors, under the HRP. The number of approved beneficiaries amounts to 317, following a rigorous process of selection and, overall, 420 families are set to benefit from the HRP.
At present, 65 houses are under construction across the length and breadth of Dominica and, with these additional contracts, it means that 22 more houses will be added to that complement within a two-week period. Under the HRP, contractors are required to mobilize to the site on or before 14 days of signing the contract.
We are working assiduously to ensure that we fulfil our mandate of delivering climate-resilient homes to those affected. We have had some challenges such as the rising cost of building material, access to some sites, land tenure issues and, of course, the current pandemic inclusive of health protocols that must be followed. But, the HRP team is pressing forward and we hope to deliver the first batch of houses soon.
Nicholas Bruno, HRP Project Manager
The Housing Recovery Project – Project Implementation Unit (HRP-PIU) came into operation in February 2019 and was designed to benefit persons whose homes, up to 500 sq. ft., were completely destroyed following the passage of Hurricane Maria in 2017.
The project originally aimed to assist 1,700 households island-wide, through a package of technical services for the resilient rebuilding of houses, as well as administrative services and financial services consisting of a grant of EC$50,000. This figure was since revised upwards to EC$125,000 per beneficiary. The increased quantum, together with a reallocation of funds to the Government’s COVID-19 response, accounts for the reduction in the number of houses to be built under the Project.
The HRP-PIU is spearheaded by the Government of the Commonwealth of Dominica and financed by the World Bank through a US$30M grant and a US$10M credit.
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