Nearly 7,000 evaluated and prequalified families are expected to receive social housing this year, said Camel Curi, deputy minister of investment projects of the Ministry of the Presidency, who added that work is being done to approach the delivery goal contemplated in the National Housing Plan. Happy family.
However, he revealed that two major difficulties have arisen: the constant price increases in the main construction materials and the shortage “of certain materials”, such as ceramic floors, since they are not produced in the country and there is no neither in Europe (Spain), nor in China and not in South America.
The program had planned to deliver 600 homes and now the flats are arriving from Spain, he said.
There was a shortage of wires, which is already being normalized, and of resin to make PVC pipes, and now steel is getting worse, “because all the steel for the billets that came here to make the rods came from nothing more and nothing less than of countries at war,” he said.
Curi indicated that for this reason important agreements have been made with the manufacturers of the national industry to control the increases and give continuity to the projects.
Also, local steelmakers are looking elsewhere for options. The official assured that work is being done and at the level of quantity is the volume.
In the case of wood, there was an increase of 80% with the pandemic and it fell 30%, but it has stopped there due to the issue of war, as is the case with wires and others, and it is expected that they will continue to fall with the peace negotiations.
“We guarantee that after we assign a home to a person, the price does not change. Yes, it is modified to a new one that is going to start, but after being assigned to a family it was because it was analyzed that this is what they can pay, ”she added.
When asked what to do if you do not qualify by income to be able to buy a home, the answer is to apply for subsidized housing, which is part of the National Happy Family Plan, which is a social program.
Social housing has three ranges that go from less than RD$1.3 million, less than RD$1.9 million, and less than RD$2.7 million.
Under construction there are in Los Alcarrizos, Hato Nuevo, Bonao, Higuey, Santo Domingo Este, Santo Domingo Norte, Pedro Brand and other communities in which licenses are already coming out; and in Bani. In Azua, 95 were delivered and work is already underway on the demarcation of a CEA (State Sugar Council) land, to start in Barahona.
It works with senators, governors and other community leaders in the identification of land at adequate prices so that there is development in the communities with decent housing at adequate prices, he indicated.
Currently, there are 10 to 12 open projects and it is expected to reach 20 next month, in addition to the permitting, design, and authorization process, there are another 80 additional projects.
Familia Feliz is developing projects in all the municipalities where developers want to enter, he said.
Curi explained that the program has a high social component and with the participation of many sectors, the Ministry of Housing and social housing was created, which are the same low-cost, but with help to acquire them.
Through the Supérate program, the income of the families is evaluated, which families need them, such as those that do not have enough resources to qualify, three aid segments were created, he added.
Depending on the type of family income, the National Happy Family Housing Plan allocates a higher percentage of aid to those with lower incomes, depending on the cost of housing, and for this reason the percentage of aid is lower for those with higher incomes.
He reiterated that the goals were not met because the materials “have become complicated”, although negotiations are under way to obtain adequate prices to control costs.
“But if there is some type of variation, we deal with it and guarantee that the purchaser does not change the price,” he stressed.
How does the program operate?
The program operates with a scheme designed to reduce the risk of families, with the company State. For this, many meetings have been held with the Association of Commercial Banks (ABA) and with the Savings and Loans Association League, managing to improve the qualification and that a greater number of families can enter the plan.
Currently, 95 families have received homes with their loans and there are about 7,000 families in the process with the bank, some being evaluated by the bank, who have pre-qualification or have assigned projects.
Curi stated that it is planned to deliver homes every month in different areas of the country.
The Happy Home program operates privately, although it is run by the Government, with the advantage that contrary to what was done previously, that the houses delivered by the State did not have titles, these will have their titles guaranteed.
The projects are 100% private, but from the beginning they go through a whole process of permits that go from the municipalities, the environment, Public Works and be developed through the Mortgage Development and Trust Law and that is why the houses come out with their titles.
“Even with a condominium regime and a coexistence regime, for which they are considered formal projects with all of the law and with a title in hand,” he said.
Projects of this type involve many topics. The process contemplates the accompaniment of families in two ways, the first by covering a large part of the initial cost of the home and another part with the delivery of rate bonds for seven years.
The State covers part of the loan by covering a large part of the interest and so that families pay a minimum interest, that is, they practically pay the principal.
Requirements
The three requirements to access the program are to be a Dominican national, have an income of less than RD$60,000 and not have formal housing.
Other conditions are that the minor children have to go to school for the State to be able to continue giving the monthly help to the loan or the subsidy will be removed.
Homes cannot be transferred or sold in the first 10 years.
In addition, single mothers, families with people with disabilities, with special conditions, abused women and others, whose selection is made by the system through a database of the Supérate program, are prioritized.
The purchasers are offered in the municipality where the person lives, with the exception of cases that require movement, such as abused women who need protection.
