In its Plan Belize, the PUP promised 10,000 Houses for low-income families. A year and a half into their term in office, the Briceno administration hasn't reached 10% of that number.
On March 15, during Prime Minister Briceno's budget speech for the ongoing Fiscal Year 2022/23, he asserted that "167" homes were built under the project.
In the subsequent Senate Meeting, PUP Senator Collet Montejo said that the government managed to build "67 Houses... on a meager budget last year"
But, this general notice from the Ministry of Infrastructure Development and Housing, reportedly released in December of last year, said quote, "Under the project, over 25 houses have been built and handed over, and there is the ongoing construction of over 30 new houses that will be handed over in the next month or two." End quote.
So, whether it's 55 houses, 67, or 167, that's still a very great distance away from 10,000 houses for first-time homeowners. Here's what Espat had to say when we asked him about it today at another event:
Duane Moody - Channel 5
"The Housing project, I think it's over 50 houses that have been built so far."
Hon. Julius Espat - Minister of Infrastructure Development & Housing
"On the budget that we had last year, we only had our budget for about 125 to 150 houses. We ended up contracting out more than that. And so we contracted out about 170 houses. Right now, we are standing in the process of handing them over. Most of them are in the last phase or completed, but we haven't officially handed them over. Yesterday, we handed over a tree and today, we will be handing over another 4, and we continue. We continue to work. You should just join us when we do it, though, because the reaction that we are getting from the people that are receiving these homes, it's, it's emotional. It, really is, and I tell this every time. We have homes, and we don't understand what it is. We don't appreciate when somebody who has never had an opportunity to have a home of their own; how would that person react and told that person up, it's an extremely emotional experience. I would invite you all to join us to share that with them."
Daniel Ortiz
"Sir, we've seen some of those reactions, and the suggestion is that's part of the reason why that 10,000 houses in ten years were such an eye grabber for Belizean voters. How far will we miss that mark in the first five years of the Briceno administration?"
Hon. Julius Espat - Minister of Infrastructure Development & Housing
"You dream for the stars, and if you reach the moon, that's also positive. You can't put your eyes very low. You've got to put your sights very far. And we did it purposely so that we could pressure ourselves. There are economic realities that we have to face. We understand that we will not reach the ten thousand houses. I've been saying that to your boss from the day he asked me the first time. That will not be achieved because of the economic constraints, not because we can't build them. But we because as the budget is provided to us. This year, they provided us with a little bit more budget than they did last year. And so, we will continue doing the work. The Prime Minister is out. I am out. The Ministry of Finance is out all trying to see if we can get some additional grants to do more. But, it's one house at a time, my brother."
This evening, we clarified with Espat, and he told us that the December release was sent out in error and that an updated notice was subsequently sent out. He insisted that the Prime Minister's quoted number of 167 Houses is the correct figure. 167 houses were contracted out for the last fiscal year, and his Ministry is not certain just how many houses will be built for this fiscal year. He added that the budget for houses was increased slightly, but he is hoping to get a grant from one of Belize's bilateral partners that will "double" the number of houses that can be built for this year.
