Central Housing and Planning Authority

90 BUSINESS VIEW MAGAZINE VOLUME 9, ISSUE 12 CENTRAL HOUS ING AND PLANNING AUTHOR I TY CHAPA is located in Lower All Saints Road, St. John’s, Antigua, and works towards bridging the gap between higher-priced privately developed housing projects and affordable housing, which caters to a more significant percentage of the population. Mark Richards, Housing Executive Officer at CHAPA, explains that there’s tremendous demand for what CHAPA is doing. “Antigua and Barbuda are underdeveloped and have insufficient and inadequate housing options. There is a market need to provide affordable and sustainable housing solutions utilizing efficient building technologies that respond to climate change and are resilient through strategic partnerships.” “CHAPA recognizes its role as mandated by the Slums Clearance and Housing Act that land and home ownership plays a pivotal role in enhancing the quality of life for all citizens and the socio-economic development of our nation.” CHAPA’s mandate in guaranteeing affordable housing for Antiguans spans acquisition, administrative and mobilization roles. The authority does land acquisition, inventory and management, residential development, settlement upgrading, and housing revitalization. It also directly provides mortgage and loan facilities for low-income citizens, enhancing community development, organization, and education. On the property development front, it engages in construction project management of low- and middle–income housing schemes through collaborations with stakeholders in sectors like government and finance. Through these efforts, CHAPA has achieved several milestones over its tenure, as Nida Philip, Finance/Loans Manager at CHAPA, highlights.