Business View Caribbean l Feb 2023

49 50 BUSINESS VIEW CARIBBEAN VOLUME 10, ISSUE 2 BUSINESS VIEW CARIBBEAN VOLUME 10, ISSUE 2 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 “Between CHAPA’s first development project in 1972 and the latest one in 2022, CHAPA has developed over a thousand houses across the island. The latest project, called the Bolans Housing Development, is a 75-house project with fifteen houses currently under development and the rest slated for completion in 2023.” These efforts are captured in the authority’s mission statement: to build a better tomorrow through the products and services we provide that support the success of affordable housing opportunities, land distribution, and related services through exemplary customer service and innovation to all stakeholders. Supporting this mission is a fifty-five workforce spread across departments like sales, finance and loans, accounting, construction project management, registry and information, survey, heavy-duty equipment, human resources, and debt collections. “Our primary daily activities are the sale of land and houses, construction of housing projects, clearing and grading of land, surveying and verifying land boundaries,” says Philip. 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. Chairman of the Board - Anthony Pestaina (in red shirt) shaking hands with the contractor at Bolans Housing Dev.