Housing an issue govt needs to address

MANY people dream of owning homes in major urban centres such as Port Moresby and Lae but few can afford the cost.
Buying a home is usually the single most expensive purchase an individual or family can make.
Many in their middle ages still have not saved up enough to buy a decent home.
Thus they resort to sources of financial assistance such as and lending institutions.
This is the case in Papua New Guinea.
The deal is that if the home owner fails to meet the agreed repayment schedule, the bank or financial institution repossesses the property.
One bank that is helping to make the dream of owning a home become a reality is the Bank South Pacific.
It offers workers its First Home Ownership Scheme which is a partnership initiative with the Government.
The scheme allows Papua New Guineans access to specially-structured loans to own their first homes.
Home-ownership gives occupants the right to modify the building and land, protects them from eviction, and creates a right to occupation which can be inherited.
The homes and the land they are built on are expensive.
The combination of the mortgage, insurance and maintenance are at times greater than monthly rentals.
Buildings may also gain or lose substantial value due to real estate market fluctuations.
And selling a property can take a long time, depending on market conditions.
This can make home ownership more constraining if the owner intends to move at a future date.
Traditionally, home-ownership was encouraged by Western governments because it was thought to help people acquire wealth, encourage savings and promote civic engagement.
The Government, as the employer with the largest workforce in the country, has been promoting home-ownership through its various schemes, plus providing rental accommodation for civil servants.
The entity tasked with this role and responsibility is the National Housing Corporation (formerly National Housing Commission).
It is neither a State-owned enterprise nor a government agency.
This rather strange status has in effect starved the corporation of adequate funding to implement the Government’s home-ownership schemes.
As well, the chronic lack of funding has resulted in the failure by the National Housing Corporation to fully maintain and upgrade its existing homes and accommodation in the country.
To add salt to injury, the corporation has been dogged by operational and financial mismanagement issues.
The housing minister is already making noise about housing in the country.
It maybe is a sign of good things to come.
Research conducted into the housing situation in the country and the recommendations that need to be implemented to strengthen the industry need to be taken seriously by the Government.
It is timely now that the Government put its foot down to take appropriate policy measures to address housing plights of all citizens whether they be public servants, employees of the private sector, citizens living in the informal sectors, rural dwellers, or even refugees and migrant workers.
Having access to an affordable shelter is a basic human right under the United Nations Convention.
It has to be respected just like any other human right.
A Government that ignores it or fails to treat it seriously is reneging on its responsibility to its citizens.