Communal Councils to Advance Venezuela’s Housing Mission in Falcón State

Communal councils and socialist brigades will take charge of construction work in the state of Falcón as part of the government’s new housing mission, confirmed Minister of Communal Councils and Social Protection (MPCyPS) Isis Ochoa.

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Coro, May 5th 2011 (Venezuelanalysis.com) – Communal councils and socialist brigades will take charge of construction work in the state of Falcón as part of the government’s new housing mission, confirmed Minister of Communal Councils and Social Protection (MPCyPS) Isis Ochoa.

The government plans to build 3,487 houses and related socio-productive projects throughout the 25 municipalities that make up Falcón state with the help of grassroots organizations, known as the “popular power” in Venezuela. Ocha pointed out that the participation of communal councils, organised in “construction communes,” will mean that the transformation process in housing and town-planning would advance much more quickly throughout the country.

During a ceremony in which Ochoa and governing PSUV party governor of Falcón, Stella Lugo, handed over 5 houses to the communal council of Jebe, Lugo confirmed that within Falcón there were 2,140 communal councils in existence and 20 communes in the process of being established. A commune is a grouping of contiguous communal councils.

“If each communal council builds 10 houses that would be 21,000 houses built every three months,” said Lugo.

On Saturday in Falcón, Ochoa and Lugo officially presented more than 2,782 brigadiers from 115 brigades with official certificates, allowing them to receive equipment and appropriate safety clothing in order to begin construction.

Ochoa highlighted that the benefits were not just material. “We’re transferring knowledge to the people so they can assume power,” she said.

Amongst those who received a certificate, Roberto Gutierrez, spokesperson for communal council El Recreo, thanked Venezuelan President Hugo Chávez for the new housing mission while praising popular power.

“Now we are all the government, popular power is what governs, working towards the construction of a new country, anything is possible with Chávez, we have to make the achievements of the revolution known,” he stated.

During the visit 10 families from Falcón received 10 completely equipped houses – including the 5 housing units that were handed over to communal council el Jebe.  The community in El Lagrimal de las Cumaraguas also received 4 large truck chasses as part of the plan for the communal transportation of gas – a plan that will be administered by the communal council itself and develop self-sustainability.

The new housing mission is aimed at addressing the housing deficit in Venezuela and includes Mission Habitat and Mission Villanueva, which were launched in 2003 and 2007 respectively. In order to provide ‘adequate, safe, comfortable, hygienic housing, with access to basic, essential services’, as set out as a universal right in the Bolivarian constitution, the government pledged to build nearly 2 million homes before 2017 in May of this year.

“We’ve already done registration, which is one of the stages of the housing mission, and we have more than 100,000 families who have registered. The people are empowered and have their official certificates. We have construction material from Ferresidor – a socialist construction materials company – and cement from Hocin – a sustainable development cement company – as well as funding, motivation, and commitment to build from the people,” said Lugo.