Mérida, 27th December 2013 (Venezuelanalysis.com) – Over 500,000 houses have been constructed since mid 2011 under the Venezuelan government’s mass housing construction program.

Launched by former President Hugo Chavez in order to tackle the South American country’s shortage of affordable housing, the program has the ambitious aim of constructing three million new homes by 2019.

The Great Housing Mission also seeks to provide housing for all those made homeless by the heavy rains of 2010. Further, low income families receive heavy subsidies from the government to help them pay for their houses, and those living on less than the minimum wage receive their new homes for free.

Authorities report that 511,040 public and private sector houses have been built so far under the Great Housing Mission, over one-sixth of the total goal. In 2013 62% of public sector houses were built by grassroots organisations such as communal councils.

Calculations indicate that at the current rate of construction the goal of three million new homes by 2019 will not be met. However program authorities report that a huge number of houses are currently under construction, and argue that the next aim of one million homes constructed will be reached relatively quickly.

2014 to be year of “more revolution”

Yesterday Venezuelan president Nicolas Maduro committed himself to handing new houses to the last group of 700 families made homeless by heavy rains by February.

Maduro also declared that 2014 would be “a year of more socialist revolution, of the people, of true democracy,” and confirmed that a new stage of his Street Government initiative would tour the country to develop key government policies.

Finally, the Venezuelan president revealed that the government will put forward Diosdado Cabello for another term as president of the National Assembly. Cabello is also the Vice President of the government’s United Socialist Party of Venezuela (PSUV).