Mexican president announces housing program

by María Josefina Arce

Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum has made a strong start, determined to fulfil her electoral promise to govern for all Mexicans and to maintain and develop the social programs launched by her predecessor, Andrés Manuel López Obrador.

Her commitment is demonstrated by the fact that 24 hours after her inauguration, on her first day in office, Sheinbaum travelled to the state of Guerrero, which was hit by Hurricane John, to assess the needs and monitor the delivery of aid to victims.

But it is also clear from the initiatives announced to help different sectors of society. This is the case of the housing program, which includes the construction of houses, loans and low-cost rentals.

The aim is to build one million houses throughout the country to meet the needs of the population.

A budget of 600 billion Mexican pesos, or around 30 billion dollars, has been earmarked to carry out the project over a six-year period, which the authorities have declared a priority.

In the first year of Mexico's first female president, some 165,000 homes are expected to be built, while some 100,000 existing homes will be improved and another 120,000 will be regularized.

It is an ambitious program that will take into account various aspects, such as ensuring that the houses are built on land that is not at risk of flooding or landslides, that they are close to economically active areas, and that they have drinking water, drainage and electricity.

The program will benefit many Mexicans, with a particular focus on women heads of household, young people, indigenous people and the elderly.

The government's aim is to build more houses in the south of Mexico, where most people with limited economic resources live, especially the indigenous population.

In addition to the impact on housing, the program will also have an impact on the labor market, with some six million jobs expected to be created directly and more than nine million indirectly through housing construction.

Mexico's new government, led by Claudia Sheinbaum, is working hard and, in just 15 days in office, is demonstrating its commitment to improving the quality of life of its citizens, especially the most vulnerable sectors.