SANTO DOMINGO – The Dominican Republic faces a deficit of 37,000 homes each year, warned archaeologist and environmentalist Domingo Abreu, alerting about the growing housing crisis that affects thousands of families throughout the country.
Abreu emphasized that the needs are concentrated in the most vulnerable provinces, such as Elías Piña, where communities like Rancho La Guardia and El Caliche de Villa Duarte require urgent attention. In these areas, many families live in dilapidated houses without property titles, making it difficult to improve their living conditions. All of these homes are part of the Futuro Cierto (Certain Future) project, an initiative aimed at improving the quality of life for families in communities with a high housing shortage.
“Every year, 37,000 new housing needs arise,” explained Abreu, noting that this problem intensifies if sustainable solutions are not implemented. In an interview on the program El Día, Abreu elaborated on the magnitude of the challenge and the importance of involving the community in these projects.
The specialist stressed that this problem cannot be solved solely by the State, but requires the active participation of citizens and the private sector.
Solidarity that transforms communities
“Dominicans are generally very inclined to collaborate, but if they don't understand the situation, how can they do so?” Abreu emphasized. As an example of effective solutions, he mentioned the urbanization projects of the Futuro Cierto project in Elías Piña, where old and deteriorated homes are being replaced with new ones.
These homes are built in a grouped manner, generating a visible change in the community and fostering solidarity among neighbors.
Each house has 75 square meters, three bedrooms, a living room, a kitchen and a bathroom, significantly improving the quality of life of the beneficiary families.
In addition, the projects include educational spaces, with two-story buildings that support the comprehensive development of children and young people.
To date, 36 homes and an educational center have been completed, thanks to community collaboration and the work of local organizations.
Abreu emphasized that the participation of the population strengthens the self-esteem of families and promotes a sense of belonging to their communities.
The initiative seeks to demonstrate that well-planned housing projects, such as Futuro Cierto, can transform entire communities and improve the lives of their inhabitants.
To learn more about these initiatives, those interested can visit the website of the Fundación Futuro Cierto, where the projects underway are detailed.
