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The Government acknowledged delays in the delivery of houses built from shipping containers in the province of Cienfuegos, where only 70 out of the planned 175 have been completed, amid a housing crisis that remains without structural solutions.
During an extraordinary Provincial Government Council held this Friday in the Pearl of the South, Prime Minister Manuel Marrero Cruz described the delay in the delivery of maritime containers intended for housing as “sensitive,” a method promoted by the State as an alternative due to the shortage of cement, fuel, and construction materials.
According to the data presented at the meeting, the province had planned to prepare 175 homes of this type, but so far only 40% of the plan has been completed, a figure that reflects the slow pace of execution even within a program designed as an emergency solution, as reported by a report from the provincial newspaper 5 de Septiembre.
The statement comes as the official media has presented the conversion of metal containers into housing as an “innovation” to address the housing deficit, estimated at over 800,000 homes nationwide.
However, in several provinces, the program has progressed slowly, impacted by the same structural issues that plague other construction plans, including a lack of electricity, fuel, supplies, and organization.
According to previous official reports, these homes typically measure between 27 and 29 m², are designed for family units of up to four people, and require engineering work, welding, interior insulation, and roofing to mitigate heat.
Nevertheless, specialists and beneficiaries have warned that, in the Cuban climate, the containers remain extremely hot during the summer.
The economic factor adds to the technical questions. In provinces like Guantánamo and Havana, the Government itself has acknowledged that these homes are not donations, as the beneficiary must bear the cost of the container, estimated to be around 900,000 CUP per unit, a figure significantly higher than the average bank appraisal for a conventional masonry home, which is set at approximately 225,000 CUP.
This price entails decades of debt for families whose monthly incomes are well below the actual cost of housing, which has sparked criticism regarding the disconnect between wages and prices in the housing program.
Furthermore, the authorities have not publicly outlined clear financing conditions, payment terms, or applicable rates, leaving these aspects to be negotiated later with the banking system.
In Cienfuegos, the delay in housing containers reveals that even the “alternative” solutions promoted by the official discourse face the same structural limitations that have paralyzed traditional construction for years.
While the Government emphasizes the need to "reinvent" itself and change mindsets, hundreds of families continue to wait for housing that, even in its most precarious form, is still arriving late.
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