35% of Cuba's Homes in Poor Technical Condition

A recent report from the official newspaper Granma underscores the severe housing crisis in Cuba: a mere 65% of the country's existing homes are in good technical condition. This alarming statistic is a direct consequence of decades of neglect, inadequate planning, poor access to quality construction materials, and the impact of natural disasters, further exacerbating a bleak situation for millions of Cubans.

According to Delilah Díaz Fernández, the General Director of Housing, by the end of 2024, the situation with Cuba's housing stock remains dire. Of the 4,078,519 registered homes, only about 65% are in acceptable condition. Even more concerning, 59 municipalities across the country, including ten in Havana, failed to complete their planned basic housing units, highlighting the shortcomings in the Housing Policy.

Moreover, out of the 8,331 approved housing units for the year, 3,461 have yet to be started, with Granma leading in delays. This province also faces the challenge of eliminating 33,126 dirt floors, illustrating the precarious living conditions many Cubans endure. More than 12,000 homes in Guantánamo were damaged by Hurricane Oscar, yet around 10,000 of them are still awaiting resolution, Díaz noted.

Artemisa is in a similarly dire state, with over 18,000 unresolved cases, while in Granma, only 1.2% of those affected by the November 10 earthquake have received aid. The report highlights a severe shortage of essential construction materials. For instance, the supply of tiles in Artemisa and Guantánamo meets just 15% and 26% of needs, respectively, and cement delivery in these provinces does not exceed 11% and 26%.

Some provinces, such as Havana and Santiago de Cuba, have exceeded their material delivery targets, but less than 30% of damage has been addressed. These figures not only reveal the inadequacy of the resources allocated but also the regime's inability to effectively address the basic needs of its people. Even in instances where materials were provided, delays and disorganization have hindered meaningful progress.

The government has announced plans to construct 12,183 homes through various means in 2025, along with completing 6,209 homes in the state sector. However, given the current statistics and past failures, these goals appear, at best, optimistic and, at worst, unattainable. Meanwhile, the population continues to face a housing deficit that jeopardizes their quality of life and future. The housing crisis is yet another testament to the deterioration of infrastructure and the inefficiency of the Cuban regime.

To grasp the extent of the inefficiency in the housing construction program promoted by the Cuban regime, it suffices to note that, according to official figures from 2021, more than a third of homes in Cuba are in regular or poor technical condition. In this context, the Cuban government recently announced the drafting of a future Housing Law, intending to present the preliminary bill at upcoming sessions of the National Assembly of People's Power.

Although the draft is still being written and not all specifics have been disclosed, during a session of the Agro-Food Commission preceding the Fourth Ordinary Period of Sessions of the Cuban Parliament's X Legislature, parliamentarians learned that the law aims to allow ownership of a home in the city and another in the countryside, according to the concept of property reported by Granma.

This new law seeks to respect the construction typologies approved by the Ministry of Construction (Micons) in 2017. The information was provided during a presentation of the Turquino Plan and Rurality Program in Cuba, attended by Cuban Vice President Salvador Valdés Mesa, who acknowledged the severe deterioration of living conditions in rural areas while insisting on defending the "achievements of the Revolution."

Housing remains a critical issue in Cuba's daily life, particularly because the government does not prioritize it as needed, while it continues to focus on building hotels in the country.