600 Police Officers To Receive Their Own Homes
In his annual report on the development of the fight against poverty, the Ministro de Vivienda, Fernando Zumbado, announced a program to give 600 police officers of the Fuerza Pública their own homes, as a majority of the police officers do not own their homes.

The minister explained that the qualified officers will receive a subsidy under the Ley del Sistema Financiero de la Vivienda, which recently signed an agreement with the Mivah, the Ministerio de Seguridad and the Banco Hipotecario de la Vivienda (Banhvi), to process applications by police officers.

Zumbado said that he was very said, when during an police operation to remove squatters, one of the people the police officers, in the completion of his duties, had to evict his own wife and children, and that is where the idea of giving homes to police officers who are poor.

The minister said that priority will be given to officers in rural areas who will receive "bonos" * to build homes on lots they own or to repair their existing homes. Zumbado added that his ministry has opened an office within the Ministerio de Seguridad Pública to allow police officers to obtain information and process their applications.

Zumbado added that to date 123 applications have been received and he hopes to build at least 300 homes for the year 2007.

The agreement between the government agencies is for four years and the Vivienda minister added that he hopes that at least 600 officers have their own homes.

The Vivienda minister said in his report that during 2006, 10.731 "bonos" were given out with an investment of ¢36 billion colones (us$69.9 million dollars).

In addition, the minister reported, that 14 housing projects were inaugurated after taking office in May of this year, among them, the El Verolís in Turrialba, Omar Salazar in Turrialba, El Clavel in Pérez Zeledón, Reseva Indígena Matambú in Hojancha, Valle Verde in San Carlos, Nuestra Señora del Carmen in La Unión and the Reserva Indígena Rey Curré in Buenos Aires.


* Bonos are government vouchers given to families meeting certain economic conditions that allow them special financing - in some cases a low rate and in others cases non-repayable - to build or purchase a residential home in specific areas or government housing projects.