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Cuban housing on Malecon in Havana
Photo by Saundra Amrhein
immigrationnewsblog.com
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When President Obama made his announcement in December about relaxing certain travel and trade restrictions with Cuba, my thoughts went almost immediately to Home Depot and Lowe's.
That’s because one of the biggest crises facing Cubans is a shortage of housing and home-repair materials.
Official Cuban numbers put the shortage of housing units for its 11 million citizens at 500,000, though at least one other scholar placed it anywhere between 600,000 and 1 million, according to the Associated Press.
Every year the gap grows, as Cuba’s fraying architecture falls victim to years of neglect, salt air and a battering of tropical storms that alone have caused billions of dollars in damage since 2008.
Often several generations live crowded under one roof, while thousands are vulnerable to the threat of the all-too-frequent structure collapse, particular in Old Havana and Central Havana.
Often several generations live crowded under one roof, while thousands are vulnerable to the threat of the all-too-frequent structure collapse, particular in Old Havana and Central Havana.
