EC$131,000 Argenta home launched to help working families who “just don’t earn enough”
Housing Minister Maria Bird-Browne has unveiled The Argenta, a new EC$131,000 CHAPA home designed for working Antiguans who have been unable to qualify for existing government housing.
Presenting the model during the Budget Debate, the minister said many residents simply “don’t earn enough for the models that we have on the market,” even though they earn too much to qualify for HAPPI assistance. She said these residents are “living in rent,” but “it’s not happening anymore in terms of the affordability — it’s expensive for them.”
Bird-Browne said people repeatedly tell her they want “to be able to own something so that, whatever they pay, at the end of the month, they know it’s going to be something that they will own in the long run.” LOWER HOUSE SITTING – 2026 BUDG…
In response, she announced that CHAPA has “launched two new homes that will become available immediately to the people of Antigua and Barbuda that capture that income bracket.” The first of those models is The Argenta.
“The first one is called the Argenta… Two bedrooms, two baths at $131,000,” she told the House.
The minister highlighted the structure’s durability, describing it as a “very beautiful modern design” built with heavy steel stirrups tied in from top to bottom for climate resilience. “And also fancy, you see? Lovely,” she said while displaying the model.
Bird-Browne said the initiative follows CHAPA “hearing the cries… from people visiting us and wanting to own a home but not being able to own a home.” She said the Argenta is intended to make ownership possible for people below the typical lending threshold who still need stability “to put a roof over the heads of their children.” LOWER HOUSE SITTING – 2026 BUDG…
Applications are open immediately..
