Cuban dictatorship failed to build any new housing in 2024 despite generous aid from abroad

From our Bureau of Socialist Priorities with some assistance from our Bureau of Socialist Social Justice and our Bureau of Socialist Uses for Humanitarian Aid

Castro, Inc. receives millions of dollars in humanitarian aid from abroad, much of which is intended for the building of homes for Cubans who lack adequate housing. Castro, Inc. itself openly acknowledges that the island has a deficit of 850,000 homes, which means that the real deficit must be at least two million. But in 2024, despite feverish investment in hotel-building, Castro, Inc. failed to build a single dwelling. Priorities, priorities, priorities. Socialist social justice at work.

Loosely translated from ADN Cuba

The Office of the Historian of the City of Havana (OHCH) acknowledged this week that it has been unable to fulfill the delivery of the housing units promised for 2024 in the capital. According to its directors, they have not delivered “a single one.”

Johana Aedo Gutiérrez, Director of Investments at the OHCH, made this statement on the official program Mesa Redonda, dedicated to the 505th anniversary of Havana, which was broadcast this week on Cuban media.

“We could not complete any housing projects this year. We focused on advancing several works to the civil construction stage, but certain resources, which we were unable to access during the reinvestment process, and construction sequencing issues, made it impossible to finish these homes. Next year, our office has a plan to complete approximately 67 homes,” Aedo stated.

Perla Rosales, the Deputy Director of the Office and daughter of Cuban General Ulises Rosales del Toro, added:

“This year, for the first time, we could not deliver any new homes. I say ‘new’ because we did carry out rehabilitations, improved homes, and provided transitional housing for mothers with more than five children. But that new building we typically deliver to doctors or families was impossible to complete this year.”

In an interview with Russia Today months ago, the successor to the late historian Eusebio Leal declared that the Office of the Historian receives millions of dollars for humanitarian projects, including housing construction.

“Despite the complex financing situations, the Office of the Historian annually receives no less than seven million dollars in hard currency for social projects. All are based on community-oriented social concepts,” Rosales emphasized.

Her statement in August contrasts with the OHCH’s failure to meet its development plan and the deteriorating state of housing in Havana, particularly in Old Havana, where the office operates and carries out most of its projects.

This is compounded by the critical state of buildings, accumulated over decades, leading to frequent collapses, as well as natural disasters that have affected the island in recent years.

The deficit of more than 850,000 homes, according to official figures, remains one of Cuba’s main social problems. In the most recent parliamentary session, it was confirmed that Havana is the province in the worst condition, with many people unlikely to see their homes rebuilt or started by the end of 2024.

The Cuban government announced that the 2025 Economic Plan includes the completion of 12,183 homes, a figure significantly lower than in previous years. This contrasts with the state’s decision to continue building hotels, despite the decline in the number of tourists visiting the island.

The hotel construction and management business in Cuba is primarily controlled by the powerful military conglomerate GAESA, an entity sanctioned by the U.S. government. GAESA operates independently, with a complete lack of transparency, and is not even subject to audits by Cuba’s General Comptroller’s Office.

Since 2016, GAESA absorbed the tourism company Habaguanex S.A., which had been founded and operated by the OHCH until then. Habaguanex was one of the Office’s main sources of foreign currency revenue.

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