Cuba issues housing subsidies

Some 44,300 Cubans benefited in 2013 from a government housing subsidy to help them build or improve their homes, Cuban authorities said Wednesday. The subsidy mostly went to the families whose homes were damaged or destroyed by disasters such as cyclones, floods, landslides and fires, said the National Information Agency, citing a report from the Ministry of Interior Commerce. It was also offered to those who couldn't afford the materials or labor costs needed in rebuilding their homes, the agency added, without revealing the total amount of the subsidy given. With a population of 11.1 million, Cuba is in need of 600,000 housing units to cover the current shortage of houses, according to the government. Besides, nearly half of its 3 million housing units are deemed to be in bad condition, resulted from disasters such as hurricane, fire and flood. Many are considered uninhabitable.