Yizhou's Luoxi explores new model for improving living conditions

A total of 103 households carry out renovation to their dilapidated housings and 60 of them employ a third party to finish construction in 2019. [Photo/Hechi Daily]

Luoxi town in Hechi's Yizhou has devoted great efforts in constructing houses for impoverished households as part of its poverty alleviation efforts, often employing a third party to undertake the construction.

In 2019, Luoxi town is expected to lift 276 households out of poverty, yet 91 of them live in poor housing conditions, accounting for 33 percent of the total number.

As housing is a basic requirement of people's livelihoods, Luoxi town has established a set of construction standards based on local conditions, such as the per capita living space being between 13 and 25 square meters per person.

In order to deal with problems like shortages in funds and labor force, the Chamber of Commerce in Luoxi town has raised donations totaling 160,000 yuan ($22,856.39) to be subsidy funds. In addition, members of the chamber have paid more than 600,000 yuan before the subsidy funds were in place.

A total of 103 households have carried out renovations to their dilapidated housings, and 60 of them employed a third party to finish construction in 2019.

"We may never have been able to live in such a new house if it weren't for this good policy," said Qin Lilian, a villager from a poverty-stricken family in Luoxi town.

"The success of employing a third party to renovate houses has boosted the poverty alleviation work in Yizhou," said a person in charge of Yizhou's poverty alleviation work.