Marli Moreira
Reporter Agência Brasil

São Paulo - The amount of money available for home purchases and improvements this year totals US$7 billion. That is the best in eleven years, says Marcio Fortes, minister of Cities.

Fortes reports that the Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva administration will continue its effort to reduce the country's housing deficit, estimated at 7.2 million homes, by concentrating on low-cost housing for low-income families, without forgetting about the middle class.

According to Fortes, in 2005 the government made housing loans totalling US$4.3 billion.

Translation: Allen Bennett