Social housing units presented to St Thomas residents

THREE SOCIAL housing units were handed over to deserving residents in St Thomas Eastern on Wednesday under the New Social Housing Programme (NSHP).

The beneficiaries, Keith James of Duckenfield; Nimroy Henry, Harbour Head in Port Morant; and Dawn Cargill of Curtis Bottom, also in Port Morant, all received keys to their new homes from Prime Minister Andrew Holness.

Speaking at the handover ceremony in Curtis Bottom at the residence of Cargill, Holness pointed out that the NSHP is “a more coordinated approach to providing housing for the most needy and the most vulnerable Jamaicans”.

The $5.2-million two-bedroom unit presented to Cargill is the 106th housing solution to be delivered under the programme.

“When we started off, we were at almost $8 million for some of the homes we were building. Now, we have gotten the prices all the way down … and we are now delivering these units on an average three months,” the prime minister said.

He pointed out that next month (November), 20 more units will be available for hand over to more Jamaicans, noting that there are an estimated 6,000 citizens living in conditions that qualify for the programme.

“If we are able to do 20 each month, you can see that the programme will eventually get to all the people in need. If we treat with those that are really at the bottom, we would have improved the level for everyone in a fair way,” Holness said.

Meanwhile, he reminded that the Government is working to ensure that housing solutions can be accessed at affordable costs through the Housing Agency of Jamaica and the National Housing Trust by all Jamaicans, regardless of their level of income.

Member of Parliament for St Thomas Eastern, Dr. Michelle Charles, expressed gratitude to the prime minister, on behalf of the residents, for leading the charge for several major developments to take place in the parish simultaneously, such as the Morant Bay Urban Centre and the Southern Coastal Highway Improvement Project.

The prime minister had also opened the $162.9-million Yallahs Fire Station earlier on Wednesday.

Charles also praised the NSHP for helping many Jamaicans to own a house. “But a house is just an empty building … When you see the joy on the faces of the recipients, you know that they will make that house a home,” she added.

Delivering the vote of thanks, Cargill said she was overjoyed. “The ‘before’ picture gives an indication of the state of my previous housing condition. I am forever grateful to those who developed this project and to the selection committee who [recognised] my need and selected my family as a beneficiary. To the Government, on behalf of my family, I am humbled and grateful,” she said.

The NSHP was established in 2018 by the prime minister as the housing component of the Housing, Opportunity, Production and Employment (HOPE) programme.

It is implemented through the Ministry of Economic Growth and Job Creation, with administrative and technical support provided by the HOPE unit. Benefits of the NSHP are equitably distributed across the 63 constituencies.

JIS