Two new houses handed over to indigent residents in Hanover community
Published:Monday | January 22, 2024 | 12:07 AMBryan Miller/Gleaner Writer
Western Bureau
Two senior citizens who reside in the deep rural district of Chambers Pen, in Hanover Western, can now sleep more comfortably at night, after being gifted with newly built houses, constructed by the government under its indigent housing assistance programme.
Eighty-two-year-old Cathleen Miller and Carlton Kent, 60, were both living in houses of less than acceptable standard, and were, as a result, chosen to benefit under the programme.
With the assistance of the Hanover Poor Relief Department, the Hanover Municipal Corporation (HMC) and the Ministry of Local Government and Community Development, the two seniors were gifted with new houses, built at a total cost of $15 million.
Prime Minister Andrew Holness and Desmond McKenzie, minister of local government and community development, were both on hand to deliver the keys to the new houses, much to the delight of the two recipients and their community members.
Addressing the handover ceremony for the keys to the houses, Holness, who was visiting that area in Hanover for the first time as head of government, noted that such visits give him a better understanding of the affairs of the people of the country.
“As your prime minister, it is not only for me to sit at my desk and administer your affairs from Kingston. It is important that I come amongst you, in your community, come to your house even, so that I can understand better the challenges that you face locally,” he stated.
Making mention of some of the complaints he received while visiting other areas in Hanover earlier in the day, Holness argued that it was very important to listen to the complaints of the people, and try to look past their anger.
“We need more of that in our country. We know that you have to protest sometimes because that is how you will get attention. It is sad, however, that you have to protest to get attention,” he stated.
“What I say to all my ministers [of government] and our members of parliament, is that they must hear the people’s cry, they must stand up and listen, they must present themselves and they must take responsibility, because that is the first step in coming to a solution,” he said.
Holness underscored the importance of rural development to the progress of the country, and the programmes that the government has in place to achieve that goal, adding that his administration had spent more than $340 million towards the development of the Chambers Pen community, within which the indigent houses are being delivered.
McKenzie, in his address during the handover ceremony, pointed out that the two new houses bring to three the number of indigent houses being provided in the Chambers Pen community, while three more are under construction.
He argued that the indigent housing project forms part of the multi-million-dollar rural development initiative pilot project of his ministry, which is being implemented in the Chambers Pen community.
In the meantime, Treka Lewis, secretary of the Board of Supervision, who chaired the programme, explained that the benefits being handed over in the form of houses, holds the promise of transforming lives and fostering a sense of community.
“Today, we embark on a journey towards creating a haven for those in need, a place where compassion, dignity and support converge to build a brighter future,” she said.
She opined that the handover of the houses is as much a joy for the recipients as it is for the Poor Relief Department and the Board of Supervision, as the occasion is ensuring decent housing for citizens of Jamaica, irrespective of their situation.