Scores access services at NHT Home It! Expo

Over 350 people accessed several housing and mortgage-related services at the National Housing Trust’s (NHT) Home It! Expo held at Emancipation Park on Friday, March 22.

Sabrena McDonald-Radcliffe, the NHT’s assistant general manager of advertising and sales, highlighted that the expo was an important opportunity for the NHT to provide individuals with information about the organisation’s products and benefits.

“The expo is part of an overall campaign focused on raising awareness about the diverse product offerings at the NHT to inspire and empower individuals to pursue homeownership. Most persons only think schemes when they hear NHT, and, while our scheme facility is excellent, we serve a wide and diverse contributor base, which means we offer a range of other available solutions geared toward helping our contributors to successfully navigate property ownership,” said McDonald-Radcliffe.

The expo ran from 12 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. and saw individuals learning about how to access NHT’s benefits, grants, financing arrangements and verifying their contributions status and mortgage eligibility. Self-employed individuals were also able to register to become NHT contributors.

McDonald-Radcliffe said that Jamaicans could look forward to even more mobilisation initiatives like the expo spanning across the island.

“At the NHT, we are all about accessibility, and persons really appreciated that the we brought the services to them, in one central location. They really appreciated the ease to access the information and services. We’ll be doing engagement sessions at supermarkets, markets, transportation centres, and so many other spaces within the next several months,” shared McDonald-Radcliffe.

Albert Smith, a driver with the Jamaica Urban Transport Company (JUTC), lauded the efforts of the Trust, noting that the information and service was not only timely but excellent.

“I was able to verify my eligibility as well as how much I would be able to qualify for to purchase a property, things I didn’t know before. This information was truly valuable and now I feel like I am in a much better position to start the property search process,” said Smith.

Participants were also able to engage with other agencies such as the National Land Agency, National Insurance Scheme, Tax Administration of Jamaica, Ministry of Health & Wellness, Courts Jamaica, Excelsior Biscuit Company, Vita Malt, Wisynco, and Tastee Cheese.