St. Andrew, Jamaica: Five St. Andrew families, who lived in substandard conditions, now have safe and decent housing under the Government’s New Social Housing Programme (NSHP).
Prime Minister, the Most Hon. Andrew Holness, handed over the units to beneficiaries at locations in West Rural, East Central, and Eastern St. Andrew on Friday (April 12).
In his address at a ribbon cutting ceremony in Iron River, West Rural St. Andrew, where a $5.8 million house was presented to Patrick Spencer, the Prime Minister noted the Government’s commitment to providing housing assistance to Jamaicans genuinely in need of such support.
He said that while the process under the NHSP “can be overwhelming at times, we must ensure accountability for public funds.”
“There are many layers of administration in place to ensure that every dollar that is spent is wisely spent, is efficiently spent and that there is no corruption in how the resources are used; that itself takes time,” he pointed out.
“There are processes for procurement, approvals and permits and then we have to secure the legal rights to wherever we are building. All of that takes time in addition to the time it takes to assess the applications and the (applicants),” he added.
The Prime Minister said that in addition to building housing units, persons can also benefit from housing grants for general repairs.
He noted that Mr. Spencer had initially applied for a housing grant but following an assessment, he was referred to the NHSP.
“This recommendation came through the social assistance unit. So, there are several routes to the social housing programme. I believe Patrick would have been the third or fourth beneficiary that would have come through that route,” he noted.
The Prime Minister congratulated Mr. Spencer and expressed the hope that the life of his family will be transformed through the provision of the housing unit.
Mr. Spencer expressed gratitude to Prime Minister Holness, Member of Parliament (MP), Hon. Juliet Cuthbert Flynn, the NSHP and supporting agencies for the new home.
Mrs. Cuthbert Flynn, who is also State Minister for National Security, said the Government is dedicated to uplifting the most vulnerable members of the society.
Under the NSHP, all 63 MPs are allowed to submit the names of five persons in their respective constituencies for housing support.
The programme was established in 2018 by Prime Minister Holness to improve the housing condition of the country’s poor and disadvantaged population by providing quality, affordable and sustainable dwelling units.
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