Father and Son Happy for New Home

The face mask could not hide the broad smile on the face of Henry Dwyer, as he received the key to his new home at 8 Donmair Close in St. Andrew from Prime Minister, the Most Hon. Andrew Holness recently.

After decades of living in a dilapidated board structure, the elderly man and his son, Milton, were happy to finally have a comfortable dwelling, which was built through the New Social Housing Programme (NSHP).

The new three-bedroom concrete structure is valued at $6.1 million and includes a kitchen, bathroom and dining area.

A man of few words, the senior Dwyer could not hide his pride and joy as he expressed appreciation.

“Respect and honour to the Prime Minister and [Member of Parliament for North Central St. Andrew, Hon. Karl] Mr. Samuda. Mi feel happy fi this,” he said.

His son was equally appreciative. “The journey was a little tricky and rough, but we just hold faith,” he said, adding that he was thankful for the new-and-improved living conditions.

The Dwyers are among the latest beneficiaries under the NSHP, which was established in 2018 by Prime Minister Holness to improve and develop housing conditions for the country’s poor and vulnerable population.

The aim is to provide quality, affordable and sustainable housing for less-fortunate citizens who cannot afford to build a home for themselves.

The programme is being executed by the Ministry of Economic Growth and Job Creation through the Housing, Opportunity, Production and Employment (HOPE) programme.

The Prime Minister said he is aware of the housing challenges faced by many Jamaicans and is working assiduously to address the needs, particularly of indigent persons, under the NSHP.

He said that the initiative will be expanded to provide more housing units to Jamaicans in need and thereby transform their lives.

“Once I am satisfied that we have everything in place from the administration, monitoring and accounting to the architecture and engineering and the financing, then we will start to scale up… and as we expand, we will be able to reach far more Jamaicans,” he said.

Mr. Samuda, who is Minister of Labour and Social Security, said work will continue to ensure that more persons can benefit from the initiative.

The programme aims to construct five houses per constituency per annum, ranging from one-bedroom to three-bedroom structures.

The Members of Parliament play an integral role in the process by identifying and submitting the names of individuals who are in dire need of proper housing to the HOPE programme.

The officers from HOPE then conduct a social inquiry, prepare the required documents, and submit them to a committee for approval.

The committee is responsible for awarding the contract for the building of the house.