NHT Encourages More Persons with Disabilities to Apply for Grant

More individuals who qualify for the National Housing Trust (NHT) Special Grant for Persons with Disabilities are being encouraged to apply for it.

The NHT provides a special grant of up to $300,000 to contributing mortgagors who either have a disability or for mortgagors, whether they are NHT mortgagors or not, who reside with, or they are guardians of individuals with a disability.

Assistant General Manager for Corporate Communications and Public Affairs, Dwayne Berbick, tells JIS News that the purpose of the grant is to assist in retrofitting and/or upgrading the mortgage property to make it suitable to serve the need of the person with a disability.

“The primary focus is on making the space more comfortable for the person with the disability and that person can be either the mortgagor of the property or as long as there is someone in the household who has a disability, the mortgagor can make an application to the NHT for this grant. The grant amount is $300,000, but a maximum of two people may apply for this grant per household,” Mr. Berbick says.

He explains that if there are two people in a household who have a disability, they can put in an application for the grant and get up to $600,000 to be able to retrofit the property.

Mr. Berbick notes that the purpose of the grant is to make the space more comfortable for the person with the disability.

He says that persons have used the grant to put in ramps, to create better access via wheelchair.

“People have also used it in instances where, again, someone is in a wheelchair and the light fixtures in the house are a little too high, they can use it to lower those so there’s greater access. For people who have probably intellectual disabilities, we do make considerations for those as well,” he notes.

“In the instances where there are parents who have children who are autistic and probably need just some help in terms of manoeuvring the home, especially the bathroom area, people have used it to put in rails, people have used it to just incorporate it into the home to make the space more accessible. I’ve seen an interesting case where someone is deaf-mute and they’ve used it to instal a warning system, so when there is any type of intrusion to the property, some flashing lights go off,” he adds.

However, Mr. Berbick notes that the grant cannot be used for routine type of repairs or more cosmetic enhancements.

“But even some of those enhancements could also assist, because in another instance, I’ve also seen people use it to lower the cupboards. So, the cupboards are perhaps a little high and they redo the cupboards and put them in lower. So, in those instances, some of the cosmetic things can also apply. But generally, it is to make the space more comfortable for the person with the disability, and that’s the primary focus,” he continues.

The NHT also assigns a project officer to look at the space before, to consider the type of upgrade that the homeowner is doing and also to do an assessment after, from a quality standpoint, to ensure that it is done properly, but also to ensure that the funds that the NHT has provided, have been put to correct use.

The Special Grant for Persons with Disabilities was announced by Prime Minister, Dr. the Most Hon. Andrew Holness, in 2017, during his Budget Debate presentation.
So far, the NHT has disbursed close to 60 grants under the initiative.

“The population of people with disabilities is not significantly great, but we still intended and have expected that we would have seen a greater take-up. One of the conditions of it is that the person with the disability must be registered with the Jamaica Council for Persons with Disabilities (JCPD),” Mr. Berbick states.

“So, I don’t know if that’s an issue, that there are some individuals who perhaps have the disability and are not registered, but that’s been part of our message as well, to encourage people to register, so they can access this benefit. So, as I said, just about 60 grants we have been able to disburse but we would love for that figure to be far greater because we know the need does exist,” he adds.

The NHT disbursed six grants in the 2023/24 financial year, and at a point in 2024/ 2025, the Trust had roughly 14 grants being processed.

For more information on the grant, persons may contact the NHT via e-mail at wecare@nht.gov.jm or by telephone at 1-876-929-6500-9.