NSHP Recipient Gets New Home On Her Birthday

Unity and hope permeated the air as Claremont, St. Ann, residents cheered for the birthday girl, Andria Riley, whose smile was rivalled only by the sun, as Prime Minister, the Most Hon. Andrew Holness, handed her the keys to her brand-new home on Friday (March 18).

Ms. Riley’s new home was constructed under the New Social Housing Programme (NSHP), which falls under the umbrella of the broader Housing, Opportunity, Production and Employment (HOPE) Programme being spearheaded by the Ministry of Economic Growth and Job Creation.

It was constructed at a cost of $4.2 million, and consists of two bedrooms, a kitchenette, a bathroom, and a living room.

In an interview with JIS News, a reserved but happy Ms. Riley noted that she was feeling “blessed” to be a new homeowner.

She added that she was looking forward to enjoying the unit with her 11-year-old daughter, who she says is excited about her new home.

Speaking at the event, Ms. Riley thanked the Prime Minister as well expressed thanks to God that she could receive a house on her “special day”.

“I would also like to thank the team from the Ministry. You guys are a blessing and I thank you from the bottom of my heart. I will take care of this house the best way I can,” she vowed.

Ms. Riley also thanked everyone involved in the completion of the house, including the construction team from Jacden Group of Companies.

Construction Manager at Jacden, Nigel Moore, told JIS News that the construction was a labour of love, despite having to be meticulous about the timing of dropping materials at the site due to challenges with the terrain.

“The main challenge was the terrain, because once there was a drizzle in the night, we can’t access. We ordered it [building material] and waited until about 10:00 a.m. in the morning and get the material up here, because by 2:00 p.m. it would start to rain again,” Mr. Moore said.

Meanwhile, Member of Parliament St. Ann South Eastern, Lisa Hanna, lauded the NSHP.

“Prime Minister, I want to thank you for the programme; it is a good programme, and it should be chartered that regardless of whoever comes into government, that this programme is continued,” she emphasised.

She noted that “when this programme was conceptualised and we got the information, for us as a constituency working together, it was clear to us that our women needed to be helped”.

“So, the bulk of what we do in this particular programme goes towards helping our single working-class mothers who are finding it difficult, because if they have their own key and shelter it means that you can break generational cycles of poverty if you give women a shelter over their heads,” Ms. Hanna stated.

Members of Parliament across the island play an important part in the programme, as they identify and submit the names of individuals who are in dire need of proper housing to the HOPE programme.

So far, three social housing units have been approved for the St. Ann South Eastern constituency, as in addition to Ms. Riley’s unit, another house is 85 per cent complete, while the foundation has been prepared for the third unit.

The NSHP, which was established in 2018 by Prime Minister Holness, was developed to improve the housing condition of the country’s poor and disadvantaged population by providing quality, affordable and sustainable housing.

To maximise its effectiveness, the NSHP has been divided into three implementation modalities.

The first is the provision of indigent housing, which sees benefits being equitably distributed across all 63 constituencies on the island, with each constituency receiving five units per annum.

Approximately 315 housing units per annum will be constructed under this modality.

The second is the relocation of vulnerable communities, where persons whose lives are in imminent danger will be given priority attention.

The third modality, which is the upgrading of tenements, also called ‘big yards’, with one such project being undertaken in each constituency.