Fifty NHT Beneficiaries Become New Property Owners

Fifty National Housing Trust (NHT) beneficiaries were presented with keys to their homes or letters of possession to serviced lots at Longville Vista and Longville Court in Clarendon on Wednesday (September 12).

The developments, which comprise a total of 127 new housing solutions, include 43 studios and 46 serviced lots in Longville Vista; and 38 semi-detached studio units in Longville Court.

Minister without Portfolio in the Ministry of Economic Growth and Job Creation, Hon. Karl Samuda, who represented Prime Minister, the Most Hon. Andrew Holness, at the handover ceremony, said he is pleased that the project included accommodation for young people; nurses;  and members of the Jamaica Constabulary Force (JCF), Jamaica Defence Force (JDF), and the trade union movement.

“What you are having here is a microcosm of what constitutes the backbone of Jamaica,” he said.

Mr. Samuda noted the Government is committed to ensuring that “as many people as possible” have permanence of tenure through affordable homeownership, and as such, is seeking to make use of marginal agricultural lands to build houses.

“The NHT will be looking at some of those lands… that cannot be irrigated economically… to build houses for our people and move people from depressed communities into those areas, so that they can be proud (homeowners),” he indicated.

In his remarks, new Chairman of the NHT, Lennox Channer, said the agency is accelerating the pace of bringing new housing solutions to the market.

“Our housing plans include the development of housing solutions all across Jamaica, and we are working rapidly to take these projects from ground breaking to handover in the shortest possible time,” he said.

He noted that the NHT has spent the last few years laying the groundwork to improve access to housing for more Jamaicans, and has embarked on a four-year housing plan that will see the start of 23,000 housing solutions by the year 2021.

“We are well on our way with this target, as housing starts for 2017/18 total 5,536 solutions, the highest in record in over a decade. Over into this new fiscal year, we are targeting a further 22 projects with over 5,000 housing starts,” he indicated.

Also welcoming the developments were Minister of Industry, Commerce, Agriculture and Fisheries, Hon. Audley Shaw; and Member of Parliament for Clarendon South Eastern, Hon. Rudyard Spencer.