Housing Minister Tours Sections of South West St. Andrew

Minister of Water and Housing, Dr. Horace Chang, has reiterated that the Government is fully committed to developing housing solutions in an effort to tackle some of the social problems in the country.
These will be developed under the Land Improvement Community Amenities Act Programme.
Speaking with JIS News during a tour of sections of South West St. Andrew constituency yesterday (July 10), Dr. Chang noted that the tour gave a first hand account of some of the measures, which needs to be implemented to address the problem.
“It is in my interest to see exactly what we are dealing with.so that when we start our programme we can significantly improve the quality of lives of our people,” he said, adding that the initial ground work for the programme has started and will gain momentum during the next financial year.
Minister Chang also noted that collaborative efforts of the National Housing Trust (NHT) and the National Housing Development Corporation (NHDC), among other agencies, will greatly facilitate the implementation of the progamme as well as streamline the operations in the development process, emphasizing that the programme will bring about significant improvements in the lives of the people.
Leader of the Opposition and Member of Parliament of St. Andrew South West, Portia Simpson Miller, in her remarks noted that the tour was undertaken to highlight the insufficient housing network in the constituency, in an effort to implement solution measures.
She noted that the programme will provide housing solutions as well as employment for individuals during the various stages of implementation.
The tour came about, against the background of the current challenges presented by squatting and the fact that a number of urban areas have been suffering from decay, poor infrastructure, and social dysfunction.
The programme seeks to give direction to the housing sector by addressing issues pertaining to housing supply and demand, affordability, financing, investment, and squatting, among others.
Areas that were toured include: Majesty Gardens, Whitfield Town, White Wing, Coal Lane, Mission Road and other areas of Spanish Town Road in Kingston.