Inner City Housing Project to Start Soon

With Highway 2000 now open, construction of houses in the Inner City Housing Project is to commence shortly, said Prime Minister P.J. Patterson, in a radio broadcast on ‘JIS Notebook’, which has been aired on two radio stations on Saturday (Sept. 27). The message will be broadcast this evening (Sept. 28) on three other radio stations.
Designed to provide modern and affordable shelter for lower income earners, the Inner City Housing Project will also address the serious problems of urban decay in sections of the Corporate Area, and soon will extend to the urban areas of St. Catherine, Savanna-la-Mar and Port Maria.
Some 3,000 housing solutions have been earmarked under the Inner City Housing Project, with over 155,000 solutions having been provided by the government over the past decade.
In addition to the construction of 3,000 new housing units, the Project also provides for the upgrading of existing housing schemes in targeted communities. The formal upgrading exercise will provide employment opportunities for small contractors and workers from the community.
While the construction is taking place, a special programme will be introduced to educate homeowners about their responsibility for the maintenance of their homes, as well as the community. Special activities will be introduced to ensure that residents, who may have different interests, learn to live and work.
Opportunities for longer-term employment will require that citizens take full advantage of the education and skills training and special programmes, including entrepreneurial management, which will be offered.
Another aspect of the project is a school intervention programme, which will involve both students and parents. Physical facilities in the schools will be improved and parents will be encouraged to become more involved in the education of their children.
This entire process of social development in young people rests on the instilling of values and attitudes, concentrating on the behaviour of children and youth, the Prime Minister said.
With regard to the actual construction of the houses, he stressed that extortion would not be tolerated. “Extortion is out of the question. I am insisting that the funds allocated to this project be used for payment for real work. Any attempt to obtain extortion money will be strongly resisted,” he said.