NSHP One Of Several Initiatives To Address Social Issues – PM
By: , March 30, 2022
Photo: Donald De La Haye
Prime Minister, the Most Hon. Andrew Holness (second right), cuts the ribbon at the handover of a three-bedroom unit in Shot Over, Port Antonio, Portland, recently. Sharing the moment (from left) are Mayor of Port Antonio, Paul Thompson; Member of Parliament for Portland East, Ann-Marie Vaz; mother of the beneficiary, Brenda Thompson, and Permanent Secretary at the Office of the Prime Minister (OPM), Audrey Sewell.
Photo: Donald De La Haye
Prime Minister, the Most Hon. Andrew Holness (second right), observes as Brenda Thompson (third left), mother of the beneficiary of a three-bedroom unit in Shot Over, Port Antonio, Portland, displays the keys at a recent handover ceremony. Sharing the occasion (from left) are Mayor of Port Antonio, Paul Thompson; Member of Parliament for Portland East, Ann-Marie Vaz, and Permanent Secretary at the Office of the Prime Minister (OPM), Audrey Sewell.The Full Story
The Government’s New Social Housing Programme (NSHP) is one of several initiatives being executed to tackle social issues that contribute to criminality.
Prime Minister, the Most Hon. Andrew Holness, who made the assertion while speaking at the handover of a three-bedroom unit in Shot Over, Port Antonio, Portland, recently, said the programme is assisting the very poor in the society, with strong mechanisms to prevent misdeeds.
“This Government is doing its best, given our economic resources, to address the social issues which are driving the crime and violence that we have in the society, and this programme is one such,” Mr. Holness said.
The Prime Minister added that the Administration has ensured that the delivery of public service has strong management and can withstand scrutiny, and while it cannot help every person who needs a housing solution “all at once”, over time, persons are being reached, and there is a commitment to move the NSHP from just over 300 to 500 units annually.
Emphasising that the Government has a “laser focus” on housing provision, Mr. Holness told the audience that a lot of work has been put into the administration and implementation of the programme to ensure timely delivery of the units and that they reach only persons whose living conditions are below “standard”.
The NSHP operates under the Housing, Opportunity, Production and Employment Programme (HOPE), through the Ministry of Economic Growth and Job Creation, and is geared at improving the housing condition of the country’s most needy population.
Member of Parliament for Portland East, Ann-Marie Vaz, said the beneficiary of the unit, Dianna Thompson, had never owned a home before now.
Mrs. Vaz noted that Ms. Thompson has been hospitalised from an illness that has been plaguing her for the past two years, and the new dwelling should “aid in her recovery”.
Mayor of Port Antonio, Paul Thompson, said the house is a good sign of the society caring for the most vulnerable.
Mother of the beneficiary, Brenda Thompson, said her daughter “was well in need of the house but could not afford it”.