PM Hands Over Keys for NHT’s Ruthven Complex

The National Housing Trust (NHT) has completed phase one of the Ruthven Towers apartment complex in Kingston.

The eight-storey development, situated on three acres of land at 1-3 Ruthven Road, comprises 86 units consisting of 72 one-bedroom and 14 two-bedroom apartments. Six of these have been reserved for public-sector employees.

The complex will also comprise a storm-water drainage system, fire hydrants, underground and roof potable water storage tanks with distribution network, and a standby generator for common areas lighting and elevators, among other amenities and features.

Prime Minister, the Most Hon. Andrew Holness, who has portfolio responsibility for the NHT, presented keys to several of the successful applicants during a handover ceremony at the complex on Wednesday (August 3).

He noted that the entity received 389 applications between November 12 and 16, 2021, from which 80 eligible contributors were selected.

The Prime Minister indicated that 58 per cent of those selected were women, with 66 per cent falling within the age range 25 to 40. He also pointed out that all the recipients were NHT contributors.

“I make this point because it is important that we acknowledge that the NHT contributors come from all walks of life in our society,” he stated.

Mr. Holness also informed that the Ruthven Towers complex is the third development of its type undertaken by NHT in the last 28 years.

“Further, the Ruthven development represents less than one per cent of the projects currently being undertaken by the NHT, as all other projects are… being developed to cater to affordable housing solutions,” he stated.

Mr. Holness said this was being emphasised “because the conversation around this project would have led the unsuspecting Jamaican to believe that, somehow, the NHT diverted all its resources into Ruthven Towers, or that for the last 28 years, all that the NHT has been doing would be projects like Ruthven Towers”.

“Nothing could be further from the truth. This development is only a small part of the number of units that we have brought to market. We have done so without imperiling the finances of the NHT.

We have done so primarily by utilising the existing capacity and resources of the NHT,” he added.

Mr. Holness said the Government’s duty is to facilitate and create the opportunities, “so that all Jamaicans from all walks of life from all income brackets can achieve their aspirations [of home ownership]”.

He noted, however, that the narrative on the matter is invariably “unreasonable and without research”, where “people just make wild comments that change the public mood and become a distraction from the ‘Project Jamaica’ that we have to keep our eyes on”.

The Prime Minister assured that the NHT’s board and management were given a simple policy directive – to build houses.

“There should be no reason why someone who can afford a $40-million home should not get the opportunity to buy his $40-million home… just as long as you are ensuring that the man who only can afford his $8-million home… gets it too,” he emphasised.

Against this background, Mr. Holness advised that after careful consideration, “we made the decision… that we will go ahead with the additional phases [for Ruthven Towers]”.
“Subject to layout modifications within the allowance for habitable rooms, in phase two, we will be able to put on the market approximately 234 more units,” he informed.

Meanwhile, Mr. Holness, in commending the new homeowners, indicated that their acquisitions were arguably “the most significant investment you will make”.

“That investment will break any intergenerational poverty that may exist, because now you have an endowment on which you can build and hand down to future generations,” he said.