Special NHT Grant for Persons Earning $15,000 or Less Per Week

Low-income earners of $15,000 and less per week are eligible to benefit from a special offer of up to $3.5 million, under the National Housing Trust (NHT) Home Grant programme.

Assistant General Manager for Corporate Communications and Public Affairs at the NHT, Dwayne Berbick, who gave an interview on the Love 101 radio segment, ‘Good Morning Minister’, on July 12, said part of the eligibility requirements stipulate that only persons who do not yet own a home and are NHT contributors qualify to access the grant.

“Once you have contributed to the NHT for at least seven years [and] you earn at least $15,000 or less per week, the NHT gives you a grant of $3.5 million… . You don’t have to pay back that $3.5 million,” he said, noting that the grant is in addition to the loan amount for the specified value of the property.

Mr. Berbick said the facility is intended to make it possible for low-income earners to achieve home ownership.

“The reality is that the person who earns at that level truthfully would probably not qualify for the full $7.5 million. They would qualify for about $3 million, so that $3.5 million really brings them up to where everybody else is at that $7.5 million,” he explained.

Another condition for the grant is that persons must have contributed to the NHT for a minimum of seven years. In addition, applicants should not be a homeowner, nor received a previous loan from the NHT.

The grant may be combined with an NHT loan to purchase land or residential property, or to build. Three eligible contributors may co-apply under the programme.

For more information about the NHT Home Grant, persons can visit nht.gov.jm.