Support Grows for Indigent Housing Initiative

Organisations and churches have been showing their support for the Indigent Housing Scheme through contributions, with a major donation coming from communications giant, Digicel Jamaica, which has pledged $500,000.
The Scheme was launched in July by Minister of State in the Office of the Prime Minister, with responsibility for Local Government Reform, Robert Montague.
In July of this year, churches across the island were asked to take up a special collection to support those registered poor and in dire need of reasonable shelter. This was followed up by the commitment of $500,000 by the Digicel Foundation in August.
The next milestone in the Indigent Housing Programme, according to Minister Montague, is scheduled to take place on November 20, when he will be hosting a breakfast meeting for private sector interests, who will be asked to donate to this project. At that time, Digicel is expected to present its commitment in the form of a cheque.
Members of Parliament, in the meantime, have requested a list of the registered poor in their respective constituencies, in order to support the project through the Constituency Development Fund (CDF). Under the Fund, each Member of Parliament receives $40 million per year, some of which is earmarked for social housing.
Minister Montague has also appealed to members of the Jamaican Diaspora to contribute to the Fund, which is intended to raise $50 million to provide care for Jamaica’s indigent.
Speaking at a Town Hall Meeting in Toronto, Canada, recently, the Minister explained that there are two categories of indigent persons in Jamaica. He listed them as those persons without homes of their own who reside in infirmaries, and others who live in their own homes, but who require and receive assistance from the state.
The Minister explained that some of the houses in which these people live are in a state of disrepair, while others are actually falling apart, hence the appeal for contributions to the Indigent Housing Fund.