Dream come true for new St Ann homeowner

Stacey Roberts, a beneficiary under the Government's New Social Housing Programme (NSHP), has described the gift of a house for her and her children as a "dream come true".

Roberts, of York district in Bensonton, St Ann, last Friday received the keys to a one-bedroom unit. She thanked the NSHP and the taxpayers of Jamaica for the gift. Roberts said she often envisioned owning her own home, pointing out that the programme not only fulfilled that wish, but also provided her with a sense of stability, security, and pride of ownership.

Two families in St Ann received the keys to their new houses from Prime Minister Andrew Holness last Friday. In addition to Roberts, McNie resident Tanesha Brown became a homeowner under the state-funded programme. She got a two-bedroom house.

Brown said she, along with her son and niece, will be able to live more comfortably, having received a new home.

"I am so happy, and thanks to the prime minister and the team ... we are very grateful. He said take care of the house and let it be used for what he gave it to me for. I am so glad," she said.

The NSHP, which was established in 2018, aims to improve the housing conditions of the neediest citizens in Jamaica. Approximately 315 housing units, five for each of the 63 constituencies, are to be constructed annually.

Holness, speaking at the handing over ceremony in Bensonton, said the Government has insisted that the houses being constructed should meet construction and aesthetics standards.

"The houses, wherever they are built, [should] stand out and become iconic to the communities," Holness stated.

"We want to use these [units] as examples to the communities in which they are built, so that [persons] can adapt the designs [and] the facade, and ... that will help to improve the quality of the built environment around us," he added.