Three families get new homes

Three families from Clarendon now reside in brand new houses that were provided under the New Social Housing Programme (NSHP).

Prime Minister Andrew Holness handed over the units on Wednesday to Fitzroy Edwards from Berrydale district in Scott's Pass, Kadian Campbell from Darlow district, and Everton Samuels from Kemps Hill district in Race Course. Edwards and Campbell received three-bedroom houses, while Samuels got a two-bedroom home.

Edwards, who is a single father of five children, including a 19-year-old son with physical disabilities, told JIS News that he is grateful to have decent and safe shelter for his family.

The family lived in a dilapidated two-bedroom house. Edwards said that due to financial challenges it was difficult to maintain the property and provide for his children, who are in primary and secondary schools.

"It is really hard ... but I try to take the best care of them," he said. Edwards said he intends to take advantage of the government's Operation Birthright programme to obtain outstanding birth certificates for three of his children in order to register them for assistance under the Programme of Advancement Through Health and Education.

Samuels, 65, said he is grateful to finally step into a newly built home after Hurricane Ivan destroyed a portion of his previous house in 2004.

"In the previous home, it wasn't so wonderful, but I had to just live through it. It was a nice two-bedroom board house, but Hurricane Ivan came and damaged it. My mother had lived there and her kitchen blew away, so I had removed half of it and made another kitchen [but] then it started to deteriorate," he recounted.

He said he will occupy his new home with his 13-year-old grandniece who will begin high school in September.

Holness said that the Government continues to improve the efficiency of the NSHP, and the contractors are delivering housing solutions "way above industry standards".

"When we started out, we were delivering units at $7 million and $9 million... now we're down to $5 million, $6 million and even $4 million at times," he pointed out.

Member of Parliament for Clarendon South West, Lothan Cousins, called on private-sector entities to partner with the Government to bolster the NSHP's ability to deliver housing units to more of the country's vulnerable citizens.

"This programme makes a lot of sense and we would want to see more... but the reality is that we can't do all at the same time," he said.