Published 05 October 2018
Buckie Got It, St. Kitts and Nevis News Source
Team Unity Administration has meritoriously responded to the housing needs of the country
BASSETERRE, ST. KITTS, October 5, 2018 (PLP PR Media Inc.) — Dr the Hon Timothy Harris-led Team Unity Administration, in collaboration with the National Housing Corporation (NHC), has been making the dream of home ownership a reality for hundreds of citizens through the Unity Housing Solution Programme.
New homeowners in Constituencies Number Seven, West Basseterre, and Central Basseterre would have had their dreams come true when at different key presentation ceremonies held in their respective areas in the month of August they received keys to their homes. A couple of new homeowners in East Basseterre will later this month hold, and shake, keys to their homes thanks to the Unity Housing Solution Programme.
Prime Minister Dr the Hon Timothy Harris, who was addressing the Nation during his monthly Press Conference held on Thursday October 4, observed that the presentation of keys to new homeowners in East Basseterre will bring to 223 the number of homes delivered under the aegis of the National Housing Corporation (NHC) since 2015.
The colourful ceremony that will see proud citizens and residents of this Federation hold keys to their own homes for the first time, had originally been slated to be held on Tuesday October 9. However, due to unavoidable reasons, a new date has been set for exactly one week later – Tuesday October 16.
Further in the area of housing, Prime Minister Harris told the press conference that was held in Parliamentary Lounge at Government Headquarters in Basseterre and attended by Deputy Prime Minister the Hon Shawn Richards, the Hon Eugene Hamilton, the Hon Ian Patches Liburd and Senator Wendy Phipps, that under the National Housing Corporation’s Home Enhanced Living Programme (HELP), 450 families have been assisted.
The programme, which was capped at ten thousand dollars, was intended to provide support with repairs and the construction of bathrooms. It was an effort by the government, Prime Minister Harris noted, to move the people out of the indigent state in which many were left, “and importantly to also move them away from the less sanitary pit latrines which they were using, and we believe had no real place in a modern St. Kitts and Nevis.”
The third important initiative under housing solutions that Prime Minister Harris gave an update to the Nation during his press conference is the First Time Homeowners Programme that has so far benefitted some 413 persons. The programme involves the granting of concessions of taxes to persons who are building homes for a first time, or first time home property owners.
“I should make it clear that no government minister has benefitted under this programme since we have come to office in 2015,” said Dr Harris. “So we bade good bye and good riddance to the bad practice of the former regime where ministers of government were first in the queue to receive benefits under this programme.”
Prime Minister Harris, who is also the Minister of Finance, also gave updates on the highly successful $30 million Government Employee Mortgage (GEM) Financing Programme that is being administered through the Development Bank of St. Kitts and Nevis, and the widely acclaimed Hurricane Rehabilitation Programme that has provided assistance to 1432 applicants/households.
ENDS
Pix captions:
1: New proud homeowners in West Basseterre pose with Prime Minister Harris, Minister Eugene Hamilton and other officials during the key presentation ceremony in August.
2: A new homeowner in Constituency Number Seven proudly displays the key to her home, as Prime Minister Harris, Minister Eugene Hamilton, and NHC officials look on.
