Minister within the Ministry of Communities with responsibility for Housing, Valerie Adams-Patterson is assuring citizens that the units to be built as part of the government’s new housing programme are very modern and would not mark a return to the days of range houses and tenement yards.

Seven hundred and fifty-eight units are to be built in the first phase of the implementation of the project.

The the government will build townhouses and duplexes for sale to low and middle-income families, with public servants being given preference.

“What we are building is four units up and down and two single units to the end…when you see how modern these buildings are, what they look like and each person will have ownership to the unit and the land space to the front and the back…I have been going around the country and people are buying in, they are buying in when they see what these houses look like” the Minister said.

Appearing on the morning radio program Jump Start, Minister Adams-Patterson said the units and duplexes to be built are similar to the ones found in countries across the Caribbean and the United States.

Construction of these units is expected to commence as early as next month. Adams-Patterson said the new units are spacious and can cater adequately to the occupants and persons with disabilities.

The cost per unit along with the land space is expected to stand between $5 million and $7million, depending on the size.  This cost also includes the land.

Public Servants including police, soldiers, nurses, and teachers are among those targeted to benefit and the Minister has begun meeting with members of the Disciplined Forces.

Minister Patterson also assured house lot applicants that the governing APNU+AFC Coalition is working to reduce the time each individual has to wait for a placement and to guarantee that all new housing schemes have the necessary infrastructure.

The Minister said she has personally requested a list of the more than 25,000 outstanding applications and has been working with the oldest of the pool as a matter of priority. She noticed that applicants dating back to the early 1990’s are still awaiting an offer by the Housing Department.

But even with this arrangement in place the, Minister Patterson said she is challenged by a system that is not updated, however, she said she will continue to push ahead with addressing the backlog of applications.

She said she uses her public days to meet with applicants who have been waiting for several years and has committed to ensuring that those persons secure housing.

Adams-Patterson also re-committed to ensuring that all new Housing Schemes have the necessary infrastructure, electricity, and water.

Some 16 new housing schemes across the country are currently without electricity and several others are without water.

She said the new focus of the government, especially in coastal communities, is not to distribute single house-lots but to ensure density by using available service lots.  (Kurt Campbell)

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