KINGSTON, Jamaica – State Minister with responsibility for Works Everald Warmington in his Sectoral Presentation yesterday announced the implementation of the Government’s HOPE (Housing, Opportunity, Prosperity, Employment) programme to replace the previous administration’s JEEP (Jamaica Emergency Employment Programme).

“Our HOPE is not a wish, not a desire or a dream. It is real. It is tangible. It means taking our people from poverty to prosperity,” Warmington said.

The state minister said HOPE is one of the strategies “to provide a one-stop shop (OSS) for social intervention programmes affecting the local community and the most vulnerable groups in the society, namely; children, persons with disabilities, the elderly, pregnant and lactating mothers, the unemployed, the underemployed, persons who fall below the poverty line and victims of disasters”.

The programme, according to Warmington, will offer members of Parliament (MPs) an efficient system in streamlining programmes for constituency development.

He said each MP will be able to manage and plan the support to the constituency through a central hub as the programme seeks to improve the social and physical environment in communities island-wide.

HOPE will incorporate several programmes/initiatives that were in different ministries/agencies. These are:

• Production Incentive Programme

• Short-term Poverty Alleviation Programme

• Small Business Loans

• Public Assistance Grants

• Urban Renewal Housing Programme and the

• Infrastructure Development Programmes, including the JEEP

• Tourism Enhancement Fund

The Government will be establishing a secretariat to deal with the daily operations of HOPE.