Prime Minister Andrew Holness yesterday signalled that Government intends to change the practice of taking funds from the National Housing Trust (NHT) to fill the gaps in other areas of need within country.

The prime minister said the funds in the trust are not being fully used for its intended purpose, and so a strategic review will be focusing on its sustainability and ensuring that all Jamaicans can own their own home.

“Jamaica must make a decision as to how we are going to use this valuable asset called the NHT to ensure that every Jamaican who wants to own their own house can do so, and that this benefit can last for a long, long time,” he said in an address at the NHT’s 40th Anniversary Service at Church of the Open Bible on Washington Boulevard in Kingston.

Prime Minister Holness said different administrations have, over the years, diverted funds from the trust despite statutory framework as to how the funds in the trust should be used.

“We have over the years have not always been faithful to the general policy direction and to the general statutory guidelines of the NHT. Some of them I don’t quarrel with because they may have been necessary at the time. So we have used NHT funds to build parks, which we all enjoy today; we have used the NHT funds in the transformation of the education system, which we have all benefitted from and presently, we now use NHT funds to ensure that we can meet the fiscal benchmarks that we have agreed to under the IMF (International Monetary Fund), which we all benefit from today,” he said.

“But,” the prime minister said, “the fact that we are able to divert some of the NHT funds into other uses simply means that the NHT has not been utilising all its funds for what it supposed to be doing, and this means, clearly, it is now time after 40 years that a strategic review be done on the NHT.”

Holness said it should be absolutely clear that the NHT is a national asset.

“What we want to do is to make sure that this institution will last a 100 years and beyond. But where it is now, where everybody is tugging at it and all needs are directing at it, we need to sit down and think it out clearly to ensure that this institution can last.”

The prime minister said he has already instructed NHT Chairman Dr Nigel Clarke to start the strategic review in short order.

“We have heard many other organisations external to the NHT make various pronouncements and undertake various studies, and that too will be incorporated in the review; we will make sure that it is as broad base as possible. We will ensure that the political parties are represented, that the church, the unions, and all other stakeholders are involved,” Holness promised.

He said the NHT must create the economic environment to make it possible for every single Jamaican who wants to own their house to build their own house.

In the meantime, he pointed out that the recent changes in the benefit policy were done to ensure equity in access the resources.

“We have made sure that those earning minimum wage or even below can access and use to the resources to develop their own housing solution. We have ensured that persons who have just entered the workforce — who are earning in the middle-income bands, just becoming professional, just leaving university — that they too can embark on their dreams of earning their own home,” Prime Minister Holness said.

According to the prime minister, these changes are meant to help give hope to Jamaicans and to help them to change their mindset from the pessimistic outlook that ‘nutten naa gwaan’ to a positive outlook that ‘something good is going to happen that there is prosperity to come for Jamaica’.

“Prosperity is not a wish, it is not merely a dream; it is something that we have to actively, deliberately, instrumentally, and assertively pursue. You have to take that mindset that we are going to make use of what we have and look forward to the best for ourselves in life,” Holness said, while encouraging all Jamaicans to adapt an optimistic view of the country.

In the meantime, Dr Clarke, in his speech delivered in his absence by NHT director David Wan, said that the NHT’s anniversary observance provides an opportunity for the agency to look back at its achievments and to look a head to see how it can align itself to meet the changing needs of the contributors and the country.

“While this period will involve somes festivities, it will also be a solemn and contemplative time as we asess our 40- year journey. In the coming weeks and months, we will reflect on how faithful we have been to the vision and ideals of our founding fathers of the NHT, to the hopes and apsiration of the average Jamaican worker, and to the employers whose contribution help to keep in business at the trust,” he read.

Dr Clarke mentioned that the NHT, since last week, has begun implementation of its new policies which were announced by Prime Minister Holness during the Budget Debate which include reduced interest rates, relaxation of requirments to access NHT benefits, and increases in funds available for specific purchases.

“This is just a small part of what needs to be done. In the months going forward, we commit to looking at ways to make the NHT more efficient, more effective and more relevant. We must constantly rethink our tools, systems, strategies, and our repsonses,” Clarke wrote in his speech.