DUNDEE PEN, Hanover — Jenita Morris was a bit sceptical last year when her father was promised a new concrete house to replace the dilapidated board structure in which he lived.

However, she was more hopeful after receiving assurance from the Poor Relief Department of the Hanover Municipal Corporation and witnessing the start of construction three months later.

“I had a little doubt, yes, but after that my doubt was gone because I knew something was going to happen,” said Jenita who noted that she was “very, very happy” for her father.

The house was officially handed over to Edward Morris last Thursday by Minister of Local Government and Rural Development Desmond McKenzie.

Jenita is one of two daughters living in the Dundee Pen community, as their father does, but neither is in a position to assist him financially.

She told the Jamaica Observer that her 78-year-old father, who is a labourer, had badly needed help as his old house was crumbling around him.

“It was really bad. The ply was rotten; you could take your finger and bore through the ply. The door jamb almost dropped off,” said Jenita.

For the assistance given to him, Edward Morris, a man of little words, expressed his gratitude in the form of a prayer.

“I give praise to the Father above; He can do everything. And I thank the poor relief and the infirmary nurses them. I give thanks and praise to the Lord above. Amen,” he said.

The elder Morris has been losing his sight gradually over the years and is also unable to get around without the assistance of a walker or cane.

Head of the Hanover Poor Relief Department Neika Edram told the Observer that Edwards has been registered with them for the past 15 years. He is among those that it helps, through institutional or non-institutional care, as it tries to alleviate poverty within the parish.

During the handover ceremony McKenzie, who said he, too, is from humble beginnings, vigorously argued that people born in less than ideal circumstances should not die in the same way.

A long-time advocate for the poor and infirmed, McKenzie stressed that those who have contributed to the country’s development should not be forgotten when they are old. Once they meet clearly outlined guidelines, he said, the State has an obligation to be there for them.

“That is why Prime Minister [Andrew] Holness and myself — through his social housing programme in the Ministry of Economic Growth and my programme in the Ministry of Local Government — we are doubling up to provide housing solutions for persons such as Mr Morris,” McKenzie said.

Applicants for the indigent housing programme are screened through poor relief departments across the country, and McKenzie was adamant that there is a rigorous assessment and verification procedure to establish need.

Applicants must also provide proof of ownership of the land on which the donated house will be built, or a letter that grants the applicant access rights to the land.

McKenzie said the studio apartment provided to Morris in Dundee Pen is furnished.

“The unit is occupied by Mr Morris and it is the responsibility of the Poor Relief Department to ensure that it is maintained and his needs are taken care of,” he added.

Dundee Pen is part of the local government ministry’s Chambers Pen pilot project for the Rural Development Programme (RDP).

The RDP was introduced in 2021 and the Chambers Pen leg was officially launched in June last year. Some $223 million is earmarked for spending in the community.

The initiative is designed to give new life to rural areas over the next two years.

Morris’s house is equipped with electricity and a water tank. It is one of five to be distributed under a $27-million pilot project. The remaining four units, which will also be furnished, are not yet complete.