KINGSTON, Jamaica – A brand new three-bedroom home was on Friday handed over to Louise Williams, a deserving 68-year-old farmer from Albion Meadows, St Thomas, under the New Social Housing Programme (NSHP).

Prime Minister Andrew Holness cut the ribbon to the $6.8-million dwelling.

Williams will occupy the house with five other members of her family, including two of her children, who are attending tertiary institutions.

Prime Minister Holness said Williams is a “genuine and valid” beneficiary of the NSHP, based on her previous living conditions.

He noted that the dwelling in which she lived for several years was wattle and daub.

“It was a thatch structure… . They would have used some wood or some bamboo and they would have plaited them together and then they would literally daub a mixture of sometimes marl and cement or mud to give some structural strength to it,” he explained.

The Prime Minister said that the building, which was supplemented with plywood and a few sheets of zinc, had started to deteriorate “and that was not a home that could protect her from the elements or sufficiently raise her children”.

Holness noted that although the demand for houses under the programme is great, the ideals of the NSHP are to assist those who are most needy, like Williams.

He further reminded that the programme is not politically driven, pointing to the “robust selection process” by which it is governed.

Williams, in her response said, “I take great pleasure in telling you thanks and to thank each and every one that is involved in this programme. It makes me happy, and I am absolutely glad.”

The 68-year-old beneficiary then signed the social contract alongside the Prime Minister, who explained to her some of her responsibilities as a recipient of the home.

These include to continue being an exemplary citizen of the community and to be an ambassador for the NSHP.

The programme, which is an initiative under the Housing, Opportunity, Production and Employment (HOPE) project, began in 2018.

As of April 28, 2023, a total of 137 housing units or 331 rooms have been completed under the NSHP, benefiting more than 523 individuals across 48 of the 63 constituencies.

– JIS