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Basseterre, St. Kitts, August 12, 2016 (SKNIS):  The Government of St. Kitts and Nevis remains committed to persons who are desirous of building their houses, as landowners had no access to doing so in the past.

 

“It is important for this Team Unity Government to ensure that one by one, two by two, in every constituency, we open up those areas so that persons who are willing to go to the banks to borrow and build can do so,” said the Honourable Eugene Hamilton, Minister of Human Settlement, during the third in a series of town hall meetings dubbed “Discussions for Prosperity” on Thursday, August 11, 2016, at the Sandy Point Community Centre.. “And those whom the banks will not fund can then access some support through the National Housing Cooperation (NHC).”

 

Minister Hamilton noted that landowners were given an opportunity in 2015 to settle their debts for unpaid lands.

 

“In order to assist persons last year, the Team Unity Government announced in June that those persons who have land and who have not been able to pay for those lands, and because of that had accrued interest in thousands of dollars, they will have an opportunity to get their interest waived, zeroed out if paid by December 2015,” said the Minister, noting that many persons took advantage of the offer.

 

The Minister of Human Settlement noted that due to the success last year, there is a possibility that the same courtesies will be extended again this year, after the idea is taken to the Federal Cabinet and approved.

 

He said that during 2016, a programme of assistance was started through NHC to enhance the quality of support to persons. He noted that this was needed and was of great importance because there are persons in the country who are without the basic commodities, such as running water and proper bathroom facilities. Minister Hamilton said that a total of eight-seven (87) already received assistance thus far through the said programme of assistance,  and a total of EC$514,000 was spent.

 

The Minister said that NHC has devised a plan to further assist persons, a plan which is expected to take effect come September 2016.

“When September comes, when that EC$30 million is made available, NHC will move ahead to entertain your application, to be able to assist you to put a roof over the families head anywhere in the country where that land is,” said Minister Hamilton. “If you approach NHC with the application [that shows you] have the land [and you] need assistance NHC will entertain your application.”

 

Minister Hamilton encouraged land owners to put themselves in a position so that they can pay for the home which NHC will assist them in building.