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BASSETERRE, ST. KITTS — July 14, 2025 — In a stunning and humiliating turn of events, the Government of St. Kitts and Nevis — through its National Housing Corporation (NHC) — has issued a public appeal for local contractors to sign up and assist with housing construction, months after bypassing them in favor of a controversial deal with Trinidad-based East Coast Housing.

This desperate call, plastered across social media by Prime Minister Dr. Terrance Drew himself, comes after Deputy Prime Minister Dr. Geoffrey Hanley confirmed earlier this year that the government’s ambitious $750 million “smart housing” project had effectively collapsed before a single home was completed.

Now, in what many view as a glaring admission of failure and a complete policy reversal, the NHC is asking licensed local contractors — the same ones they ignored and alienated — to come to their rescue.

“The National Housing Corporation (NHC) is building homes in clusters and is inviting all licensed contractors and skilled to semi-skilled tradesmen to assist in completing them with quality, efficiency, and care,” the government’s message reads.

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A Historic Shift — Or a National Embarrassment?

For the first time in its history, the NHC is publicly appealing for contractors. This marks a dramatic shift from decades past, where local contractors were eagerly engaged and readily available to fulfill the Corporation’s housing mandates.

“This is not just a call — it’s a cry for help,” remarked one veteran contractor, who described the move as “the government now begging the same builders it once sidelined.”

The unprecedented appeal follows months of public outrage over the decision to entrust the massive 2,400-unit housing development — valued at more than $750 million — to a foreign company instead of leveraging the federation’s own skilled workforce.

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From Boastful Promises to Blistering Reality

When the Drew administration launched the “smart housing” initiative, it was touted as revolutionary — with claims of high-tech, affordable homes transforming the housing landscape. Instead, the project has crumbled under its own weight, leaving behind no homes, no jobs, and no results.

Critics have been quick to point out the irony of the government now asking for help from the very contractors it shut out:

“They insulted us by saying we weren’t capable. Now they’re back, cap in hand,” said a local builder who refused to be named.

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Damage Control in Progress?

Some observers believe this last-minute pivot to local contractors is less about economic empowerment and more about political survival, as the government scrambles to deliver something — anything — ahead of mounting public frustration and growing calls for accountability.

“This is not a plan,” said one social commentator. “This is damage control wrapped in a press release.”

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Will the Contractors Answer?

Despite the government’s sudden change of heart, questions remain: Will local contractors respond positively? Or will the sting of being overlooked — and the lack of trust — linger too strongly?

For now, the nation watches as NHC, once a symbol of consistent local empowerment, struggles to rebuild not just homes — but credibility.

#BrokenPromises #NHCBacktrack #ContractorsWanted #SmartHomeCollapse