BASSETERRE, St. Kitts – THE Federal Government is currently proposing to dispense more cash into the St. Kitts Sugar Manufacturing Corporation Housing Assistance Project’s Fund, which is said to have been exhausted a few years ago.
The St. Kitts Sugar Manufacturing Corporation Housing Assistance Project was launched on February 7, 2008 with the aim of assisting former workers of the now defunct entity in becoming homeowners.
This pronouncement was made last Tuesday (May 6) by the Minister with responsibility for Community Development, the Hon. Marcella Liburd, during the recent sod turning for the Pine Garden Horizons Housing Development Project, which falls under the Habitat Independence 30 Housing Programme.
Minister Liburd told the gathering that the government had recently presented a proposal before Cabinet for funding the completion of those homes.
“The funds under that project had been exhausted and all of the homes have still not been built. I think that it is fair to say that the majority of the homes have been built, but some still have not been built because the funds were exhausted,” Liburd said.
She however declared that hope is on the horizon for those persons whose homes have not been built.
“Before Cabinet right now is a proposal for funding for the balance of the houses. So, I want those persons, who qualified for SSMC Housing and whose houses have not been built, to know that there is hope on the horizon. A proposal for funding is currently before Cabinet to complete that project and this has nothing to do with the 1 000 homes under the Habitat Independence 30 Housing Programme.”
She also spoke about another housing project called Housing Solutions 500 from which Central Basseterre, her Constituency, was earmarked to get 52 houses and that so far 40 of them were completed and the remainder are nearing completion.
Following the closure of the sugar industry in 2005, the SSMC Housing Assistance Project commenced under the purview of Cedric Liburd, the then Minister of Housing, Agriculture, Fisheries and Cooperatives, who claimed that some 200 ex-SSMC workers would benefit from that imitative.
“The SSMC Housing Assistance Project was launched on February 7 with the first house now being constructed in Conaree. About 200 former SSMC workers will benefit from this project, which will be funded by US$10M, made possible through the Petro-Caribe Agreement. The government is committed to providing affordable housing to these persons and this is part of that package,” Cedric Liburd said at that time.”
He had also said that certain criteria would have to be met in order for persons to qualify for housing under that project, chief of which was the stipulation that the person would have had to be employed by SSMC for at least 20 consecutive years prior to the closure of the industry.
“…Aside from being employed by SSMC for 20 consecutive years, the person must not have held any managerial position and the applicant must be a first time homeowner. So far 48 homes have been approved for construction on various parts of the island.”
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