Finance Minister Colm Imbert said he will continue to provide funding for the Housing and Village Improvement Programme (HVIP) of the Planning and Development Ministry as long as he is Finance Minister. Planning and Development Minister Camille Robinson-Regis said the programme received $28 million in 2021/2022 and $58 million in 2022/2023.
The ministers were speaking at the Land Settlement Agency’s HVIP key distribution ceremony on Tuesday at the Government Campus Plaza Auditorium on Richmond Street, Port of Spain, where 91 keys were handed out to recipients of various communities. These included Princes Town, Morvant, Guayaguayare, Valencia, Diego Martin, Arima, Bon-Air North, Morvant, Demerara/Wallerfield, St. Augustine, Point Fortin, and San Fernando.
Robinson-Regis said the homes were close to completion, up to starter level, with an important aspect of the programme being that the occupants are able to put their own finishing touches on the homes.
“While we hand out keys to 91 homes today, we have another 120 currently under construction, and for fiscal year 2022/2023 (fiscal 2023), the LSA is projected to construct an additional 275 starter home units. This will add to our current total tally of 423 units since inception.
“This government will not cut any programme like the HVIP because it helps us to fulfill our core purpose to give citizens access to adequate and affordable housing. The budgetary allocation increased from $28 million in fiscal 2022 to $58 million this fiscal 2023.”
Robinson-Regis said government had approved an increase in the number of households that can benefit from the programme by creating a new subsidy structure that facilitates the construction of houses on undulating and/or hilly lands.
She said this was done because there were a number of people living on these types of lands who were unable to benefit because contractors found it challenging to undertake works due to the higher costs of construction on these terrains.
“Cabinet approved the introduction of a three-tiered subsidy structure based on land topography and an increase in the maximum subsidy applicable for the construction of a two-bedroom housing unit from $145,000 to $165,000 for construction on flat lands; $170,000 for construction on undulating lands; and $175,000 for construction on hilly lands.”
She said this subsidy structure was being introduced for all ongoing and future construction of houses.
Robinson-Regis congratulated the participants for their willingness to be a part of the programme.
“When the LSA starts looking at a site for improvement, it looks at the quality of the existing housing, the household size, its composition, the occupants' employment status and income levels, but it also looks at prospective beneficiaries’ willingness to work for what they want; in other words, your willingness to do your part. This is why I congratulate all of you here today, you are all champions here, because if you have come this far, it means that you have done your part.”
Imbert said some of t
