As Housing and Urban Development Minister Camille Robinson-Regis presented 36 new starter homes to families along the east-west corridor on Friday, she said the mantra of the PNM on upcoming platforms would be that of gratitude.
Speaking at the handing over ceremony at the Tunapuna Community Centre, Tunapuna, on Friday, Robinson-Regis asked how many countries worldwide earmarked funds to the tune of $5 billion each for social services and education.
'Trinidadians and Tobagonians, we need to be more grateful. There's nothing wrong with gratitude. I know we have our issues, like every other country, but we also have very positive things taking place in TT, and we need to be projecting and thinking about them.
"That will be our mantra on every platform from which we speak.
"We are the leaders in TT and that is one of the things we will be leading, a new way of talking about TT. We're not burying our heads in the sand because we know there are issues and challenges, but we're following the words of our anthem - with boundless faith in our destiny.'
The homes were given out as part of the Housing and Village Improvement Programme (HVIP) under the Land Settlement Agency. They are located along the East West Corridor in the areas of Arima, Arouca, Bon Air North, Demerara, Jacob Hill, Sangre Grande, St Augustine, St Joseph, and Tunapuna, and are primarily two-bedroom units with open floor plans, including living and dining spaces, and kitchen and indoor bathroom facilities. The 36 homes were built at a cost of $5.94 million and were distributed to the families free of charge.
Robinson-Regis said 459 starter homes had been built under HVIP since the programme started, with another 84 currently under construction, and 275 to be constructed in fiscal 2023. She said the programme had expanded from building on flat lands to also building on undulating and hilly lands.
'Cabinet increased the budget for this from $30 million in 2022 to $58 million in this fiscal, and also increased the number of locations. It allocated $165,000, $170,000, and $175,000 for building houses on flat, undulating, and hilly lands respectively. It is truly phenomenal to see these starter homes being constructed to replace those that were less than wholesome, with homes that are structurally sound, safe, and that can withstand natural disasters.'
She called on recipients to build strong families and communities that will help to strengthen TT.
Minister in the Ministry of Housing and Urban Development Adrian Leonce said the programme gave citizens access to adequate and affordable housing and fulfilled the ministry's mandate to develop and improve TT's human settlements.
'These homes are an improvement on what were previously built. This programme to me is one of the most important we have in the ministry. You go and assess someone's property, which may not have been structurally sound, and the government comes in and rebuilds your structure to something that is resilient, can stand the weather, etc, at no cost to the recipient.
