Gov’t housing agency not a strange thing — Premier

Premier Dr Natalio Wheatley has promised to represent the interests of persons he described as only needing a little assistance from the government in their quest for home ownership.

“It is not a strange thing for the government to either have a department or an agency dealing with helping persons to have housing,” the Premier said in the House of Assembly recently. “It happens in the United States. It happens in Europe. It happens in the United Kingdom.”

According to the Premier: “It’s a government responsibility to ensure that persons have access to housing. It shouldn’t be looked at as something that is frivolous or outside of government’s responsibility.”

Premier Wheatley emphasised the need for government intervention to provide viable solutions for persons in challenging situations.

One solution he proposed was a comprehensive programme that goes beyond merely granting land to residents and involves delivering a “finished, turn-key solution” to facilitate property development.

The Premier urged that all members of the House actively participate in the policy development process, emphasising the importance of collaboration in shaping effective and inclusive housing initiatives.

Premier Wheatley drew attention to the Joe’s Hill Manor project as a tangible example of the government’s commitment to housing solutions.

He reminded lawmakers of the government’s willingness to invest over $300,000 in building homes for some residents — a no-loan rebuilding approach aimed at directly providing housing to many whose homes suffered destruction after the 2017 hurricanes and others in need.

The Premier questioned why there was hesitation in extending similar support to individuals with low incomes, including those making between $40,000 and $50,000 who could not previously qualify for homes in the Joes Hill Manor Estate project.

“They need a little assistance. If you can help some of these persons get out of rent — I’m not talking about persons who are making $6 an hour, I’m talking about persons who make a salary that they can pay; help provide a solution for them,” Dr Wheatley said.

While promising that lessons were learnt from previous mistakes, the Premier urged that there should be partnerships similar to the one with the Social Security Board. He also highlighted the potential for collaboration between the public and private sectors in future initiatives.

“But we’ll just learn from the mistakes we made in this one. Obviously, you have to prequalify persons before you build,” he stated. “So we learned from that mistake, but it can be something that can be replicated in the future.”