PM urges new homeowner to be a peacemaker
Published:Friday | July 16, 2021 | 12:11 AMAlbert Ferguson/Gleaner Writer
WESTERN BUREAU:
With a proper house to create a home for her four children, Marva Mason of Quarry district in St James, who became the nation’s latest recipient of a house under the Government’s social housing programme, has been given a special mandate by Prime Minister Andrew Holness.
The 38-year-old woman, who formerly lived in a house where the roof could not protect her from inclement weather, was told by Holness that she should do all she can to keep her four children, ages 16, 17, 21, and 25, from becoming entangled in criminal activities.
“Marva, now that you have this property, I am expecting that the difficulties that you would have had in raising up your four kids, that the situation would have so improved, that you now would ensure that your four kids don’t become a burden on the State,” said Holness.
“(Make sure) that they don’t go into badness, because too often we hear of communities like Quarry, not for the positive things, but as contributing to the crime statistics,” he added.
Holness was speaking shortly after handing Mason the keys to her new three-bedroom house, which is located in National Security Minister Dr Horace Chang’s St James North Western constituency, on Wednesday.
Raise them right
According to the prime minister, Mason has no reason or excuse about social conditions of her own or that of her children now that her housing situation has been addressed, thanks to the nation’s taxpayers.
“You must raise them up in the right and proper way and they must understand that they must be upstanding citizens and leaders for positive change in the community, ‘’ continued Holness.
“I am charging you with that, and you have to be an ambassador for peace in the community, you have to be vocal for peace and love in your community,” added Holness.
The prime minister encouraged Mason to do her best to take care of the house while reiterating his administration’s commitment to transforming the lives of over 700 families under the new housing programme.
Based on Holness’ calculations, he believes that there are as many as 10,000 Jamaicans living in substandard conditions.
“For this year, we expect to do about 380 units that could take in close to 700 households ... some might be two bedrooms, some five bedrooms, some might be in tenement yards. We could have as many as 700 households impacted by this,” said Holness.
Some 400 applications have been received from the nation’s 63 members of parliament for housing assistance for their constituents. Of that figure, 350 have been approved under the new social housing programme. On June 30, it was reported that 33 housing units have been completed, at an average of $8 million per unit.