Minister: Government prioritising housing, development

HOUSING and Urban Development Minister Camille Robinson-Regis says her ministry is focused on transforming the Housing Development Corporation (HDC) and will also build over 500 new homes.

Speaking in the budget debate, she said since 2015, the government had constructed 496 homes and launched the More Ways to Pay programme. She said her ministry also provided 762 home improvement grants, 140 emergency relief grants, 2,117 home construction subsidies and 397 home improvement subsidies.

She said the HDC, in conjunction with the Land and Settlement Agency (LSA), is working to make the housing and construction sector one of the largest employers in the region. Robinson-Regis said this sector has significant potential for economic growth, job creation and financial stability.

She outlined the recent structural transformation of HDC, which now operates as the parent company with three subsidiary entities. These are: the Trinidad and Tobago HDC Asset Management Company, responsible for the sales of housing units; the TT HDC Construction Company Ltd, managing property and construction; and the TT HDC Facilities Management and Estate Management Company, responsible for maintaining rental units and ensuring sustainable community development.

She said the restructuring was meant to ensure the HDC had a greater degree of sustainability and empowerment and clients received high-quality service.

Robinson-Regis said, "Between October 1 and December 31 of this year, the government is poised to construct and deliver approximately 567 new houses spread geographically throughout TT. Some of these are construction (projects) that had stalled and we have, because of the $1.5 billion loan guarantee that had been generated by the Minister of Finance (Colm Imbert), been able to start restart stalled projects and we are poised to begin new housing projects."

She emphasised the importance of public-private partnerships, saying, "We (the government) have been able to partner with the private sector in order to produce houses for the HDC client base and so there are approximately 600 units being constructed under the design build finance (method) utilising public-private partnerships. The government cannot finance all the housing construction that is needed, so moving to this public-private partnership is of significance."

She said her ministry was committed to its partnership with small and medium-sized contractors for home construction. Currently, these contractors are building 110 units.

"This initiative not only boosts local employment but also nurtures the skills of small and medium-sized contractors.”

Robinson-Regis highlighted the housing and village improvement programme (HVIP), which she said had a positive impact on "thousands of citizens by moving them from substandard housing to two-bedroom houses with proper infrastructure."

She said the HVIP had an additional 275 units in the pipeline.