Perennial flood victim revels in dream home

For 62-year-old Rachael Smith, living along the gully bank in the Majesty Gardens neighbourhood of St Andrew was particularly challenging.

Smith, who grew up in the gritty community, lamented that her worst memories occurred during the hurricane season when her previous board and zinc dwelling was pelted by gusts that accompanied torrential rains.

The senior citizen has lost furniture and other possessions to flooding.

“Life was rough for me down the bottom ‘cause when the gully come over and I flood right out, and some of my stuff were damaged during the rain,” she told The Gleaner.

Majesty Gardens, popularly called ‘Back To’, is within the vicinity of Portia Simpson Miller Square, bordered on the northeast by Spanish Town Road, southeast by the Jew Gully, and southwest by the railway lines.

But, Smith now has a new lease on life as she joined 31 other homeowners who were handed keys to their new houses on Wednesday.

“I feel joyful … . I couldn’t believe that I could own my own home at 62,” she said, excitedly, thanking God for his blessings.

The National Housing Trust (NHT), which funded the project, constructed the units under the Community Renewal Programme. The units comprise studios costing $4.8 million each, one-bedrooms sold for $6 million per unit, and two-storey, three-bedroom units priced at $8.9 million each.

NHT provided subsidies ranging from $1.7 million to $1.9 million per unit. Three houses were reserved for distribution under the New Social Housing Programme.

Rohan James, a member of the NHT board of directors, said the keys the recipients collected would not only unlock the doors of their physical homes but were critical to other life-changing opportunities.

“These houses are not just a space for our contributors to reside in. They are safety, comfort, legacy, and peace of mind,” said James.

Prime Minister Andrew Holness said that he was pleased that needing working-class Jamaicans, including employees working in manufacturing, security, cashiering and customer service, he had managed to acquire their own homes.

Holness said that construction of 1,505 housing solutions in Kingston and St Andrew was progressing as planned and should be completed within three years.

The administration is targeting the provision of 70,000 new homes in its five-year electoral term.