Voice from the Street - NHT Funding Inner City

[Mosiah]

Do you know they lose these houses when all efforts at helping them have failed? You think they live there forever no matter what?

[Bricktop]

And? 37% delinquency rate...how much more $ spent to evict and restart the process?

[Mosiah]

I-Man, I am not going to even discuss whether NHT money is appropriate for this project. All I know is, no matter which govt. is in power, sooner or later this is a problem they would not be able to ignore.

The people in the street, as demonstrated by the video, are badly misinformed. The project is not just to build houses in Portia's constituency. There were more units planned between Denham Town and Tivoli than any other community. The houses are not hand outs to party loyalists. Mortgage payments were expected and prospective residents were screened to ensure they had the ability to make the payments. The NHT was very patient with those who did fall behind, as they should be. And by the way, uptown people are also delinquent on their mortgage payments.

Then people think the ICHP promoted garrisonization of communities. I think it quite the opposite. When residents now have roads and not zinc-lined lanes, it allows police to enter communities with a certain amount of ability to protect themselves rather than gully creeping through dark alleys. The ICHP communities allowed utility personnel to better monitor their systems. These communities save the environments by establishing modern sewage lines and plants. Think how many fewer scandal bags get into our gullies and onto our beaches? It allows the solid waste companies to remove garbage more effectively.

Maybe it's time for the NHT act to be amended, or for some other act to come into place, but failure to not restart such a program for the least among is just not an option!

Memba mi tell unnu!

[Mosiah]

Whatever it is, it is worth every penny!

Yuh act like uptown people nuh delinquent pon di NHT houses that they earned.

[Bricktop]

Yuh want me to quote Howard Mitchell on who makes up the bulk of delinquencies? Is it fair to contributors to have refunds of their contributions suspended because of ICHP delinquencies?

[Mosiah]

Whatever, Brickie! Portia gets nothing but big ups from me for restarting this program!

[Willi]

No, it is a TRUST! Similar to social security.

Only contributors eligible.

Welfare is something else.

This kind of unsustainable fiascos is why we sink deeper. Unless we can teach people to fish, we have no business choosing to grant gifts to a chosen few, especially chosen for political mileage.

There are working poor who HAVE contributed. THEY should be first in line.

Plain truth and bad manners.

[Willi]

No, it is NOT.

With such high delinquency rates, the community is condemned to ghettoization. What is the resale value of such a large bloc of delinquencies? Can the NHT absorb this loss continually? What about the 60% who do pay, is it fair that their property value goes to hell in a hand basket?

We have to think like grown ups now. This kinda handout thinking is how we get samfied and end up in this bad place.

Its the WORKING poor we should concern ourselves about, not the freeness mentality set. We have to regentrify the inner city with strivers (ambitious working poor), otherwise the money will be wasted.

Screw uptown, they are not what we are concerned about. We care about boot strapping.

[Willi]

More IMF loans will be needed and for what? We digging a deeper hole.
Cart before horse.

[Islandman]

So there is no working poor in those communities? Or very few?

I don't have a problem with targeting the working poor as a means to change those communities at all, but those at the very bottom of society will still be there. Leaving them to crap in scandal bags doesn't sound like a good plan to me.

[Assasin]

Is not that people are saying to leave them to the scraps but instead they are saying NHT money shouldn't be the main contributor.

An example is government can work with Food for the poor as they do in other consitituency as long as they put aside other money for this project.

I-man it hard when a teacher can contribute for 20 years and don't own their own home, always another reason why they don't qualify, and I know this kind of teacher who may not have the downpayment she wants or for some other technical reason. This teacher may also have 5 kids and divorce.

[Mosiah]

How many times must I say it? The ICHP was never a handout! I know one family which lost its unit because of non-payment. But the candidates are screened in the best way possible to try and ensure success.

And this idea that it is being for political reasons - do you think the people in Denham Town who received units are suddenly going to switch to PNP? Do you know the MP is always present when keys are being handed out?

If we think this is some political scam, then tell me how to do something for the poor people of Jamaica and not have such scepticism follow it.

For me this housing problem is like the education conundrum. If you think education is expensive, try ignorance.

If you think ICHP is expensive, reject it at the nation's peril!

[Bricktop]

If we think this is some political scam, then tell me how to do something for the poor people of Jamaica and not have such scepticism follow it.

What was Operation Pride?

[Mosiah]

Yes!

[Bricktop]

A $7 billion retirement fund for PJ...