BASSETERRE, St. Kitts, March 8, 2018 (Press Unit in the Office of the Prime Minister) – The Government’s HELP Programme continues to be a source of relief for hundreds of residents looking to improve their standard of living, with Irish Town resident, Mr. Albert Peters, becoming the latest beneficiary of this home improvement grant programme.
The HELP Programme, being implemented through the National Housing Corporation (NHC), offers grants of up to $10,000 to persons with lower income earnings to undertake home improvement projects such as renovating roofs or adding bathrooms and kitchen facilities to their houses.
The home of Mr. Peters, a 74-year old resident of Lower Durant Avenue, was one such house that was without a bathroom for many years. As a result, Mr. Peters reached out to Ambassador Jonel Powell, the Government’s representative for Central Basseterre, who willingly assisted him through the entire registration process with the NHC.
An appreciative Mr. Peters said, “I needed some help so I spoke with Mr. Powell and he gave me the help that I needed, so I am grateful for the help and I am thankful because without them nothing would have been done, so I am thankful and grateful.”
During a visit to the home of Mr. Peters on Thursday, March 8, Ambassador Powell said, “We are looking at the progress being made in relation to a project that is ongoing to build bathrooms to homes which have been going without bathrooms and toilets to date. Unfortunately, this is a problem which still exists here in St. Kitts, particularly here in Central Basseterre, so with the help of NHC, Mr. Albert Peters is the most recent to be the beneficiary of a bathroom being added to his home.”
At Tuesday’s (March 6) Team Unity Town Hall Meeting at the Sandy Point Community Centre, Prime Minister Dr. the Honourable Timothy Harris said the HELP Programme forms part of his Government’s Unity Housing Solutions, as it responds to the urgent needs of citizens and residents, particularly the indigent.
The prime minister said, “We considered that every household ought to have modern toilet facilities and so we targeted that, we considered that everyone should be safe from the horrors of adverse weather and therefore we targeted repairs and renovations to roofs. The HELP Programme was not intended to add another room and so on; it was intended to remedy certain unacceptable social situations.”
To date, more than 300 persons across St. Kitts have benefited from the HELP Programme.
