Voice from the Street - NHT Funding Inner City

[Willi]

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

[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]

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.

[Mosiah]

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

[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 it is, it is worth every penny!

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

[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!

[Bricktop]

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

[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]

When the inner city folks can't pay back the mortgages...which 40% of them can't...where does that leave those who have contributed?

[Islandman]

Ok fine that is true but they are statutory deductions, you have no choice but to pay them to govt., so they can improve the nations housing stock.

Govt can do a lot worse with NHT money than build some housing for the poor.think bout that while you walk round emancipation park next week.

Talking bout that I need fe call NHT bout me old contributions.....or maybe I will just leave it as a contribution to inner city housing.

[Bricktop]

It is not a tax...it is a refundable contribution...

[Assasin]

I doubt rent would be a good idea as you need stable family in these homes, The idea is for them to have ownership, but no work or a Don deciding to run the area can make a lot of changes to any goodwill.

[Muadib]

NHT contributions are not taxes, they are refundable contributions... you have a lot to learn on this..

[Muadib]

What Emancipation Park haffi duh wid Nations housing ???