500 move one step closer to home ownership

Five hundred (500) applicants from the public housing database moved one step closer to home ownership when they were selected for assessment interviews during the Housing Draw which was hosted live by the Ministry of Housing and Urban Development and the Trinidad and Tobago Housing Development Corporation (HDC) on Wednesday June 03. These applicants were selected from a database of 180,000.

The National Housing Allocation Policy, which was developed in 2004, and which guides the HDC, is intended to ensure greater equity in the allocation process so that all applicants, once they are eligible for the programme, have an equal opportunity of being randomly selected for the location of their choice. In addition to modified random draws which account for 60% of allocations per community, the Allocation Policy provides for a 25% for emergency cases or those recommended by the Minister; 10% allocation to members of the protective service and defence force; and 5% for the elderly and persons with disabilities. To be eligible for public housing, applicants must be twenty-one (21) years and over, resident citizens with a combined household income of under $25,000 and must not own any property.

According to line Minister, Edmund Dillon, who presided over his first live draw, “ our goal is to ensure that every deserving low to middle-income family has the opportunity to lead decent, dignified and rewarding lives regardless of their locality or position in society.” Dillon added “the housing programme by its very nature touches every facet of human development. We hold to the premise that any investment made in the housing sector now and in the future, is a direct investment in our citizens and their families.”

The five hundred (500) individuals and families who were selected for assessment interviews during Wednesday’s draw will be contacted by the Allocations Department over the next few weeks to begin the process. Before the end of June, the second live Housing Draw will be conducted, where an additional 600 applicants will be selected from the database.

Wednesday’s draw was supervised by external auditors from PriceWaterhouse Coopers (PWC). The reference numbers of all selected applicants will be published on the HDC’s website and in the daily newspapers within five (5) days.