Land Settlement Agency Housing and Village Improvement Programme Key Distribution

Remarks by

The Honourable Adrian Leonce, MP

Minister in the Ministry of Housing and Urban Development

Tunapuna Community Centre

Corner of Centenary Street & Priority Bus Route

Tunapuna

Friday, June 2, 2023

11:00 a.m. – 1:00 p.m.

SALUTATIONS

• The Honourable Camille Robinson-Regis, Minister in the Ministry of Housing and Urban Development and Member of Parliament for Arouca/Maloney
• The Honourable Pennelope Beckles-Robinson, Minister of Planning and Development and Member of Parliament for Arima
• The Honourable Marvin Gonzales, Minister of Public Utilities and Member of Parliament for Lopinot/ Bon Air West
• The Honourable Foster Cummings, Minister of Youth Development and National Service and Member of Parliament for La Horquetta/Talparo
• The Honourable Esmond Forde, Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives and Member of Parliament for Tunapuna
• The Honourable Roger Monroe, Member of Parliament for Sangre Grande
• Ms. Frances Seignoret, Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Housing and Urban Development
• Chairman, Tunapuna/Piarco Regional Corporation, Alderman Kwasi Robinson

• Ms. Shanmatee Singh Ng Sang, Deputy Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Housing and Urban Development
• Mr. Wayne Inniss, Chairman and members of the Land Settlement Committee
• Mr. Hazar Hosein, Chief Executive Officer of the Land Settlement Agency
• Members of the Housing and Village Improvement Programme (HVIP) Committee
• Senior officials of the Ministry of Housing and Urban Development and of the Land Settlement Agency
• Beneficiaries of the Housing and Village Improvement Programme
• Distinguished Guests
• Members of the Media
• Ladies and gentlemen

Good morning everyone.

It gives me great pleasure to be here with you today as the Ministry of Housing and Urban Development, through its Land Settlement Agency (LSA), officially hands over thirty-six (36) new starter units to beneficiaries of the Ministry’s Housing and Village Improvement Programme (HVIP).

There are very few public sector programmes that are as near and dear to my heart as this one is, because it continues to positively impact the lives of so many families throughout the length and breadth of Trinidad.

In 2018, the HVIP won the Presidential Award for Service Excellence and Innovation in the Public Sector. The award was given by the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB) for being a cost-effective programme that improves housing conditions and community facilities in rural and peri-urban communities – those communities located in an area immediately adjacent to a city or urban area.

Today’s distribution ceremony fulfils one of the Ministry’s core purposes which is to increase access to adequate and affordable housing.

The Ministry, in collaboration with its agencies, specifically the LSA on this occasion, continues to do its part to develop and improve our human settlements so that they can become resilient, inclusive and sustainable.

As a caring government, our focus is on providing you with the necessary infrastructural amenities in your communities, while stimulating economic activity, ensuring that as many persons as possible benefit from the ripple effect associated with investments in the housing construction sector.

These valuable starter units which your government is gifting you today, are located in areas including Arima, Arouca, Sangre Grande, and Tunapuna.

These are primarily two-bedroom units with open floor plans including living and dining spaces, as well as kitchen and indoor bathroom facilities, an improvement on what previously existed.

This Programme, which utilises an aided self-help approach, facilitates financial and technical resources from the State while allowing you, the beneficiaries, to provide sweat equity, and the finishing touches to tailor the units to meet your family’s needs and preferences.

The continued success of this initiative is dependent on us forging inclusive relationships and strategic partnerships with all our stakeholders – the recipients, the contractors, the business community, other agencies we rely on for statutory approvals, the technical teams at the Ministry of Housing and Urban Development and the LSA, and countless others who make these occasions possible.

As Ministers and Members of Parliament we are always seeking to respond effectively to the socio-economic conditions within society in order to improve the lives of our citizens, create brighter futures for our young people, and ensure our seniors live out their lives with the utmost dignity. That is not just our concern. It is our main priority.

As an engineer, I have found the HVIP to be a very effective and affordable housing solution. I am also of the firm belief that access to affordable shelter can empower people to become more self-reliant and less dependent on the State, and that is what we would all like to see going forward.

I, therefore, wish to extend my heartfelt gratitude to the leadership of the Land Settlement Agency, the members of the Land Settlement Committee, and the HVIP Committee for keeping construction and delivery of these housing units on target, on time and within budget.

To the beneficiaries I say that this is by no means the end of the journey for you, as today signifies the hope of better things to come, as you receive the keys to your new units. It is now up to you to continue along this path and make your homes welcoming spaces filled with peace, love, joy and prosperity.

Once again, congratulations! I thank you, and may God continue to richly bless our nation.