Gov't divests 400 housing units
published: Wednesday | July 14, 2004

KINGSTON (JIS):

GOVERNMENT HAS divested some 400 units since 2002 under its housing divestment programme, said State Minister of Water and Housing, Harry Douglas.

The plan is to make more Jamaicans homeowners in an effort to regularise their tenancy arrangements, he said. Mr. Douglas made the disclosure during his contribution to the 2004/05 Sectoral Debate in Gordon House last week. "We intend to take this approach to other Corporate Area schemes," he stated. He said there were plans to divest additional units in Duhaney Park, Orange Villa and Armada Court in Kingston. Units already divested are in Schemes 4A, 4B and 7 in Arnett Gardens.

The Ministry has a significant number of housing schemes, developed as co-operatives and condominiums, in some instances from in the 1960s. He said many of the residents in these schemes live there on the basis of rental agreements, while others live informally.