The Government is set to relaunch the Inner-City Housing Programme (ICHP), seven months after Prime Minister Bruce Golding put the brakes on it.

Golding announced a suspension of the programme in his first budget presentation as prime minister, arguing that, while it was well intentioned, it was unsustainable.

"We had to suspend it because it couldn't continue the way it was going. There was no more money to continue to build houses for $3 million and $4 million, sell them for $2 million and hug up the loss of $2 million," Golding told supporters in his west Kingston constituency late Thursday night.

The prime minister said he asked the National Housing Trust (NHT) to look at the situation and develop a new model for inner-city housing.

According to Golding, the NHT has developed the new approach but he was unable to provide the details.

New approach

"I have not seen it yet. They are to come to me to outline the new approach that they are proposing and when that time comes, hopefully, we will be able to reintroduce the programme on a basis that will be sustainable," Golding said.

"Where we can build a scheme, and when we finish that, we go and build another one, rather than we build one scheme, two schemes, three schemes and when you have done that the money run out and you can't build any more."

In April, Golding first announced the suspension of the ICHP, arguing that the NHT had already spent $2 billion of the $5 billion which was initially projected to build 3,000 houses, but less than 20 per cent of the houses had been built.

He said the NHT was facing an estimated $15.5 billion to complete the houses, but did not have the money.

Units subsidised

Golding argued that the matter had been further compounded as the NHT was subsidising each unit built under the ICHP by between $1.5 million and $2 million while delinquency on the programme was 69 per cent.

On Thursday, Golding urged the beneficiaries in his constituency to make their monthly payments and reduce the delinquency rates.

"The monthly payments for those houses are as low as we can make them ... .When I look at the payment record for some of the people in Denham Town who were allocated houses in Phase One, I shame bad," Golding told his supporters.

He said he would speak with persons who had already benefited and with those who are to benefit to ensure that they understand the need to make the payments.

"It is not free house, and if they don't do better, all it means is that the money which is to come back to build more houses will not be there," Golding added.

Project information

580 houses delivered by the ICHP
1,184 in varying stages of construction
231 Spanish Town Road
White Wing
Majestic Gardens
Denham Town (Block J)
Swallowfield