Dana Malcolm
Staff Writer
#TurksandCaicos, September 11, 2023 – Deadlines are coming up for residents who wish to benefit from the country’s recently announced housing programs, and while there’s no reason to delay, all is not lost if you do fall outside the cutoff according to Jamell Robinson, Minister of Physical Planning and Infrastructure Development (PPID).
The Minister was clearing up concerns from residents about the September 29th deadline announced by PPID for the Housing Improvement Program for Existing Homeowners.
“The reason this has a time limit is this is specifically tied to the current budget cycle. We have to be in a position where we collect applications, do evaluations, and create a price point to know how much we need to spend on those renovations.” He explained.
The Community Renewal and Infilling Program has the same deadline.
Launched on July 27 the Housing Improvement Program provides a $50,000 grant for islanders to refurbish their homes with priority given to the vulnerable, while the Community Infilling Program aims to ‘construct new housing for socially disadvantaged persons with properties that have sustained physical damage.’
No deadline was announced for the third program which provides tax write-offs for residents building residential complexes.
As for those who may find themselves not quite ready, Robinson said. “It will be an ongoing program subject to funding availability:”
This of course is dependent on the budget and the amount of applications received, emphasizing the importance of getting applications in as soon as possible.
“Now clearly, it’s not unlimited funding, so we’ll prioritize those that are in greater need first. Of course, we will continue because we can always reopen the application process so that it isn’t a one-off time. Let’s say out of the $1 million that we have for this program we only end up spending $600,000 in the first tranche; that would be $400,000 we have to spend for more homes.”
The minister stressed that the government was aware of the great need and expected to spend the first $1 million allotment with no difficulty and once additional funding was procured the program would open again.
