April 16th, 2013: The New national Party Government is already making major inroads in dealing with the housing crisis among low income Grenadians. Within weeks of being put in charge of the Housing Ministry the Hon Delma Thomas has successfully negotiated with the Chinese government to complete the Mt Gay Housing Project at no addition cost to the government. Friday Minister Thomas signed an important agreement with Acting Chinese Ambassador Chen Ribiao, to spend $3.6 million to complete essential aspects of the Housing Project.
The 353 homes have sat, unoccupied for many months as the previous administration failed to meet its obligations to provide counterpart funding for the installation of utilities and sewerage. “Those houses were not built just to sit there as ornaments, but for use by real people who need them the most”, the minister said. Minister Thomas, who is also the Minister for Social Development, says the New National Party government will pursue all avenues available to provide housing opportunities for Grenadians in need of such support.
Speaking during Friday’s signing ceremony at the Ministry of Housing Thomas said “the people expect us to deliver on the issue of proper housing in the shortest possible time. Thomas told the group witnessing the signing, including new Chairman of the Housing Authority Ashton Frame that immediately after taking office in February as the Minister of Housing, one of her “main and urgent goals was to ensure that scores of Grenadians, the many who so badly need better housing, get into those houses in the shortest possible time”.

“One of my first acts was to inquire about the status of the housing projects at Mt Gay, Frequente and Soubise. Then I immediately contacted the Chinese embassy here on the issue of the assistance of the People’s Republic of China to help complete the project” she said.

The Housing minister noted that the new government was “fully aware that the Chinese government had up to that point done their part of the bargain. They had done everything we had asked of them”. Ambassador Ribiao explained that the agreement is totally new and not a continuation of the first phase and that they would move forward once the formalities have been completed.

Government is expected to negotiate for another 1000 low income houses which had been previously agreed to with China. That deal was shelved by the previous government in place of other obligations.

Public relations dept. NNP