Disability lobby presses for reversal of NHT subsidy removal

Jamaicans with disabilities have lamented the National Housing Trust’s (NHT) removal of interest-rate reductions, a move they deem unreasonable.

But Prime Minister Andrew Holness said the Trust is not trying to take away money from the poor but is taking steps to become more efficient, so that it can deliver benefits to those in greatest need.

Public-sector workers, persons 55 years and older, and others are among the group who will no longer receive subsidies following a policy shift that took effect on August 18.

Director of the Portmore Self-Help Disability Organisation (PSDO), Cleon Porter, told The Gleaner that no consultations were held with his members and last week’s announcement came as a surprise.

Though based in St Catherine, its more than 300 members are spread across the island, with challenges ranging from blindness, deafness, as well as physical, mental, developmental, and intellectual disabilities.

Porter said that disabled persons earning $30,000 per week and under will be exempt but others with higher salaries will have to pay bigger mortgages.

“Most of these people got injured on the job, and that is how they became disabled. They have medical bills which already take out a large portion of their salary, so right now many of our members are distraught,” Porter told The Gleaner.

He said transportation to get to work remains a hurdle for his members, primarily those who reside in rural Jamaica.

Porter has not made an application to the NHT yet and is disappointed that his prospects of owning a home have become more challenging.

The director explained that there are larger housing concerns among the disabled community such as cost and accessibility.

“We need the NHT to make affordable houses, somewhere between $4.5 million to $6.5 million, so that one person with a disability can be able to purchase a house for themselves. Family members and sometimes friends who they join with to get the house take advantage of them after a few years. Some of them end up on the street or in a rented house,” he lamented.

Porter also wants the NHT units for persons with disabilities to be positioned closer to the entrance of housing schemes to reduce hassle.

“Don’t go down in history as the Government that oppressed an already vulnerable group,” Porter said, as he appealed to the Government to reconsider its decision.

In a statement posted on its website on Monday, the NHT explained that under the new policy, income is the sole determinant of the interest-rate subsidy applied to mortgagors.

NHT also noted that the policy is intended for application for new loans.

“For some time, the organisation has been analysing the manner in which it allocates subsidies. Under the prior approach, additional interest rate subsidies were applied to special groups. This resulted in persons who fell within those groups automatically attaining subsidies – whether or not they were needed in order to access or afford a loan,” a section of the statement read.

It said the new approach will allow the NHT to focus its subsidy programme on the most vulnerable contributors, specifically low-income earners of all ages and persons with disabilities.

Porter welcomed the doubling of the Special Grant for Persons with Disabilities to $300,000.

Additionally, a maximum of two NHT mortgagors with disabilities, residing in the same household or caregiver of a person living with disabilities, can now access a grant of up to $600,000.

Opposition Leader Mark Golding said the move was a “backward step” and called on Holness to reinstate the benefits.

Speaking at a Manchester North Western conference last Saturday, Golding said that the decision comes at a time when Jamaicans are facing immense hardships from the spike in the cost of living, as food, transportation, electricity costs have all increased.

“I’m calling on the prime minister to wheel and come again and reverse this change to the benefits,” he said.

Golding, who is also president of the People’s National Party, argued that it was an act of injustice, especially to the disabled community.

He said that he was disheartened, especially having worked closely with the disabled community through his affiliation with the Sir John Golding Rehabilitation Centre founded by his father.

Golding said it is unfair for a disabled person, earning between $30,000 and $42,000 weekly, and who would formerly get a one per cent discount and pay a one per cent interest rate, to be forced to pay a two per cent interest rate.

“Their interest rate has doubled, and for persons with a disability, the cost of daily life is greater, especially when it comes to transportation and making adjustments for accessibility in the home. Using the sole yardstick of income is not fair to persons with disabilities. We should be increasing benefits to help persons with disabilities get ahead in life, not taking them away,” Golding said.

Further, he said under the Jamaica Labour Party-led administration, the NHT is failing to fulfil its mandate to provide the most vulnerable with access to housing.

At Jamaica House on Tuesday, Holness said the problem in the Jamaican society is that people are failing to look across all sectors to seek out fair distribution of resources.

“We are all very stuck in looking at what is my socio-economic group getting,” Holness said.

He continued: “I hope today has been an enlightenment to the country and to the persons whose sworn mission is to destroy good policy. Nothing is wrong with criticism, but it is really destructive when people set out to destruct.

“In this course about the NHT, I can only conclude that there are persons who have set out to destruct, but I will not stand by and allow that to happen.”