Keys to a brighter future

As they walked through the gates of The Howard Apartments, Glenroy and Velma Brown could barely contain their smiles.

For the first time in their lives, the couple had the keys to their own home — a dream that had seemed far-fetched for decades.

Their dream became a reality after Glenroy, 59, decided to submit an application to the National Housing Trust (NHT). They were “over the moon” after been selected for one of the one-bedroom units at the newly build housing complex, located off Waltham Park Road in St Andrew.

“It took about a month for us to be approved and it was a good feeling. This is the first time we are owning our own house, and the one-bedroom is good for us as we finish raising children. We like it man,” Brown said.

The Howard Apartments was developed by the National Housing Trust (NHT) in partnership with Centauri Real Estate Company Limited under the NHT’s Guaranteed Purchase Programme. The development comprises 248 studio units, each valued at $9.9 million.

At 300 square feet — slightly smaller than a standard double-car garage — each unit can accommodate a bed, a small living area, a kitchenette and a bathroom.

Located off Waltham Park Road in Kingston 11, the complex can be accessed from Waltham Park Road to the east and Spanish Town Road to the west, running parallel to Hagley Park Road. It is roughly 5.5 kilometres from Half-Way Tree and eight kilometres from downtown Kingston.

The Howard Apartments are part of the National Housing Trust (NHT) First Home Programme, a plan designed to help people move into other homes over time. Under an optional buy-back setup, owners can eventually sell their apartment back to the NHT. They can then use new NHT loans to buy a bigger or different home if their family grows or their money situation changes. The NHT then sells the old apartment to a new first-time buyer, keeping starter homes available for the next generation.

However, it does not appear that information has reached many persons in the area. While the new development has transformed the look of the area, some residents of Howard Avenue say the apartments offer little benefit to the people who already live there.

Waltham Park is a major business and low-income residential area that has long been associated with crime and poor infrastructure.

One woman said the apartments were not designed with existing residents in mind.

“Those weren’t build for the people who live on Howard Avenue because a one-bedroom is for two old people or students. Plus, inna dem small so if yuh want to turn, you have to go outside and turn then go back in. This nuh make any sense at all. I don’t see the sense making over 200 house whe small like fowl coop when you could make a 100 nice two bedroom house. The government was not taking the people dem who live round here into consideration. It just pretty and nothing else,” a woman said.

A 32-year-old mother of three said she was initially excited when she heard about the development and immediately thought about applying. However, that enthusiasm quickly faded when she learned that only one-bedroom units were being built.

“Ghetto people nuh have one pickney like that and even if a one all a we couldn’t hitch up inna one bedroom. Nuh living room nuh really there to turn into a bedroom, so honestly it look like a some dolly dem build the house fah, and not the people on Howard Avenue or the rest a Waltham,” the woman said.

She continued: “Mi did want one, enuh, but if mi buy it mi would have to move in left mi pickney dem because no space is there. Not even a king size bed can hold in deh. This apartment come in like some blond whe pretty and white, but is a shell inside,” the woman said.

But unlike the women, a cab driver welcomed the development, describing it as a much-needed facelift for the area.

“It is not a small thing, it is a big thing, and it make the place look good,” the cabbie said.

“Imagine ghetto people a live in gated community with security at the gate. I was one of them who helped to build it, and it strong bad. The place nice and it make Howard Avenue have a rich look. All the people dem need to do is take care of it,” he said.