GOVERNMENT
INFORMATION SERVICE
January 2005
Bulletin No: 3
HOUSING AND THE STATE OF THE ECONOMY
WHERE DOES GRENADA’S HURRICANE AID COME FROM?
·
From
friendly governments
·
From
Regional and International Organizations
·
From
Private Companies and individuals
WHAT AID IS BEING OFFERED?
Aid is being promised to Grenada in the form of hard
cash and/or materials which can then be used to assist the people of Grenada.
HOW IS THE AID SPENT?
The aid pledged to Grenada is administered by
Government Agencies and NGO’s.
THERE
ARE CONCERNS ABOUT THE PRESENT HOUSING SITUATION
Many people are concerned about the slow pace at
which building materials and supplies are being distributed to the public.
HERE ARE THE FACTS:
There are several problems surrounding the repairs
to and rebuilding of houses in Grenada at present:
·
Shortage
of building materials due to the devastation caused to Florida and the massive
construction taking place in Iraq.
·
Higher
prices for the available building materials due to the shortage mentioned
above. This was explained by importers
at a recently held meeting.
·
Funds
promised to the People of Grenada at the various donor conferences have been
slow in coming.
·
The
Government of Grenada has limited ability to undertake repairs on its own as
there has been little money coming into the treasury over the last four months.
WHAT
HAS BEEN DONE SO FAR?
HERE ARE THE FACTS:
·
The
Re-roofing/Material Assistance Programme is catering to the needs of 1,125
vulnerable families. This programme is
being done in stages where families will receive up to $5,000 in building
supplies to assist with house repairs.
This programme will cost over 5 million dollars.
·
225
homes for needy and vulnerable groups will be constructed by the end of March
at an average cost of EC $25,000. So
far 14 homes have been completed and 44 are under construction.
·
USAID
together with non-governmental organizations and the Housing Authority of
Grenada will be repairing 800 homes and constructing 200 homes.
·
Persons
occupying houses in the Dunfermline Housing Scheme are being given the
opportunity through the Housing Authority of Grenada to purchase the homes that
they presently occupy.
·
The
Venezuelan Government will be constructing 80 homes at La Calome in St. David
in an area to be called the Simon Bolivar Village. Clearing of the land has already begun. An additional 50 homes will be constructed at another site(s).
·
Lands
have been identified for the relocation of the residents of the vulnerable
Soubise and Marquis areas.
·
Soft
loans will be made available to Middle and Lower Income homes. An individual or family whose house has been
damaged or destroyed will be able to obtain $40,000 without making any
repayments for the first year and at the very low interest rate of 3%.
·
Government
has expanded the housing programme that was to be undertaken before Ivan. Housing Schemes will now be started in most
parishes and within two and half years it is anticipated that hundreds of homes
will be constructed.
·
A
number of measures have been taken to educate the public about proper home
construction to ensure that homes are hurricane and earthquake resistant.
·
Inspectors
from the Housing Authority of Grenada are out in the field daily doing
inspections around the island. This is
in order to ensure that the most vulnerable persons such as the physically or
mentally challenged, aged or sick are the first to be served.
WHAT
IS THE PRESENT STATE OF THE GRENADIAN ECONOMY?
HERE ARE THE FACTS:
Grenada has been unable to earn any significant
income over the past four months.
Though Grenada has been promised millions of dollars in aid to assist
with our reconstruction much of those millions remain a promise. To assist those thousands who are without
jobs the NIS has introduced a special programme to ease the burden on these
non-income earners.
WHAT ABOUT FACTORS AFFECTING THE STATE OF THE GRENADIAN ECONOMY?
·
Damage
due to the hurricane caused the loss of hundreds of jobs in all sectors of the
economy. Workers in the private sector
were hardest hit.
·
It
has been estimated that close to $20 million in goods were looted and damaged
immediately after the hurricane and this had led to the loss of hundreds of
jobs.
·
Due
to the damages caused to businesses by the hurricane and the looters,
Government has had to give Major Tax Relief to many businesses to ensure their
continued operation and rebuilding of many businesses.
·
Working
conditions for some Grenadian workers have not been up to the desired standard
due to the devastation caused by Ivan.
This results in decreased productivity.
·
Grenada
has had to rely on CARICOM Governments to pay a major portion of the salaries of
public workers from September to the present and budgetary support will be
necessary for some time.
THE DILEMMA
The situation now facing the Grenada Government and
the Grenadian Private Sector is how to maintain the number of workers and as a
result the present wage bill on a monthly basis.
LET US
ALLWORK TOGETHER TO HELP REBUILD A BETTER AND
STRONGER GRENADA