The Ministry of Housing and Water is providing home improvement subsidies to underprivileged persons who plan to renovate their homes and is inviting interested persons to submit applications to the Central Housing and Planning Authority (CH&PA).

According to a Govern-ment Information Agency (GINA) press release the package includes financial contributions and technical assistance and targets 400 families in existing housing schemes.

CH&PA Community Dev-elopment Specialist Donell Bess-Bascom said each subsidy is valued at $200,000 and can be accessed by persons with income scales of up to $50,000. She said seven schemes including West- minster Phase One, Onderneeming Phase One, Recht-Door-Zee Phase One, Area ‘B’ Lusignan, Block ‘D’ Bath Phase One, Tabatinga Lethem and Amelia’s Ward Phase Two will initially be targeted with 100 subsidies in 2010.

Bess-Bascom noted that the project which falls under the Second Low Income Settlement Programme funded by the Inter-American Development Bank will eventually provide subsidies to 20 housing schemes.

The programme has a component which that would help households to conduct repairs to roofs, walls, floors and other areas.

“These repairs are to existing homes so the person must first have a house lot in the scheme and must also be in occupancy of the lot,” Bess-Bascom explained.

She said that eligibility will be determined in accordance with the operating regulations of the programme.

The CH&PA met with RDCs and NDCs yesterday and will host other meetings on Tuesday, Friday and Saturday in Block B Bath, Amelia’s Ward, Lusignan and Westminster respectively.

According to GINA the ministry has also embarked on a core homes project which seeks to provide 113 affordable homes to low income families by year end.