An alarming number of applicants to the Joe’s Hill Manor Estate Housing have been unsuccessful after reaching phase three of the process that involves seeking financing from a banking institution.
Director of the Social Security Board (SSB), Mrs. Jeanette Scatliffe-Boynes in a recent interview with 284 Media revealed that approximately 600 applicants applied in 2017 during the initial launch of the project.
Following its completion in 2022, she said 400 of the applicants responded positively, but only 200 attended the SSB’s Home Owners Workshop which was held for the applicants.
Of the 200 who were approved by the SSB to proceed to the financing phase, there were no approvals from the banking institutions.
This prompted the SSB to reopen the application process in January where persons were invited to apply. She said 40 applicants met the SSB’s requirements but only 4 were approved for financing from the banks.
Scatliffe-Boynes also listed some of the concerns that were raised by the banks.
In retrospect, the director said it would have been good to have a Home Owners Workshop back in 2017 to better inform prospective applicants of the requirements of the banks.
Moving forward, she said the SSB will engage in aggressive campaigning to attract more qualified applicants.
The full interview will be made available on 284media.com and on Facebook (284Media) from 8:00 p.m. on Wednesday, June 28.