Housing Ministry launches website

THE Ministry of Housing on Monday launched its website www.housing.gov.tt and its Home Application Fulfilment System (HAFS), to enable persons to access information and application forms for houses. However, Minister of Housing, Dr Keith Rowley, has warned his staff members that with the new technology, they must still accept responsibility and not blame computers when deeds and other services cannot be delivered to homeowners. At the launch at La Boucan, Hilton Trinidad, Rowley also accepted that there were shortcomings in his ministry.

He said because of the volume of information generated, and with more expected with the promise to deliver 10,000 houses over ten years, the system has to be managed properly. He said over the years there has been inefficient management and it was and still is, common for people to complain about incorrect data base regarding payments and deeds being generated by the ministry and its agencies, like the National Housing Authority (NHA) and the Urban Development Company of Trinidad and Tobago (UDeCOTT). He said the reason for such a situation was because of the inability by the managers and other staff to access and manipulate data. He said he had asked the Information Technology (IT) Department at the ministry to “go beyond and deliver,” so that everything else could flow. Rowley also acknowledged that there were people who abused the system and were able to get in and out of NHA houses, because they knew of the inefficiencies.

Rowley said he had been asked to reveal in Parliament the names and addresses of all the persons who owed more than $1,000 to the NHA. He said he was unable to do so because the database was “corrupted,” and he did not intend to embarrass citizens due to the failure on the part of a State agency. He said, however, when the benefits of the new system are being reaped, everyone would wonder how they worked without it. He said although a commitment had been given by the IT Department to have the technology fully operational by September and to improve the housing system, he had given it one year.

Rowley said with the new technology there would also be training for the staff, and kiosks offering the online application forms would be placed at NHA’s regional offices throughout the country for members of the public. He said while it was not feasible for the State to provide housing for the entire population, Government was putting the resources in place to enable persons to access better housing. Rowley said with the staff motivated and the financial resources available, he was confident that his ministry would be able to solve the housing problems before 2020.