PRESS RELEASE
FOOD FOR THE POOR REAFFIRMS ITS
MODUS OPERANDI OF TRANSPARENCY & ACCOUNTABILITY
Spanish town, Jamaica – April 29,
2013 – Responding to media
reports on Food For The Poor Housing Projects in Trelawny, the organisation’s
Chairman Andrew Mahfood is today reassuring the public that FFP has for the
last 30 years operated with utmost transparency and accountability in all its operations,
including the construction and distribution of houses.
Mr Mahfood said contrary to
media reports, FFP has constructed 21 wooden houses and not 102 wooden houses
in Southern Trelawny, under the Ministry of Housing/Housing Agency of Jamaica
(HAJ) agreement. Mr Mahfood has advised that FFP has launched an investigation
into complaints from a Parish Councillor about its housing distribution in
Trelawny. “We are investigating that report. Our charity has also launched a
post-audit of its houses distributed in Southern Trelawny,” Mr Mahfood
announced today. He expects the results of the Southern Trelawny investigation
by the end of the week.
Since its inception, FFP has
provided in excess of 22,000 Jamaicans with comfortable and secure housing, Mr
Mahfood reported, adding that “in keeping with our mode of operation, we are
dedicated to ensuring that the houses are built in compliance with our
established procedures and with the strictest adherence to ensuring equity,
transparency and accountability.”
He explained that in the
case of Trelawny and all FFP housing projects, age is not used as a criterion
in determining FFP’s intervention, but instead, the dire need of each applicant
must be established, as “Food For The Poor builds houses for the poorest of the
poor across the island”. Once the need is established, the homes are built where
proof of land ownership or long-term lease is provided, Mr. Mahfood pointed
out.
“The
housing department of FFPJ has established criteria that are used to determine
whether an applicant for a house would qualify as a beneficiary, whether or not
the applicant approaches FFP directly or through any other means including
Members of Parliament (MPs). These criteria are applied on a consistent basis
in each case,” Mr. Mahfood indicated. “Once the need is established and the
required documents are submitted and verified, construction begins thereafter.”
When
applying for a Food for the Poor House, the prospective beneficiary must
provide: a letter of recommendation briefly explaining the current situation
that he/ she is experiencing. This must be written, preferably by a religious
minister, Justice of the Peace or Notary Public. The prospective beneficiary
should also include in his/her documents submitted, his/her contact details,
directions to the property and proof of the land ownership/long term lease. FFP
also investigates the prospective beneficiary, to ensure that his/her need is
as stated.
Over the next 5 years, FFP
will be constructing in excess of 9,000 houses for indigent and low-income
families. In its bid to assist in
fulfilling the housing needs of Jamaicans, FFP has engaged in several
partnerships with public sector agencies. Chief among these are a two–pronged
initiative, which involves the Ministry of Housing/ Housing Agency of Jamaica
(HAJ) and the National Housing Trust (NHT); and the Social Housing Project with
The Ministry of Labour and Social Security (MLSS).
The
FFP-MOH / HAJ agreement which was set in motion during September last year,
aims to build thousands of wooden houses over 5-years. The contractual agreement is for FFPJ to
build 100 wooden houses per month (that’s the equivalent of 1, 200 wooden
houses per year). Giving a breakdown of the wooden houses constructed in
Trelawny, Mr. Mahfood explained: “Prior to the FFP-MOH / HAJ agreement, 259
houses were built in Trelawny between 2000-2011. In keeping with the FFP-MOH /
HAJ agreement, 31 wooden houses were constructed in that parish, and they
comprise double units.”
FFP has also announced that
under the FFP-MOH / HAJ agreement, all 63 Parliamentarians have been asked to
submit to that charity via the Jamaica Emergency Employment Programme (JEEP)
secretariat, the names of 20 destitute persons in their area, who are in need
of housing.
The agreement between FFP and NHT will see the
construction of 50 concrete houses per month.
“Currently, 72 of these houses are in progress in Hampden, Trelawny,”
outlined Mr. Mahfood.
Under the MLSS-FFP pilot
project some 48 PATH families in several parishes islandwide will benefit from
new wooden houses.
The FFP Chairman is
affirming his organization’s commitment to enhancing the lives of Jamaicans who
are economically challenged.
-End-
Food For The Poor (FFP)-Jamaica is the largest charity organization in the country. Food For The
Poor Inc., located in Florida, USA, was named by The Chronicle of Philanthropy as the largest international relief and development
organization in the United States. It is an interdenominational Christian
agency that does much more than feed the millions of hungry poor in 17
countries of the Caribbean and Latin America. FFP provides emergency relief
assistance, clean water, medicines, educational materials, homes, support for
orphans and the aged, skills training and micro-enterprise development
assistance, with more than 96% of all donations going directly to programmes
that help the poor. For more information visit our Web site at www.foodforthepoorja.com
______________________________________________________________
Contact:
Erica James-King, PROComm, T: 926-6740 or 564-5277
Petri-Ann Henry, Food For The Poor, T: 984-5005 or 564-2886
