Prime Minister Gaston Browne has announced that the government's Housing Assistance Programme for Indigent People (HAPI) will transition from constructing wooden homes to concrete structures, as part of a broader push to provide more durable housing for vulnerable families.
According to Antigua News Room, Browne made the remarks during an appearance on the Brown and Brown Show on Sunday, where he outlined the programme's progress and future direction. He said HAPI, which provides free homes to poor and indigent residents, has expanded significantly and is now completing several houses each month.
"We believe that we can do at least 50 HAPI homes per year," Browne said.
The prime minister said the government expects to commission a new block plant within the next 60 days, which will enable the shift away from wooden construction.
"We hope to commission our new block plant within maybe the next 60 days," Browne said. "We'll be building concrete properties for them in the future rather than these wooden properties to make sure that they're more sustainable."
Browne said the HAPI initiative is designed to improve living conditions for residents in substandard housing by replacing dilapidated structures with modern homes at no cost to recipients.
"So wherever we see people living in squalor, we want to make sure that we give them a leg up," he said. "The government gives free properties to the very poor and indigent."
The prime minister also drew a distinction between HAPI and the government's separate affordable housing initiative, administered through the National Housing Development and Urban Renewal Company. He said those homes are sold at cost, with the government absorbing infrastructure expenses and waiving duties and taxes on building materials to keep prices accessible.
Browne said both programmes form part of the government's wider strategy to improve housing conditions and expand homeownership opportunities across Antigua and Barbuda.
