Crowd is large as housing loans, grants disbursed

This morning the size of the crowd outside the gates of the Housing Department in Belize City could only have one meaning: free ting. And indeed it appeared that some loan and grant applications had been approved and were ready for disbursement today. Many, however, just came in hopes of getting on the list for funds made available through the ten million U.S-dollar grant from the Venezuelan government. This afternoon Housing Minister Ralph Fonseca clarified how the Venezuelan money be used and who exactly can qualify.

Ralph Fonseca, Minister of Housing
“What has happened is we announced, we announced the Venezuelan intention to help us with housing from June, so a lot of people started to apply and then we had the hurricanes where we took a lot of applications. So we have more applications than monies that’s come in from Venezuela and that’s how they’re working on it now, based on priority. Grants for people that are indigents that have no income or very little income and loans for families that earn twenty thousand and less, the entire family; and to continue the building of the houses that we have started already are for those that really need houses like Mennonite houses and that kind of thing.”