00:00Housing and land continue to rank among the highest priorities for citizens, with demand far exceeding supply.
00:07The Land Settlement Agency says this imbalance has contributed to squatting and encroachment on forest reserves.
00:15One of the ways the government is addressing the long-standing issue is through the relaunch of the Land for the Landless program,
00:21where under Phase 1, 500 fully approved residential lots on a 199-year lease are available, mainly in central and southern parts of Trinidad.
00:32The LFLP caters to people in the low-to-middle income bracket.
00:37Chairman of the LSA, Nisha Mathura-Allaha, expounds.
00:4160% of the lots are reserved for general landless applicants.
00:4520% of the lots are reserved for employees of the state, including nurses, members of the protected services,
00:54members of the teaching service, and public officers who serve our country every hour, every minute of the day.
01:0220% of the lots are reserved for recent graduates of accredited tertiary institutions,
01:10young professionals who are just starting their lives.
01:13Yes, they might have their degree, but they certainly cannot afford million-dollar houses.
01:19Applicants must be citizens of Trinidad and Tobago over the age of 18 and must not own property locally.
01:26They must not have a combined income of over $30,000, excluding senior citizen pension and national insurance schemes,
01:34and must not be a recipient of state housing subsidy.
01:38Each applicant will have two locations to choose from.
01:41And while there will be an effort to place applicants in their preferred site,
01:45it cannot be guaranteed due to the number of lots available.
01:49Minister of Land and Legal Affairs Saddam Hussein says financial viability is also another important aspect,
01:56and he indicates that there will be no random draw.
01:58They will not be going to ask Nisha to put a bag in LSA and ask Shelly to pull a number from the bag.
02:07There will be a proper evaluation criteria,
02:11and that evaluation criteria will determine in terms of persons' ability,
02:17in terms of affordability and so on for the lands.
02:19Because you have to be clear, the lands are not free.
02:24The lands are at a high subsidized rate.
02:29Lots are an average 5,000 square feet,
02:32and government subsidy on those lots will range from 30 to 50 percent.
02:37The application process will be launched on the LSA's website at www.lsattt.com
02:45or the Land for the Landless mobile app,
02:48where people will be able to submit supporting documents,
02:51including birth certificates, identification, job letters, and academic qualifications, where applicable.
02:56We will be going live on the 23rd of February, 2026.
03:03That is when the website and the apps will be ready for download
03:07and the application process can in fact start.
03:11The reason why we have launched before the date that the website goes live
03:15is because the website will be only, the application process will only be up for a period of 30 days.
03:23There is also a mechanism in place for those who are unable to utilize the online process.
03:30The Land Settlement Agency will establish four application assistance hubs across Trinidad
03:36to provide hands-on support.
03:39Successful applicants will have three years to build and take up residency on their lots.
03:44Citizens are being advised to follow the LSA's social media pages
03:47for updates on the initiative in the coming days.
03:51Alicia Boucher, TV6 News.
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