The dream of owning a home has become a reality for 31 families after they received the keys to their new homes at the Housing Authority's Nepani Subdivision today.
While officiating at the handover ceremony, Prime Minister, Sitiveni Rabuka congratulated the new homeowners and encouraged them to build safe and loving homes where their children can grow and thrive.
Rabuka acknowledged the role the Housing Authority in helping families achieve home ownership, saying it gives them the opportunity to build a better future.
He also commended Minister for Housing and Local Government Maciu Nalumisa for exploring successful affordable housing models overseas that could benefit Fiji.
Rabuka highlighted examples from overseas where surplus building materials are used to build homes for vulnerable people, including former offenders, people recovering from drug addiction and those experiencing homelessness, giving them a fresh start in life.
He urged the 31 new homeowners to cherish their homes, support one another and provide a secure environment for their families and future generations.
Rabuka shared his own family's journey to home ownership, recalling how his parents bought a piece of land in Nabua in the late 1950s and spent almost 10 years paying it off before securing a Housing Authority "Borrow and Build" loan of $5,400 to construct their family home.
He says the family built the house themselves, mixing concrete, making concrete blocks and laying the foundation by hand, adding that the home still stands today.
The Prime Minister also revealed that he later paid off the Housing Authority loan after returning from peacekeeping duties in Lebanon in 1981.
