Dominica public officers earning $45,000 or less to benefit from new $10M housing loan facility

Dominica: Prime Minister Dr. Roosevelt Skerrit has announced a new housing financing initiative aimed at helping lower-income public officers across Dominica access affordable funding for home ownership.

Speaking during a housing handover ceremony at Canefield East on September 4, 2026, PM Skerrit said that he had approved the Government Housing Board to contract a $10 million loan which will be made available to eligible public officers.

According to the Prime Minister, the facility will target public officers earning $45,000 or less annually with financing offered at an interest rate of 5%.

The announcement came as Skerrit outlined the government’s wider approach to housing while stressing that not every Dominican is in a financial position to quality for a conventional bank mortgage or independently construct a home.

He said that the government’s responsibility is to ensure that families who require assistance are not left behind, particularly those who may work consistently but still struggle to access traditional housing finance.

Dr Skerrit noted that the initiative forms part of the government’s broader policy of helping citizens improve their living conditions and creating pathways towards home ownership. The Prime Minister said housing remains a major priority for his administration and described a home as a basic need which provides families with dignity, security and stability.

He further highlighted the challenges faced by families who continue to pay rent while struggling to save enough to construct or purchase their own homes as well as households living in overcrowded or unsuitable conditions.

The new financing announcement was made during the handover of 11 newly constructed homes to families in Canefield East which forms part of the government's wider housing programme across the island.

PM Skerrit also announced that over the coming weeks, the government plans to hand over 215 homes and apartment units across nine communities in Dominica while providing hundreds of families with access to safe, modern and resilient housing.

The Prime Minister maintained that the government's housing policy is centred on providing practical support to citizens, whether through direct home construction, affordable land, home repairs or access to financing.

He said the administration will continue pursuing housing solutions which will be aimed at giving more Dominicans the opportunity to own a safe and comfortable place to call home.