Thirty-eight-year-old mother of two, Marlene Rose, was a picture of pure joy as she received the keys to a new house courtesy of Kingston Properties Limited, through Food For The Poor (FFP) Jamaica.

The donation, which was made on Monday (April 24) as part of Kingston Properties’ 15th anniversary celebrations, saw Rose, her partner and two children abandoning the cramped and rundown space they’ve called home for several years and taking up residence in the new two- bedroom dwelling in Callaloo Mews, Kingston.

“I feel wonderful,” said an overwhelmed Rose. “I’ve been waiting 10 years for a place to call mine because is kotch I used to kotch with people and now I finally have it. I can’t even tell you how I feel.”

The two bedrooms, one bathroom house came furnished with 3 beds for the family as well as a rainwater harvesting system, water tank and solar powered lights which, according to Kingston Properties Limited CEO, Kevin Richards, is in line with the company’s green initiatives and thrusts towards sustainable living.

“Since our launch in 2008 and despite several developments including a name change a year later, one thing has always remained consistent and that is our mission to positively impact the communities around us,” Richards said.

He continued, “Habitable shelter is a basic human right for all people and we are very proud as a company that, as we celebrate this milestone, we are also able to help meet that need for one of our fellow Jamaicans.”

A former janitor at Jamaica National Bank, Rose spent many years peddling her wares on the streets of Downtown, Kingston with hopes that she could improve her living situation. This donation, she said, will help to ease the burden on her family as she continues to work to improve her financial situation.

“I would like to say many many thanks to Kingston Properties and Food For The Poor for this donation and for helping me get on my feet. It’s only up from here for me now,” she said.

Speaking to the impact of the partnership, Food For The Poor’s Marketing and Development Manager, Marsha Burrell-Rose said, “Kingston Properties Limited has worked with us over the years to help ease the burden on residents in several communities across Kingston, so it is no surprise that as they celebrate this milestone, they’ve decided to do so by giving back. This home will no doubt be a place of safety and comfort for this family and having it will go a far way to improve their overall outcome.”

She added, “As a charity, we are also proudly celebrating 40 years of service to the less fortunate so this partnership with Kingston Properties is truly symbolic of our anniversary campaign which seeks to ‘Build Back the Love For Jamaica.”

The real estate investment company this year celebrates 15 years of operations and is the first pure real estate investment company to list on the Jamaica Stock Exchange. It operates under the mandate, ‘Buy Local, Own Global’, giving local investors access to earnings from properties in Jamaica, The Cayman Islands, and the United States of America.