The development consists of two 8-storey and two 10-storey buildings. The apartments are furnished. Each a view of the city of Port of Spain. The ground floor in each tower has a computer centre and a gym.
The homes are in an area that has been classified as both a "hotspot for crime and one of the more neglected areas", she said.
Persad-Bissessar said handing over the homes is proof that her government is dealing with the plight of depressed communities.
"We are cognisant of the fact that the crime problem has several faces, places, causes and effects and there is a need to address each within its own context," she said noting the importance of restoring a sense of pride in impoverished communities and for families to feel a sense of belonging to a future that is positive.
She said by investing in these communities the government is offering hope and self belief back to people.
"These are some of the wider considerations on how we address the deeper social issues that have a relationship to what produces some of the crime.
"And that is what the Clifton Street Towers housing project represents to me. Being launched in the midst of our aggressive strategy on crime across the country this social aspect of our plan is what is being done on another level.
"Ours is a balanced approach, one that understands that the issue of crime is a complex one which has to be addressed in new innovative ways and through practical solutions across a range of well thought out programmes and policies." Persad-Bissessar said.
The Prime Minister said people must see more that images of bandits being apprehended or law enforcement personnel in full pursuit of gang leaders and drug lords.
She said there is also another another picture emerging behind those scenes, one of the long term solutions and caring approaches to solving some of the things in some of the places that cause crime to be produced in the first place.
"I am painfully aware of the fact that when someone has nothing to lose they are unconcerned even for themselves; their own lives become meaningless and in the process the lives of those around them become of little value as well," she said.
"So in that sense, one cannot just attempt to remove the criminals without acknowledging the need to create initiatives that will turn around the very circumstances that have become a spawning ground for criminal activity.
At the same time Persad-Bissessar stood firm on the fight against crime.
"But I also understand that for some, the long arm of the law is our best course of action. And for those bent on remaining in a life of criminality we will take them out in one way or the other.
She said her government is committed to providing a choice for people, especially the youth.
"Make no mistake about it, this government will remove lawlessness at every level from this society. It is time to bring discipline back, to revive traditional values and to instill even insist on respect for rules and regulations, law and order. There is no room for compromise on this," she said.
She said the homes the government is providing in the Clifton Street Towers represents "our commitment to you".
She said the homes the government is providing in the Clifton Street Towers represents "our commitment to you".
The said the project symbolises a pledge that "you will never be ignored, that your needs are acknowledged, that the social agenda of your government is well in place."
She added, "And this is no more so than in the area of housing, a critical need for so many in our nation today. It says that you don’t have to live a life of crime in the hope to house your family, it says that public funds are finally being placed where they should have been a long time ago, in areas of benefit to you the people."
Persad-Bissessar said her People's Partnership government has brought the people’s interest back into government by delivering results where it counts most.
Persad-Bissessar said her People's Partnership government has brought the people’s interest back into government by delivering results where it counts most.
"Yes we must arrest criminals and bring them to justice and curb crime. But we must also build and create and generate wealth and we must do this together – Government and people and their institutions: the Unions, Business and Civil Society," she said.
She urged everyone to "work together for a better future for our country and for prosperity for all."
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