New Social Housing Programme to Be Scaled Up to Include Land Provision
Prime Minister Dr. Andrew Holness has announced that the Government will expand the New Social Housing Programme (NSHP). Dr. Holness says there are plans to provide land for beneficiaries. This move is an essential step toward accelerating housing solutions for Jamaica’s most vulnerable citizens.
Speaking on Wednesday (July 16) at the handing-over ceremony of a new home to Natoya Pearson and her five children in the community of Rennalls, Point Hill, in West Central St. Catherine, Prime Minister Holness emphasized the life-changing impact of the NSHP for the most vulnerable in the society. Dr. Holness outlined the Government’s vision for its next phase.
“Right now, we have built over 295 houses and handed them over to beneficiaries, and we have another 45 houses in varying stages of construction. … The programme would have already provided shelter to over a thousand persons,” Prime Minister Holness stated.
Prime Minister Holness explained that while the New Social Housing Programme has scaled up to deliver more houses on a weekly basis, the unavailability of land for some vulnerable persons continues to be the primary limiting factor in meeting the growing demand.
“The availability of land is indeed the constraint preventing the programme from expanding rapidly. So, in the next iteration, we are going to modify the programme to include the provision of land,” he said.
The Prime Minister pointed out that the inclusion of land provision will increase the complexity of the programme, requiring the Government to identify, secure, and prepare land for construction. However, Dr. Holness noted that this expansion is critical to fulfilling the objective of delivering 6,000 housing solutions to Jamaicans in need.
In the meantime, Prime Minister Holness also reaffirmed the integrity and transparency of the beneficiary selection process.
“Natoya gets this house because we assessed her situation objectively. She passed a very rigorous beneficiary qualification process, and that is the essence of social housing.”
The Prime Minister made it clear that the house is legally the beneficiary’s property once it is built on land, they legally own or for which they have the rights.
The New Social Housing Programme continues to be a vital part of the Government’s strategy to uplift vulnerable families and provide safe, dignified shelter across both rural and urban communities in Jamaica.