New Social Housing Programme Providing Homes Families Can Pass Down, Helping Break Intergenerational Poverty, says Prime Minister Holness
Prime Minister Dr. the Most Honourable Andrew Holness says the Government’s New Social Housing Programme (NSHP) is transforming housing support for the most vulnerable families into long-term security, providing beneficiaries with solid, formal homes that can be passed from one generation to the next, helping to break cycles of intergenerational poverty.
The Prime Minister was speaking on Friday, January 30, 2026, at the handing over of a newly constructed multi-family housing unit for three families along Brooks Level Road in Stony Hill, within the St. Andrew West Rural Constituency. The development now provides safe, resilient accommodation for 12 individuals, including households displaced by a fire in 2023.
Speaking at the ceremony, Dr. Holness emphasized that the programme goes beyond meeting immediate shelter needs, positioning home ownership as a pathway to stability, dignity, and upward social mobility.
“There will come a time in Jamaica where we improve the housing stock to have every house built solidly and properly, in a formal structure, so that you can have a title to your house, that it becomes an asset for your family, and that you can pass it down from generation to generation,” the Prime Minister said.
He explained that this approach represents a shift from uncertainty into ownership, enabling families to build lasting foundations that support education, employment, and long-term economic participation.
During his remarks, Dr. Holness also addressed misinformation circulating about the programme, including claims that the Government can reclaim homes built under the NSHP. He clarified that the programme does not own land and does not retain ownership of houses delivered to beneficiaries.
“This programme does not have land. What we build does not belong to the Government; it belongs to the people who own the land and the beneficiaries,” he said.
The Prime Minister further outlined that before any construction begins, the programme undertakes rigorous land verification and legal due diligence to confirm ownership and secure written permission, ensuring that beneficiaries are protected and that public funds are properly safeguarded.
“We will not put a single block on any land unless we have written approval that protects both the beneficiary and taxpayers,” Dr. Holness stated.
Dr. Holness also highlighted the programme’s robust beneficiary identification system, which includes social investigations and community verification to ensure assistance reaches those who genuinely need it.
“The programme has a very robust system of beneficiary identification. We carry out social investigations in the communities to ensure that the people benefiting genuinely need the support,” the Prime Minister said.
Dr. Holness noted that the NSHP focuses on elderly persons, low-income households, pregnant and lactating mothers, and families affected by disasters such as fires and flooding, and individuals who are unable to access mortgages or purchase homes on the open market. Through fully or partially subsidised housing, the programme provides these Jamaicans with stable homes intended to serve as enduring family assets.
Prime Minister Holness reaffirmed the Government’s commitment to expanding access to formal housing and strengthening communities, stressing that every home delivered under the New Social Housing Programme represents a concrete step toward greater economic inclusion and a more resilient Jamaica.