Government’s Innovative Social Housing Initiative Targets Poverty Through Housing Solutions
“The intention of the government is to be able to provide a housing solution to improve your conditions, making it safe and secure so that you can live a healthy and productive life.”
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-Prime Minister Holness
Prime Minister Andrew Holness has highlighted the urgency of tackling what he termed “shelter poverty,” emphasizing the need to provide safe, secure, and hygienic living conditions for all citizens.
In that regard, the Prime Minister noted that the New Social Housing Programme (NSHP) is aimed at addressing the dire conditions in which a significant number of Jamaicans are living.
“This social housing programme is designed to address the most extreme case of shelter poverty, and when we say shelter poverty, we mean persons who are living in housing conditions that are substandard,” stated Prime Minister Holness.
Speaking on Friday (February 2) in Eden District, Mocho, Clarendon, the Prime Minister further added that subpar houses are not safe for any citizen and are not conducive to living a productive life.
He emphasized that the government’s objective is to offer assistance and housing solutions to enhance living conditions, ensuring safety and security for a healthier life.
Prime Minister Holness acknowledged that transforming the living conditions of all Jamaicans cannot happen overnight. He detailed the multi-step process involved in the New Social Housing Programme, from determining persons in genuine need to addressing land suitability, utility accessibility, and the procurement of construction services.
“We have to make sure that you are a genuine beneficiary. Subsequently, the social work team will come, and they will do their social investigation and talk to people in your community. They will establish that you are actually in need, and you also must have land that you have access to and get the rights to use,” the Prime Minister explained.
The Prime Minister pointed out that the process of procurement was a crucial factor in the process.
“We have to advertise the house to the contractors, and they come in, and then they will tell us at what price they can build. Then once that process is settled, they start to build,” stated Prime Minister Holness.
Prime Minister Holness explained that the government is committed to making the New Social Housing Programme a standard for every Jamaican to eradicate shelter poverty, provide safe and secure housing solutions, and enhance the well-being of Jamaican citizens.