Prime Minister Holness Announces New Housing Target as Government Surpasses 70,000 Homes
Prime Minister Dr. Andrew Holness announced a new phase in Jamaica’s housing strategy, following a success in exceeding the ambitious target of 70,000 new housing solutions across the island.
Prime Minister Holness has immediately announced another target of 60,000 houses in the coming five years.
This means the government would deliver 130,000 homes over 10 years.
Speaking at the National Housing Trust (NHT) Groundbreaking Ceremony for the Chantilly Housing Development on Friday (July 18) in Westmoreland, the Prime Minister lauded the collaborative efforts of the NHT, the Housing Agency of Jamaica (HAJ), and private developers in reaching this significant national milestone.
The Prime Minister stated: “The government, therefore, has essentially reached its target of 70,000 new houses to be built. The NHT is to be commended for surpassing its 43,000. And we are now setting a new target of another 60,000 housing solutions, new housing solutions.”
The NHT’s contributions were highlighted in detail. Of the 43,000-unit target assigned to the agency, more than 10,360 homes are currently under construction, with an additional 10,320 units in the planning and design phase. A further 6,750 homes are in the contract phase, and 12,515 are at the procurement stage. Including its daily intake programme, the NHT has 41,738 housing solutions in various stages of development, and since April 2021, has completed 8,330 homes.
This brings its total contribution to over 50,000 housing solutions.
The Prime Minister reaffirmed the strategy and transparency of the process, stating, “These houses are on track. They are on the rail. And you can see each cart and what phase they are in. They must start. So if you are in planning, once you come out of planning, then you go into procurement…, into contracting…, into construction… and then, handover. And that’s what we have been doing.”
Next Phase of Housing Policy
Prime Minister Holness also announced a strategic pivot in housing policy. The next phase will focus not only on new construction but also on community renewal, including the rehabilitation and redevelopment of older housing schemes and inner-city communities that have fallen into decay.
“We are also announcing another strategy, which is to focus now directly on the rehabilitation, renewal, and rebuilding of housing developments, residential areas that are suffering from urban blight. And I believe that within the next 10 years, you will see a dramatic improvement in the built environment, and in particular, the residential communities of Jamaica.”
The new 60,000-unit target will include 40,000 homes to be delivered by the NHT, leveraging its expanded capacity and proven efficiency. The remaining solutions will be executed in collaboration with the Housing Agency of Jamaica (HAJ) and private sector developers through “Greater Development Areas” such as Bernard Lodge, which alone is projected to deliver 15,000 homes over the next decade.