KINGSTON, Jamaica, CMC—The government will introduce a new housing initiative to expand support and improve living conditions for needy Jamaicans.
Under the existing New Social Housing Programme (NSHP), more than 300 families across the island have already received new homes.
Prime Minister Andrew Holness said another layer of housing assistance will be added to help a wider range of Jamaicans.
“We know that the benefit (of the NSHP) is in a way limited to the family, and there have been persons who have been saying to us when they see the program that we need to have another layer… that there are persons who will need assistance to complete a roof, to complete their bathrooms, windows, that is almost like giving them a brand new house,” he said.
“So, we have contemplated this, and very shortly, I will be launching… the Building Grant Programme, where we occasionally give a grant to qualified persons. We are looking at a new program that will address the housing conditions across the country. Once we have assessed the home as in need, we will try to ensure that the house has at least one secure room.”
Holness said the idea for the programme stemmed from lessons learned during Hurricane Beryl’s passage in July last year.
“Several houses were just destroyed and lost roofing, but if they had one secure roof, one secure room, or one secure part of the building, the dislocation that happened would have been minimized,” he said.
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