Hurricane Victims of Caribbean Terrace To Benefit from Housing Development

Twenty residents of Caribbean Terrace in East Rural St. Andrew, whose homes were destroyed by the passage of hurricanes Ivan in 2004 and Dean in 2007, are to benefit from the construction of housing units in Harbour View.

They will receive houses from the 96 units which are being constructed by West Indies Home Contractors Limited (WIHCON) in Harbour View, St. Andrew, under a joint-venture agreement, at a cost of more than a $1 billion. The units for the hurricane victims will be subsidised.

Construction of the 40 one-bedroom units, 40 two-bedroom units and 16 town houses begins in March next year and is to be completed within 24 months.

Minister without Portfolio in the Ministry of Economic Growth and Job Creation, Hon. Dr. Horace Chang, said one strategy being employed by the Government to meet the housing demand is the use of public-private partnerships.

“We recognise that we do not have the resources… we do not have the institutional capacity to build at the rate, even if we confine our activity to the low-income market,” he said, at the contract signing ceremony, at his New Kingston offices, on December 19.

Dr. Chang further noted that these partnerships are important for Jamaica, because within the last 20 years, the country has not been able to meet the demand for housing solutions, which is in the region of 10,000-15,000 houses per year.

He said that with the National Housing Trust and the Housing Agency of Jamaica, the Government will seek to improve housing solutions for persons at all levels.

Dr. Chang further noted that the partnership with WIHCON is in line with the Government’s housing public-private partnership policy.

This provides the framework through which the Government can provide cost-effective housing solutions for all, especially low- and middle-income individuals.

Dr. Chang informed that recently, the HAJ launched its newest development, ‘The Vistas’, at Runaway Bay in St. Ann, with the first delivery of 80 units to the market.

Meanwhile, Member of Parliament for East Rural St. Andrew, the Most Hon. Juliet Holness, welcomed the housing development.

“The residents are desperate for additional housing stock, and to them the most important thing is owning a home,” she said.

Mrs. Holness expressed the hope that construction of the additional housing stock in East Rural St. Andrew will employ skilled labourers from the constituency.

Responding to Mrs. Holness, WIHCON Chairman, Peter Melhado, assured that approximately 200 persons from the constituency will be employed in various capacities as masons, electricians and carpenters, among other jobs.