3,531 Housing Solutions Coming for St. James
By: , October 25, 2024
Photo: Yhomo Hutchinson
Prime Minister, Dr. the Most Hon. Andrew Holness (centre), cuts the ribbon to officially hand over 50 housing units at Union Acres in Irwin, St. James, on Wednesday (October 23). He he joined by (from left) Chairman of the National Housing Trust (NHT), Linval Freeman; Minister of Tourism and Member of Parliament for East Central St. James, Hon. Edmund Bartlett; Union Acres beneficiary, Racine Brown; First Vice President of the Jamaica Civil Servant Association, Clarence Frater; Union Acres beneficiary, Elaine Edmondson and Managing Director of the NHT, Martin Miller.
Photo: Yhomo Hutchinson
Prime Minister, Dr. the Most Hon. Andrew Holness (right), presents beneficiary of the Unions Acres housing development, Keniesha Dixon with the keys to her new home during the handover of 50 units in the development on Wednesday (October 23).The Full Story
Prime Minister, Dr. the Most Hon. Andrew Holness, says the National Housing Trust (NHT) will be developing some 3,531 housing solutions in St. James over the next few years.
He made the disclosure during the official handover of the NHT’s newest housing scheme in the parish at Union Acres in Irwin on Wednesday (October 23).
The Prime Minister noted that the solutions include units under the Union Acres development.
The project, which involves partnership with the Jamaica Confederation of Trade Unions and the Jamaica Civil Service Association, consists of some 144 units, 50 of which were handed over on Wednesday.
“In Canterbury, we have 86 units under the Community Renewal Programme. [Work begins] in February 2025, and they will be ready in August 2026. In Comfort, again, 180 units under the Community Renewal Programme starts June 2025 and will be ready in August 2026,” he informed.
Other projects include the Estuary Phase Two, which will deliver 936 units. The joint-venture project started in August 2019 should be completed in March 2026.
Another 217 units will be constructed in Adelphi as part of the NHT’s Guaranteed Purchase Programme (GPP), starting April 2025, with a scheduled completion date of September 2028.
“Brookside Estates in Spot Valley will have 403 units, again under our GPP Programme. That will start in December of this year and be completed in September 2026. Barrett Hall, under the Developers Programme, should start in March 2025, and that’s 1,565 units. That should be ready in February of 2029,” Dr. Holness added.
Overall, the Prime Minister said that the NHT plans to construct a total of 9,837 housing solutions in western Jamaica and 43,000 islandwide.
The Prime Minister noted, however, that approximately 150,000 solutions are needed over the next five to 10 years to close the housing gap.
“The rest of it must be built by private developers and the open market, but this is not to say that the NHT will not play a role and the role that the NHT plays is to make sure that you have access to affordable mortgages,” he pointed out.
He highlighted the NHT’s suite of programmes, which includes intergenerational mortgages, home grants which could go up to $3.5 million for low-income applicants and a deferred mortgage scheme.
Meanwhile, Dr. Holness noted that the NHT is not only building houses in St. James but is investing in other critical infrastructure in the parish.
“The NHT has spent some $38 million in completing the St. James Infirmary. They are also spending $200 million on the Anchovy Police Station. In scheme upgrades, the NHT is spending $323.6 million on Farm Heights, Pitfour, Vaughnsfield, Bullocks Heights, Richmond Hill and West Green housing schemes,” he informed.
Meanwhile, beneficiary of the Union Acres development, Carl Sterling, expressed gratitude to all stakeholders involved on behalf of the new homeowners.
“We are forever grateful. These homes are not just structures; they are symbols of Jamaica’s determination to invest in its people and its future. As we embark on this new chapter today, I charge us, the new residents of Union Acres, to build on this foundation.
“Let us work together to foster a community that serves as a beacon of hope and unity, one that reflects Jamaica as a place of choice to live, work, raise families and conduct business,” Mr. Sterling said.