Gov’t Advances Relocation Plan for Displaced Cooper’s Pen Families

The Government is moving to relocate the first group of families displaced from Cooper’s Pen, Trelawny, with land being surveyed for resettlement and relocation subsidies also being pursued as part of a multi-agency response.

Prime Minister, Dr. the Most Hon. Andrew Holness made the disclosure, at the handover of a three-bedroom house to a family in Pedro District, St. Catherine on Friday (September 11).

Dr. Holness said significant progress is being made following his recent visit to the community, with the Ministry of Housing, Social Development Commission (SDC), Ministry of Tourism through the Tourism Enhancement Fund (TEF), and Jamaica Defence Force (JDF) working together to address the situation.

“We are all working together to try to find a solution to this issue of the illegal irregular settlement of land and where it becomes necessary, the resettlement and relocation of persons,” he said.

He informed that work has already started on surveying land that could be made available, with preparations expected to advance to civil works, including road construction, lot preparation and installation of infrastructure.

The Prime Minister also disclosed that more than 300 semi-permanent modular housing solutions are being deployed to persons who have been vetted as being in need, particularly those who lost their homes during the hurricane.

Approximately 2,500 units are currently available in Jamaica, with work underway to prepare the bases and facilitate their deployment.

Meanwhile, Dr. Holness said the interventions are being undertaken against the backdrop of a significant shortage of affordable housing for low-income Jamaicans.

He explained that the problem involves not only insufficient financing opportunities, but more importantly, a shortage of physical housing structures.

The Government, he said, is responding by making lands available for development, with the intention of increasing the supply of affordable homes.

Dr. Holness added that the shortage of affordable housing is contributing to the growth of informal and irregular settlements, noting that Government studies indicate that many persons occupying lands illegally, are National Housing Trust (NHT) contributors.