Gov’t to Roll Out Housing Under HOPE

Prime Minister, the Most Hon. Andrew Holness, says that the Government will be accelerating the provision of shelter this year under the Housing, Opportunity, Production and Employment (HOPE) programme.

“Now, we are going to be mobilising the housing aspect and you will recall that we have allocated $1billion to start. The idea is to support the development of affordable housing solutions right across Jamaica,” he said.

“We will be looking to improve housing situations such as [people] leaving out of tenement yards [and] big yards. Those situations are the ones we want to target. So if we can make an impact on this kind of housing situation then we would have started well down the road to addressing the issue of housing,” he added.

The Prime Minister was addressing the Ministry of Economic Growth and Job Creation’s Strategic Leadership Retreat at the Moon Palace Jamaica Grande in Ocho Rios, St. Ann on Thursday (June 6).

He announced that Danville Walker has been brought on board as director of the housing trust under HOPE.

“He is a good fit,” the Prime Minster said.

“In the 2000s, when we had a major hurricane that damaged schools and houses across the island, the then Government formed the Office of National Reconstruction (ONR) and that was led by Danville Walker. So he has the experience, knowhow and the knowledge to mobilise and manage this kind of construction to make sure that (projects) come in on time, are done efficiently and within budget,” he noted.

The HOPE programme falls under the Ministry of Economic Growth and Job Creation.

The programme provides educational and job opportunities for persons ages 18 to 24, who are not employed or enrolled in a school or programme of training.