Prime Minister Orders Audit Teams to Safeguard ROOFS Programme from Welfare Fraud

Prime Minister, Dr. the Most Hon. Andrew Holness, has directed the Ministry of Labour and Social Security and the Major Organised Crime and Anti-Corruption Agency (MOCA) to establish audit teams to prevent welfare fraud within the Restoration of Owner and Occupant Family Shelter (ROOFS) Programme.

The initiative, as part of the Shelter Recovery Programme (SRP), supports individuals and families whose homes were damaged during Hurricane Melissa last October.

“I have asked MOCA and the Ministry of Labor and Social Security to put in place audit teams to check that there is no fraud… no welfare fraud… in the use of these grants. This is very important because if you took the grant and used it for other purposes other than for which it was given, you didn’t need the grant in the first place. We could have given that to someone who actually needed it,” Dr. Holness argued.

The Prime Minister was speaking during the official launch of the Cedar Creek housing development, held on Westchester Drive in Portmore, St. Catherine, on Tuesday (March 3).

He implored beneficiaries to use the grants solely for their intended purpose – the repair of roofs and the replacement of essential household items.

The grants programme provides tiered support based on damage assessments, with households eligible for up to $75,000 for minor repairs, $200,000 for major damage, and $500,000 for homes classified as severely damaged.

In cases of major and severely damaged homes, $75,000 of the grant allocation may be used to replace furniture and select appliances destroyed during the hurricane.

“We recognise that in the aftermath of the hurricane, you don’t only need to restore your roof – you might need to replace a bed, you might need to replace a stove, you might need to buy uniform for your kids. So what we have said is that, of the grant amount that is given, you can use up to $75,000 for these general purposes. The remainder… should be used exclusively for the restoration of your roof,” Dr. Holness underscored.

The Prime Minister announced that more than $500 million in ROOFS grants have been disbursed, to date.

The flagship Shelter Recovery Programme (SRP) carries an initial allocation of $10 billion.