Scores Of Projects Expected To Come On Stream Under National Social Housing Programme

Prime Minister, the Most Hon. Andrew Holness, says another 114 projects are expected to come on stream under the National Social Housing Programme, with an estimated value of $1.17 billion.

The Ministry of Economic Growth and Job Creation has oversight for the construction of these homes, under the Housing, Opportunity, Production and Employment (HOPE) Programme.

The programme was developed to improve the housing condition of the country’s poor and indigent population.

Mr. Holness gave this update during the handover of a new housing solution to a needy mother of two, Vanesia Reid, in the community of Trench Town, St. Andrew, on Thursday (February 11).

The Prime Minister said that a total of 290 applications have been received from Members of Parliament across 58 constituencies.

“Of the 290 applications received, 213 have been approved by the New Social Housing Project Oversight Committee (POC),” he noted.

Mr. Holness pointed out that as at January 31, 2021, a total of 15 housing units have been completed under the programme, at a cost of $120 million.

“That works out to about $8 million per housing solution. Currently, there are 28 active construction projects ongoing and they range from between five per cent completion to 99 per cent completion,” he noted.

It is expected that all projects will be completed by the end of the 2020/2021 financial year.

Mr. Holness said he hopes this intervention will help to spark interest in the investment by others in the community to build likewise.

“This is not a sustainable solution if it is that we are talking about replicating these kinds of houses right across the country for low-income persons. However, the idea behind this project is to intervene in situations where we can identify an indigent person or a housing situation that is going to have an impact on a significant number of persons, such as a large family,” he said.