Holness Announces Shift in Housing Strategy

Reporter: Kevin Black

 

As Jamaica continues recovery efforts following Hurricane Melissa, the government says its approach to assisting vulnerable families must also evolve. Prime Minister Dr Andrew Holes says changes are being made to the new social housing program to help meet the increased demand for shelter.

 

The Government's new social housing program is being refocused to support Jamaica's post hurricane Melissa recovery. Speaking at the handover of a house in Hope, Portland recently, Prime Minister Dr Andrew Holness said while the program remains committed to delivering 6,000 homes, its immediate priority is helping families rebuild in the hardest hit parishes.

 

He said, “I am here today in Portland which though affected certainly not at the level of St. Elizabeth, Westmoreland, Hanover, St James, Trelawny and parts of St Ann and Manchester.  We have tasked the new social housing program to support the deployment of what we call the modular semi-permanent housing solution.”

 

Dr Holness said the modular homes will be tested in local conditions as the government looks to expand modern hurricane resilient housing options.

 

“When those 2,000 units are put in place, we will monitor them. We will study them to see how well they stand up to Jamaican conditions to see potentially how long they will last. They are pre-fabricated, well-engineered solutions. And we need to find ways to bring that into Jamaica, allow persons who are building to get access to that kind of building system.

And instead of going to ply and zinc, we could replace that with more modern, aesthetically pleasing, more ergonomic building systems that give you more functionality and safety and more value.”

 

The Prime Minister also urged the beneficiaries to maintain the homes, live in them, and seek approval before making any structural changes.

 

“There is a social contract that we sign as an outward symbol from the beneficiary that they will, one, take care of the house. They will maintain it in a condition equal to or better than they received it that they will live in the house and not rent it out. The other commitment is that everything that is done here must be legal, legal light, legal water. You must consult with us if you're going to make any alterations to the structure.”