Holness hands over 14 NHT studio homes in Vineyard Town after long delay

Prime Minister Dr Andrew Holness led the official handing-over ceremony on Wednesday, July 1, for the Vineyard Town Housing Development in St. Andrew, where 14 families received keys to new National Housing Trust (NHT) studio apartments.

The units sit at 2A Central Avenue and 73 Third Avenue. Eight apartments are on Central Avenue and six on Third Avenue. Each studio offers roughly 430 square feet, with a fitted kitchen, bathroom, balcony, and shared communal areas including a gazebo. Beneficiaries received 100 per cent financing through the trust.

Work on the project began in 2017, with planning and approvals consuming years before that. By 2021 the main contract had to be terminated. Holness said contractor shortcomings played a part, but community violence and extortion also made the site extremely difficult to work. He linked the near nine-year wait to criminal activity that held back development in the area, and argued that falling murder rates are now allowing projects like this to finish.

The ceremony coincided with the NHT’s 50th anniversary and the launch of several policy changes. From July 1, contributors aged 35 and under may access up to $2 million of an approved loan in advance to cover a home deposit. New homeowners at Vineyard Town may also sell their unit back to the NHT if they later need a larger property. Other measures include a home resilience loan of $3.5 million at 2 per cent interest, a shortened five-year wait before another NHT loan, 20 per cent of units in trust developments reserved for contributors under 35, and concessionary rates for long-serving public sector workers.

Opposition spokesman on finance Julian Robinson, MP for St. Andrew South Eastern, welcomed the handover but warned that rising demand and large lot sizes in Vineyard Town could price out long-standing residents as developers move in. He supported the new deposit initiative, which he said aligned with earlier proposals from his side.

Holness said Jamaica’s housing challenge is mainly on the supply side. The administration has set a target of 70,000 housing solutions over five years, with 42,000 assigned to the NHT. He urged small developers with between five and 25 units to partner with the trust to add affordable stock in urban communities.

Keys were presented to beneficiaries including Derek Pool, Joan Cummings, Maurice Dixon, Diana Hall, Shane Henry, Jessant Looney James, RG Nooks, Sheldon Patterson, Renee Ritti, Alysia Sawyers, William Thomas, Lisa Thompson, and Marlene Wittam, who also delivered a vote of thanks on behalf of the new homeowners.