Holness urges private developers to help close Jamaica housing shortfall

Prime Minister Dr. Andrew Holness is calling on private developers to play a larger role in easing Jamaica’s housing shortage, saying the country needs more than 150,000 additional homes to widen access to affordable accommodation.

Holness made the appeal on Friday afternoon in Spanish Town, St. Catherine, where private developer Ultra Homes broke ground for more than 200 housing solutions. He praised the project and said similar investment was needed beyond the markets where developers have traditionally focused.

According to Holness, private-sector activity has often been associated with high-rise apartment developments in Kingston and St. James. He said that approach should not define the full extent of private investment in housing. “We want to see the private sector operating in Spanish Town, in May Pen. We want to see private sector operating in St. Thomas,” he said.

The prime minister said the most recent survey shows Jamaica is short about 150,000 housing solutions. He noted that the Government has undertaken to deliver 70,000 of those units, leaving a major role for private capital. “I am expecting that the private sector will fill the rest. And I’m certain that the private sector can fill the rest,” Holness said.

He also warned that housing decisions must take account of whether communities can be efficiently served by public infrastructure. Holness said Jamaicans should plan development with long-term sustainability in mind, rather than building in places where roads, water and other services would be costly to provide.

“We want to build all over, and then expect the government to bring water to where they build, or to bring roads to where they choose to build. That don’t make sense,” he said.

Holness argued that the issue goes beyond housing and affects national productivity, because public infrastructure is funded from taxes. He said the country must decide where limited government resources can be deployed most efficiently and economically, especially when land is available in areas where people are already seeking homes.