ROOFS Phase II to Shift Housing Recovery Grants to Direct Deposit Payments

The Government is preparing to roll out the second phase of the Restoration of Owner or Occupant Family Shelters Programme, known as ROOFS, as it reshapes the initiative into a recovery model built around stronger accountability, technology and community support to improve results for Jamaicans.

Minister of Labour and Social Security, Hon. Pearnel Charles Jr., said more than 115,000 people have gone through assessment, while 43,000 of them have so far been verified. He reported that over 80 per cent of verified beneficiaries have already collected their benefit.

Mr. Charles acknowledged that the first phase has faced difficulties, including delays at collection locations, unresolved beneficiary matters, incorrect phone numbers and taxpayer registration numbers that could not be confirmed.

He said the second phase will require closer collaboration with Members of Parliament, urging them to bring problems directly to the Ministry instead of only raising them on social media. He noted that MPs are receiving many complaints and said their assistance is needed to identify cases and help the Ministry resolve them.

The Minister made the remarks on Tuesday, May 19, while contributing to the 2026/27 Sectoral Debate in the House of Representatives.

Under Phase II, Mr. Charles said verified beneficiaries will be paid by direct deposit. He explained that the programme is moving away from the earlier mix of building materials and cash grants and will instead use direct cash transfers to reduce obstacles for recipients.

He added that persons from Phase I who have not yet redeemed their benefit will also qualify for the direct deposit arrangement, which he said should assist people across Jamaica.

Mr. Charles also announced that the Ministry will push ahead with a national verification and recovery drive designed to speed up the resolution of outstanding assessment and verification problems.

That effort, he said, will bring together Members of Parliament, councillors, church leaders and community leaders to support people most in need. The Minister pointed to unresolved cases, invalid TRN matters and duplicate applications as issues that must be cleared. He urged local representatives to compile information from persons who say they were assessed but did not receive their grant, and submit it to the Ministry so the matters can be addressed jointly.

The Government is also moving forward with a ROOFS access initiative that will give priority to vulnerable households. Mr. Charles identified persons with disabilities, senior citizens and medically vulnerable persons among those to be located and assisted through the process.

He further outlined a community coordination and outreach support component under Phase II. The Minister said teams will work in communities with stakeholders to find persons requiring help, settle outstanding issues and provide support, while the Government continues to modernise the programme with firmer accountability measures.