PM Holness Says Government is Committed to Housing Vision

Prime Minister, the Most Hon. Andrew Holness has maintained that making affordable houses available to all sectors of society is a vision to which the Government is committed.

Speaking at a social housing function, in Farm Pen, St. Mary, on July 16, Holness said the Government’s commitment of 70,000 housing solutions is underway.

He says there is a Bernard Lodge project of 15,000 houses and other private sector initiatives are in the making.

The Prime Minister pointed out that the 70,000 housing solutions would be delivered over the next five years.

With several housing developments now at various stages of construction by the National Housing Trust (NHT), the Housing Agency of Jamaica (HAJ)), and the private sector; the Minister says, Jamaicans would have those houses.

He disclosed that private developers are collaborating with the NHT and the HAJ to bring new units on the housing market, available for persons in need of shelter.

“We are confident that we will provide the 70,000 new houses, and we will be going almost ahead of the demand yearly, for new houses. That means no one will have a reason to squat or be informally settled” Holness said.

He emphasised that the initiative is to ensure that Jamaicans have more affordable houses and to increase homeownership and discourage the setting up of informal or squatter communities.