Jamaica Govt Invests Billions in Housing Post-Hurricane Melissa via NHT

Jamaica's government has allocated substantial funds through the National Housing Trust (NHT) to tackle the urgent need for shelter following Hurricane Melissa, according to State Minister Abka Fitz-Henley. Speaking in Parliament, Fitz-Henley asserted that the Holness administration has made significant investments, countering opposition claims of sluggishness in addressing housing needs.

Fitz-Henley detailed that in the aftermath of Hurricane Melissa last October, the NHT disbursed $1.9 billion in home grants to over 5,000 households. Additionally, the Trust provided six-month mortgage moratoriums for 36,000 affected homeowners and waived peril insurance premiums. The NHT also issued 213 special roof loans totaling $6.6 million and processed 3,835 insurance claims valued at $7 billion, with $2.8 billion already paid out.

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On the matter of housing, our posture on this matter is characterised by humility. We are always seeing to invest more heavily in housing and deliver greater margins for the people of Jamaica. But the opposition’s suggestion that the current administration has been under-investing and falling short in the area of housing compared to what obtained when we came into office is categorically false.

Further bolstering housing solutions, the NHT acquired 2,500 semi-permanent modular housing units at a cost of $4.6 billion, with the first 300 units arriving recently and more expected by July. Fitz-Henley also highlighted the $10 billion ROOFS program specifically designed for severe housing damage cases. He presented figures indicating that between 2016 and 2025, the government initiated 31,540 housing units through the NHT, averaging 1,194 more starts annually compared to the previous administration. The administration also claims to have completed 21,166 housing units and issued 67,249 mortgages during this period, numbers Fitz-Henley stated far exceed those of the prior PNP government.

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This averages an increase of 1,194 more housing starts each year compared to the PNP administration which preceded 2016. That’s a 57 per cent increase in annual housing starts under the Government of Prime Minister Andrew Holness. Since 2016, this administration has delivered 21,166 housing completions and issued 67,249 mortgages. These numbers far exceed, in fact, they exceed by double digits, housing completions delivered by the PNP during their last two terms in office.