Approximately 300 housing units have been delivered to deserving beneficiaries under the National Social Housing Programme (NSHP) since it was fully rolled out in 2020.

Speaking at the recent handover of four housing units in St Thomas, Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Economic Growth and Job Creation, Arlene Williams, informed that there are 40 additional units in active construction and that by the end of the 2025/2026 financial year, another 75 units will be rolled out.

“The government is working assiduously and steadfastly to ensure that housing is high on the agenda and that persons are moved from poverty to a better standard of living,” she said.

The Permanent Secretary also expressed confidence in the checks and balances within the system to ensure transparency.

“There is rigorous scrutiny and transparency in our approach at the Ministry of Economic Growth and Job Creation and we have been instructed by the Prime Minister to do things in a very stringent and transparent way,” she pointed out, noting that the process of selecting the beneficiaries and the contractors can stand up to public scrutiny.

“We have a project oversight committee and the applications come in… submitted directly to Members of Parliament in most cases, because it is constituency driven,” she pointed out.

“The important thing is that they all come to one place and they go through a very rigorous process. The interviews or social enquiries, as we call them, are done with the community,” the permanent secretary added.

Williams explained that testing of the soil is done to determine its load-bearing capacity, after which a very open and transparent procurement process is engaged to identify a contractor.  

The permanent secretary used the opportunity to commend the staff of the Ministry, who she said “work very hard” on the programme.

The NSHP was conceptualised in 2018 by Prime Minister Dr Andrew Holness and implemented as part of the Housing, Opportunity, Production and Employment Programme (HOPE) under the Ministry of Economic Growth and Job Creation. 

The NSHP aims to improve the housing conditions of Jamaica’s most vulnerable citizens by providing affordable and sustainable housing options.