Five deserving St Elizabeth families, last Friday, received the keys to their new homes which were provided under the Government’s transformative New Social Housing Programme (NSHP).

Prime Minister Andrew Holness presented the keys to the beneficiaries who reside in Burnt Savannah, Barton Wharf in Lacovia, Paradise in Carisbrook, and Thornton and Oxford Settlement in Balaclava. The houses comprise three 3-bedroom and two 2-bedroom units.

The atmosphere in all five communities was filled with palpable excitement and hope as the families received the keys that would unlock the doors to their dreams.

One of the recipients is Joy Bennett, a 55-year old single mother of three, who had endured years of uncertainty and overcrowded living conditions.

Bennett was overcome with emotions as she held the keys in her hands which, for her, represents a symbol of hope and stability for her family’s future.

It was a similar feeling for fire victim, Karl Blake, who accepted the keys with tears streaming down his face. The father of four was displaced by a recent fire that razed his home in Carisbrook.

Holness, in his address during the presentation ceremony in Burnt Savannah, said the houses mark a turning point in the lives of the beneficiaries, by providing them with a fresh start and a sanctuary to call their own.

He discounted criticisms that the NSHP was akin to a lottery, emphasising its groundbreaking nature and aim of alleviating substandard housing conditions.

“We have never… before… had a project of this nature, which is designed to systematically address the issue of providing housing fully subsidised, or even partially subsidised, for persons who are living in substandard housing conditions,” he declared.

The prime minister said the programme symbolised the Government’s commitment, as well as the collective conscience of the Jamaican people, to ensure that “no citizen should endure such substandard housing conditions”.

He pointed out that approximately 6,000 households are in urgent need of full subsidy support due to their dire living conditions, an issue he said the Government is working to address.

Holness said that by providing 6,000 housing solutions over time for the most vulnerable, an average of 24,000 individuals would be elevated out of absolute poverty.

He acknowledged that it would not be possible to address all cases simultaneously, but pledged the expansion of the NSHP to gradually alleviate the housing crisis.

Noting that Jamaica is experiencing a housing gap of approximately 150,000 units, Holness said the Government is taking steps to expedite the delivery of solutions catering to all categories of demands.

“The [National Housing Trust] in its 40 years of existence, would not have built 100,000 housing solutions. So, I want you to understand the magnitude of the problem,” he said.

The NSHP, which was established by Holness in 2018, operates under the Housing, Opportunity, Production and Employment (HOPE) Programme, through the Ministry of Economic Growth and Job Creation.