MONTEGO BAY, St James – Housing and water minister, Dr Horace Chang, on Thursday outlined a number of measures that the government would be seeking to implement within another 12 to 24 months to stem instances of squatting across the island and improve living conditions in informal settlements.

Among the measures he outlined at a Montego Bay Chamber of Commerce forum held at the Office of the Prime Minister, included a housing solution for very low-income earners that would see them building their own units and the acquisition of government-owned land for further expansion of housing solutions.

“We have to find housing solutions for low-income workers,” Chang told the gathering of business people and other interests Thursday.

“We have to find a way,” he added. “That’s what will stop squatting.”

He said he would be moving aggressively in the next 12 months to stem the tide of squatting and that enough should be done within two years to make a difference.

“Enough should be done within the next 24 months to make an impact on people’s lives,” he stressed.

Additionally, he outlined that the problem-plagued communities of Flankers and Norwood in St James would be the first to benefit from improvements in infrastructure in inner-city communities. He said the government had already signed off on the construction of roadwork in the Providence “Capture Land” section of Flankers and a water supply system for Norwood to begin in coming weeks.

Thursday’s, forum was in response to the anticipated need for housing solutions that would arise with the hundreds of tourism workers expected to converge on Montego Bay and other coastal towns from several major hotel developments along the north coast.

There are fears that the same situation that created the 19 squatter settlements in Montego Bay – hundreds of tourism workers and no housing arrangements for them – would be replicated with this new influx of major tourism investment.

But Chang insisted Thursday that government’s two-fold plan would ensure adequate and affordable housing solutions for workers would mitigate any repeat of this.

He explained that the low-income proposal will see beneficiaries constructing their own units and will be modelled off a previously successful experiment in Orange Bay, Hanover where persons received lots that had basic amenities of water and road and build their own houses.

He said the housing units could be either block and steel or even plyboard, but that they would be mandated to build the units to certain specifications. Additionally, he said amenities such as sewerage could be installed later with residents initially using septic tanks so that they would not be faced with this cost upfront.

“I think it can work very well and it’s very relevant to the North Coast situation,” Chang said, adding that this kind of development was now being looked at seriously as part of the mix for solutions to the housing problem.