HANOVER, Jamaica — Prime Minister Andrew Holness has indicated that he is currently mulling the possibility of using the Government’s New Social Housing Programme (NSHP) to assist with the country’s restoration efforts from the devastation caused by Hurricane Beryl.

“The New Social Housing Programme may have to take on an additional role — that of assisting with the reconstruction of houses,” said Holness as he addressed the hand over of a one-bedroom concrete house under the programme in Hanover last Friday.

The house was handed over to Ministry of Labour and Social Security employee Angela Palmer of Campbell Hill in the parish.

While Holness did not provide details, he outlined the reasoning behind his thinking.

“Because the New Social Housing Programme has developed certain skills, particularly in the supervision of construction projects, we may very well have to contemplate leveraging the skills that are in that unit to assist in the national reconstruction,” stated Holness.

Scores of Jamaican’s were left homeless after Hurricane Beryl hit Jamaica on Wednesday, July 3.

St Elizabeth, which is the second largest parish on the island, was among the worst-affected parishes with several people still living in shelters almost two weeks after the hurricane.

The NSHP was established in 2018 by Holness as the housing component of the Housing, Opportunity, Production and Employment (HOPE) programme.

It was developed to improve the housing condition of the country’s poor and disadvantaged population by providing quality, affordable and sustainable housing.