KINGSTON, Jamaica — Construction is set to begin next week on a new multi-family residence in St Andrew West Central, which will provide housing for approximately 13 residents by December 2025.

Dubbed the ‘Village at Tower Hill’, the development will feature six housing units to be constructed at Lot 99–100 Tower Avenue, Kingston 11, under the Government’s New Social Housing Programme (NSHP) at a cost of J$49 million.

Prime Minister and Member of Parliament, Andrew Holness, led the contract signing and ground-breaking ceremony at the project site on Friday.

In his address, Holness stated that, upon completion, the six families previously living in substandard conditions will be relocated to modern apartments.

He emphasised that the development marks a broader push to transform tenement yards across Jamaica, pointing out that “we now have the capability, we understand how to do it, and we can do it with greater pace.”

Holness reaffirmed the Government’s commitment to transforming communities and improving the housing and living conditions of Jamaicans.

“If we want to transform communities, one of the main ways… is to transform the living conditions of the people. The New Social Housing Programme is designed to transform the housing conditions of the people; but it works well when you are transforming the housing conditions of people who are, themselves, ambitious,” the Prime Minister said.

Holness noted that the Government has established the systems and capacity to deliver housing benefits to Jamaicans who have been assessed and identified as eligible.

He said the Tower Avenue project will transform the lives of its beneficiaries and encouraged community members to uphold the peace and stability in the area.

The prime minister further emphasised that the prevailing sense of calm—both locally and nationally—will help attract greater investment opportunities for Jamaica, as stability continues to position the country as a prime destination for growth and development.

“We are now at a point where crime is going down, we can have peace in our communities and we now can start to invest in urban communities that have been neglected for years,” he said.

Tower Avenue project beneficiary, Amika Sewell, echoed this sentiment, expressing heartfelt gratitude for the initiative.

Implemented under the Housing, Opportunity, Production and Employment (HOPE) Programme and overseen by the Ministry of Economic Growth and Job Creation, the NSHP aims to improve housing conditions for Jamaica’s most vulnerable citizens by providing quality, affordable, and sustainable homes.

The programme operates through three modalities: the provision of single detached units for individuals who own or have legal access to land; the relocation of vulnerable communities; and the upgrading of tenements, also known as multi-family housing solutions.

— JIS