WITH more than 1,000 Jamaicans still housed in shelters after Hurricane Melissa, lawmakers are seeking clarity on how the first set of containerised homes will be distributed, amid concerns over how residents without formal land ownership will be eligible.

The issue was raised on Wednesday during the meeting of the Public Administration and Appropriations Committee, where members of Parliament (MPs) pressed officials from the Office of the Prime Minister (OPM) to explain how long-standing land-tenure challenges — particularly in parishes such as Westmoreland and St Elizabeth — will factor into the Government’s latest housing response.

During the meeting, director general at the Office of Disaster Preparedness and Emergency Management Commander Alvin Gayle revealed that 1,061 people are still being housed in shelters.

With that in mind, MP for St Mary Central Omar Newell questioned whether the new rapid-build containerised units — expected to arrive as early as January — would actually reach those most in need, given the widespread reality of informal land occupation.

“Before you hand over to NHT (National Housing Trust), I just want to be clear, because these units are expected to arrive in either January or February…so we don’t have a lot of time to take a look at this, so you’re saying there is not yet a concrete policy decision in terms of how they will be treated with?” Newell asked.

Permanent Secretary at OPM Ambassador Rocky Meade acknowledged the tension between compassion and legality.

He explained that while rapid relocation is a priority, the Government must ensure that it does not place housing on land where ownership is contested.

“I think we have a legal obligation to ensure that we are not encouraging citizens to be on land for which they have no rights. We could be subject to lawsuits, etc, if there is some evidence that the land actually belongs to someone else. So, as much as we would like to just facilitate persons based on their word, we do have a legal obligation for some due diligence. So I would say where there is no question of tenure, I think we could expedite. But where there is question, then we would have to look at other ways to facilitate,” he explained.

He stressed that the Government is weighing relocation options, especially for communities sitting in high-risk flood or erosion zones.

He noted that officials are now assessing parcels of State-owned land where new units could legally and safely be placed, allowing families which previously occupied unsafe land to rebuild more securely.

“We might say to a citizen, ‘You are in total destruction, we’re going to give you a unit, but we’re going to place the unit on this piece of land that we can verify the ownership because it’s NHT or whomever’s land, and you are willing to accept this unit on this new piece of land and then we secure your tenure’,” Meade further explained.

The permanent secretary emphasised that while land tenure issues may slow the placement of some units, the Government is determined to move people out of shelters as quickly as possible, noting that education officials are urging the repurposing of schools currently being used as housing centres.

GAYLE… revealed that 1,061 people are still being housed in shelters.

MP for St Mary Central Omar Newell questioned whether the new rapid-build containerised units would actually reach those most in need.

MEADE…acknowledged the tension between compassion and legality

What was left of a house in Parottee, St Elizabeth, by Hurricane Melissa. The National Housing Trust is in the process of procuring the first 2,500 semi-permanent housing units under the rapid deployment housing initiative announced by Prime Minister Dr Andrew Holness, which will see the trust procuring 5,000 pre-built container homes for swift roll-out across the island to address urgent housing needs.