Prime Minister Dr Andrew Holness says that the New Social Housing Programme (NSHP) will be using modular, semi-permanent units to help rebuilding efforts in areas most affected by Hurricane Melissa.

Speaking on July 3 during the handover of a two-bedroom unit under the programme in Caenwood, Portland, the prime minister said that the NSHP has to pivot its resources to support parishes like St Elizabeth, Westmoreland, Hanover, St James, Trelawny, and parts of St Ann and Manchester.

“Those areas were particularly badly damaged [by Hurricane Melissa] and we have tasked the New Social Housing Programme to support the deployment of what we call the modular semi-permanent housing solution,” Dr Holness said.

He explained that the units were bought from China and imported to Jamaica and will need a base for their successful delivery to the beneficiary.

“We can’t just put them down on the raw earth. So, they have to create a concrete platform and the New Social Housing Programme will take on that task,” the prime minister said.

For the implementation of the modular, semi-permanent units, the NSHP will be supported by the National Housing Trust (NHT) and the Office of Disaster Preparedness and Emergency Management (ODPEM).

Holness pointed out, further, that “when those 2,000 units are put in place, we will monitor them [and] we will study them to see how well they stand up to Jamaican conditions, to see potentially how long they will last”.

The NSHP unit that was handed over was received by Recardo Gibson, who will occupy the home with his wife and son.

Gibson’s previous living conditions caught the attention of minister of energy, telecommunications and transport and Member of Parliament for Portland Western, Daryl Vaz, who made the recommendation for his inclusion in the programme.

Holness said that through the NSHP, Gibson now has “a structure in which himself and his wife and his other family members can live with some dignity”.

He also commented on the NSHP changing the outlook of the community and the residents.

“Having this lovely structure in the community has lifted the community. When others of you are deciding to build, you’re going to say, ‘I want my house to look like this and to be as strong as this.’ And so, this house also changes the possibilities for you [and] your expectations,” Holness said.

As of July 3, a total of 341 housing units of 901 rooms have been completed under the NSHP, benefiting 1,652 individuals across 57 constituencies.

This is the fourth unit being delivered in the Portland Western constituency.

— JIS News