MONTEGO BAY, St James — Opposition spokesman on housing and sustainable living Senator Floyd Morris has called for a cap on National Housing Trust (NHT) drawdowns used for budgetary support, urging that at least 30 per cent of those funds be redirected towards infrastructure investment.

Addressing the Senate in February, Morris called for the NHT to be returned to its core mandate of building affordable housing for Jamaicans, bringing to an end the annual extraction of $11.4 billion from the NHT for budgetary support, and using those funds to build affordable houses for contributors.

On Monday, Morris shifted his proposal towards redirecting a portion of those funds.

“I have stated in the Senate that the NHT is subject to an annual extraction of $11.4 billion towards the national budget. This extraction must be capped; at least 30 per cent of that should be ring-fenced for settlement upgrading — for drains, retaining walls, roads, and water in the communities where people already live,” Morris said during a World Habitat Day conference themed ‘The Struggle for Land, Shelter and Sustainable Communities’.

Community Organisations for Management and Sustainable Development (COMAND) Executive Chairman O Dave Allen speaking during the World Habitat Day Conference on Monday. (Photos: Anthony Lewis)

The conference was hosted by the Community Organisations for Management and Sustainable Development (COMAND) in partnership with grass roots leaders and community-based organisations from across Jamaica. It was held at S Hotel Montego Bay.

His comments on the NHT drawdown formed part of a wider critique of Jamaica’s national housing strategy and a call for structural reforms to the agency to better serve low-income families and informal settlers.

Drawing historical parallels, Morris noted that “Black Ants Lane” and Cassava Piece in St Andrew were successfully upgraded in the 1970s with USAID support, an achievement he believes can be replicated using domestic resources.

“We can do it again with our own resources. Give a woman a title and you give her more than paper. You give her collateral, you give her security, you give her dignity,” he stated.

Recalling the creation of the 50-year-old housing entity established by former Prime Minister Michael Manley in 1976, Morris argued that while the NHT has aided many, more than 700 informal settlements persist because Jamaica operates under a “mortgage policy, not a housing and settlement policy.”

He laid out four core perspectives aimed at transforming community development and land tenure security. Among them is the recognition of existing community management.

First, Morris argued that the State must stop viewing informal settlers as squatters to be evicted and instead recognise them as community managers who have already organised spaces for schools, churches, and playfields.

Second, he wants to see a transition from finished houses to incremental building. Morris made the argument that standard two-bedroom units are often unaffordable for low-income workers, and advocated instead for land, basic infrastructure, and loans for material — such as $2.5 million for blocks and roofs — to let families build at their own pace.

Third, he wants the State to regularise instead of demolish existing properties deemed illegally built. In so doing, he made a call for community-led mapping and legal reforms — such as the People’s National Party’s (PNP) frequent call for a reduction of the adverse possession period for Government-owned lands from 60 to 25 years.

Morris also called for priority to be placed on inclusive and accessible design, noting that housing must accommodate multi-use living and universal accessibility standards, ensuring features such as ramps and 36-inch doors are integrated into new settlements.

The Opposition spokesman’s proposals received immediate backing from COMAND executive chairman and member of the PNP, O Dave Allen.

Highlighting the organisation’s alignment with the policy shifts, Allen noted that COMAND is specifically pushing for $8 billion from the NHT to execute inner-city and marginalised community upgrades.

“Too many of our people living in informal communities contribute towards the Housing Trust and they are not the beneficiaries,” remarked Allen as he urged members to continue supporting the institution to strengthen their advocacy.

The conference was used to bring together marginalised and underserved communities, policymakers, professionals, and civil society organisations to address land access, housing, tenure security, regularisation, and sustainable community development.

It was also used to lay the foundation for a national network through which communities can organise, participate in decision-making, and influence public policy.