Kingston, Jamaica, 10 July 2026
Landowners and small builders with room for between five and 15 homes are being urged to take their projects to the National Housing Trust (NHT) for financing and guidance, as the Government looks for ways to raise Jamaica’s housing output.
Prime Minister Dr Andrew Holness made the call on 1 July while handing over keys to 14 new apartment owners at the NHT’s Vineyard Town Housing Development in St Andrew.
Small Developers Programme revived
Dr Holness reminded the audience of the Small Developers Programme he first announced two years ago. Under it, a small developer or landowner planning a scheme of no more than 50 rooms can approach the NHT, which will provide financing and support through the development process.
He singled out established neighbourhoods such as Vineyard Town, suggesting that owners of land there could help fill gaps in existing communities with modest new schemes.
Supply, not demand, is the problem
The Prime Minister argued that Jamaica’s core housing problem is the volume of homes being built rather than demand or even affordability. Building in larger numbers brings down the cost of each unit, he said, and that is how prices fall. He called for tens of thousands of new houses a year rather than about 2,000.
He cited obstacles contractors face, including crime in some communities, which he said had held up work on the Vineyard Town scheme itself, and difficulty finding reliable skilled workers.
Of a five-year national target of 70,000 housing solutions, the NHT was given responsibility for 42,000. By the end of 2025 the Trust had logged about 31,540 housing starts and 21,166 completions, and had issued 67,000 mortgages in the financial year, according to Dr Holness.
The Vineyard Town scheme
The development consists of 14 studio apartments on two sites: eight at Central Avenue and six on nearby Third Avenue, about three kilometres north-east of downtown Kingston. Facilities include controlled-access boundary walls, water and electrical distribution, drainage, central sewage treatment, paved parking and landscaped communal space with a gazebo.
What it means for landowners and buyers
Anyone holding a suitable urban lot may find the NHT a route to financing a small apartment or townhouse scheme without needing a large development company behind them. For buyers, more infill projects in established areas could add much-needed starter homes close to jobs and transport.
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