Irwin, St James, 7 August 2026
The National Housing Trust (NHT) has paid out $132.6 million to homeowners at the Unions Acres development in St James after Hurricane Melissa, settling 92 of the 103 peril insurance claims lodged by mortgagors in the scheme, according to figures reported at the start of this month.
Where the claims stand
Of the claims that remain open, three are still being processed, three have been turned down and five are waiting only for homeowners to sign their acceptance forms.
Roughly 80 per cent of the 144 homes in the scheme suffered some level of damage in the storm. Forty houses had roof damage, which the NHT graded as minor in 10 cases, moderate in one, major in 16 and severe in 13. Other problems included broken windows, damaged stanchions and laundry tubs, and harm to roof eaves.
About the scheme
Unions Acres is made up of two-bedroom houses built through a partnership between the NHT, the Jamaica Civil Service Association and the Jamaica Confederation of Trade Unions, with Can-Cara Development as contractor. The Trust set aside 58 of the units for sale to qualifying contributors, while its partners sold the rest.
Wider relief for mortgagors
Settling insurance claims was one part of the NHT’s response after Melissa. The Trust also granted a six-month moratorium on mortgage payments to eligible borrowers in the worst-hit parishes and processed disaster relief grants of up to $500,000, along with loans.
That first moratorium ran from November 2025 to April 2026. It was later extended to 31 July, and a further three-month extension has now been approved, taking it to 31 October 2026.
The Trust is also offering disaster resilience loans of up to $3.5 million at two per cent interest, available until 31 March 2027, to help owners strengthen their homes. It has said future developments will follow the updated building codes and standards expected from the national review of construction practice under way since the hurricane.
What it means for homeowners
For NHT mortgagors, the Unions Acres figures show that the peril cover bundled into their monthly payments can deliver real money after a disaster, though not always quickly and not always in full. Owners with outstanding claims should make sure all paperwork is signed and returned, and those planning repairs may want to look at the resilience loan before the March deadline.
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