Kingston, Jamaica, 31 May 2026
Around 3,000 modular housing units are to be placed across Jamaica for families left homeless by Hurricane Melissa, Prime Minister Dr Andrew Holness has said, with households whose homes were wiped out entirely and who cannot afford to rebuild to be first in line.
The Prime Minister made the announcement on 25 May in St Elizabeth, where he opened the national Labour Day observances. He reminded the audience that the Government had originally committed to roughly 2,500 semi-permanent prefabricated homes.
Where the units are coming from
The homes are being pooled from several suppliers: the National Housing Trust, the People’s Republic of China, the Ministry of Housing and the Red Cross. Together they form the core of the temporary shelter effort for people still displaced months after the storm.
A new community is also taking shape in Westmoreland for residents who had been housed at the Petersfield High School shelter.
Foundations before handover
Dr Holness stressed that simply dropping units on open land would not be acceptable. Each one, he said, must sit on a proper base, and the sites need sewage arrangements, a water supply and access to transport before families move in.
Putting a single unit in place costs about $500,000 on average, although the figure changes from one location to another depending on site conditions.
How donations will be spent
Cash gifts received by the Government after the hurricane total about $1.4 billion. Rather than handing that money out directly, the administration intends to channel it into longer-term recovery work that can be tracked and accounted for, including the infrastructure the modular programme depends on.
The overall bill for relief and recovery from Melissa is estimated at roughly $67 billion.
What it means for affected households
For families still living with relatives, in shelters or under makeshift roofs, the programme offers a route to somewhere stable while permanent rebuilding continues. The emphasis on proper foundations and services should mean the units are safer and more liveable than a bare structure, but it also means each site takes time to prepare.
Households whose homes were totally destroyed and who lack the means to rebuild are the priority group, so those in that position should make sure their damage has been properly recorded with the relevant agencies.
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