The New Social Housing Programme says it has handed over 358 homes since construction began, with 124 more in the pipeline. Here is who qualifies, how families are chosen, and what is changing.
KINGSTON, Jamaica, 6 November 2026 The Government’s New Social Housing Programme (NSHP) has delivered 358 homes to vulnerable Jamaicans, with another 57 under construction and 67 moving into procurement, according to the Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Economic Growth and Infrastructure Development.
The figures were given on 30 October at the handover of a two bedroom house in Mount Diablo, St Catherine, built with a wheelchair ramp for a mother and her son, who lives with a disability, the Jamaica Information Service (JIS) reported. On the same day a three bedroom house was handed over in Guy’s Hill, St Catherine, the fifth NSHP home in that community.
What the programme is
The NSHP builds homes for vulnerable families living in unsafe or inadequate conditions. It was conceptualised in 2018 and began active construction in 2020, after planning and approvals and delays caused by the pandemic, the Permanent Secretary said.
At 358 completed units, it is a small programme set against Jamaica’s wider housing need, but for the households involved it can mean the difference between a leaking board house and a concrete one.
Who gets priority
According to the Permanent Secretary, priority is given to persons with disabilities, victims of violence, fire and flood victims, and other vulnerable groups.
The programme is constituency driven. Members of Parliament recommend beneficiaries, and applicants then go through investigations and social assessments, including interviews with neighbours, to confirm their circumstances. A Project Oversight Committee with representatives from several ministries and agencies reviews each application.
Land is the hard part
The Permanent Secretary said the programme was making steady progress despite challenges relating to land tenure and construction. That is a familiar story. A house cannot be built where nobody can show who owns the land, and many of the families most in need live on family land without a title, or on land they do not own at all.
To stretch scarce land further, the ministry said it is exploring multifamily housing, which would place several households on a single site rather than one house per lot.
Faster builds and container homes
Some NSHP units have been completed in less than six weeks, the Permanent Secretary said. Following last year’s hurricane, the programme is also introducing containerised housing solutions in the hardest hit parishes, and the ministry says NSHP houses have held up well in severe weather.
Faster, more resilient construction may matter as much as the number of units. Families still living under tarpaulin or in damaged homes are unlikely to be helped by a programme that takes years to reach them.
What families should know
Based on the process the ministry describes, the route into the NSHP runs through the local Member of Parliament, who recommends beneficiaries, followed by the social assessment. Families who believe they qualify may want to start there, and to gather whatever documents they have that show where they live and their right to be on the land, such as a title, a lease, a letter of permission from the owner, or tax receipts.
Anyone approached by a person offering to secure an NSHP house for a fee should be wary. Beneficiaries are selected through the official assessment process.
The bigger picture
With 124 more homes in construction or procurement, the programme could pass 480 units if those are completed. Whether it can grow faster is likely to depend less on building speed, which is improving, and more on finding land with clear ownership, the same constraint that holds back housing across the island.
Six weeks to build a house. Sometimes years to prove the land beneath it.
Disclaimer: This article is for general information only. Contact your Member of Parliament’s constituency office or the Ministry of Economic Growth and Infrastructure Development for details on eligibility.
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