Prime Minister Dr. the Most Honourable Andrew Holness says accelerating the pace of housing delivery is critical to addressing rising housing costs, as Jamaica continues to address a significant housing deficit.
Prime Minister Holness was speaking at the groundbreaking ceremony for the Galina Housing Development in St. Mary, where he highlighted the scale of the country’s housing need and the implications for affordability.
Dr. Holness noted that Jamaica’s housing requirement is estimated at approximately 150,000 units, representing thousands of households in need of structured, planned housing solutions. While housing units are being added to the market on an ongoing basis, he indicated that the current rate of delivery remains insufficient to meet demand.
Prime Minister Holness explained that this imbalance between supply and demand continues to drive increases in housing prices, pointing out that in a deficit environment, costs will rise and often outpace inflation.
The Prime Minister warned that if the housing gap is not addressed in a sustained and meaningful way, prices will continue to move beyond the reach of many Jamaicans.
Against this background, the Prime Minister continues to urge a significant expansion in housing output, with a focus on building more units at a faster pace and at more affordable price points.
He says this is why he continues to encourage the National Housing Trust to increase the scale and speed of its housing delivery, while maintaining quality and proper planning standards.
Prime Minister Holness is also calling on local contractors to play a greater role in meeting the country’s housing demand by expanding their capacity to operate at an enterprise level.
Dr Holness notes that addressing the housing deficit will require developers who are able to undertake large-scale projects, including developments of up to 10,000 housing units, supported by the necessary infrastructure and technical capability to deliver efficiently.
The Prime Minister emphasises that a coordinated effort between the public and private sectors will be essential to increasing supply, stabilising prices, and expanding access to affordable housing for Jamaicans.
