The New Social Housing Programme (NSHP) is providing hope and helping to rebuild the lives of 38 residents of Findlay’s Cottage at 44 Walker’s Avenue in Gregory Park St. Catherine, who lost their homes to a fire, reportedly caused by an arson attack, on August 12, 2023.
Prime Minister Dr. the Most Hon. Andrew Holness, broke ground on Tuesday, August 5 2025, for work to begin on the Serenity Grove Housing Development, which will replace the dilapidated structures once occupied by the 10 households in Gregory Park St. Catherine.
“This is a housing programme. It will enhance the lives of the 38 individuals. The 10 households that live here, they will feel better for it. I expect that they will use it to ensure that their children do well in school, to break intergenerational poverty. But when I come back here two years after it is opened, I don’t want to see the place look mash up..we must make this be the pride of Gregory Park”, the Prime Minister stated.
Reiterating the fact that the NSHP does not provide land for developments, Prime Minister Holness said beneficiaries must have access to land, either by owning it, or having permission to use it.
“That is probably the most time consuming part of the whole project of social housing. The GOJ cannot break its own laws. So we can’t go and build on land that we don’t own, or we don’t know who owns it and we don’t have permission to build on it”, the Prime Minister explained.
In the case of the Serenity Grove Development, Prime Minister Holness said several processes to secure rights to the land had to be followed, as there were uncertainties regarding its ownership, which lengthened the development process.
“So we are here today because we have followed the process through and through and we are satisfied that we are on firm ground in being able to build on this piece of property without contest and you will be secure in the homes that you are getting. We had to do all kinds of things to comply with the law. It took us 2 years from 2023 to now, to be able to stand here and do this”, he noted.
The development will be constructed under Modality Three (Upgrade of Tenements or Big Yards) under the New Social Housing Programme and will feature a total of ten (10) housing units, comprising:
- Four (4) two-bedroom units
- Six (6) three-bedroom units
The units will be constructed by Pavecon Limited at a cost of J$109.4 million. The project is scheduled to begin in August 2025 and is expected to be completed within six (6) months, by February 2026.
To date, a total of 300 housing units have been completed under the New Social Housing Programme (NSHP), benefiting more than 1,082 individuals across 57 constituencies. There are currently 45 active construction projects underway in 19 constituencies.