Prime Minister, Dr. the Most Hon. Andrew Holness, broke ground on Friday, June 13, 2025, for the construction of the Village of Tower Hill Housing Development in Kingston 11, marking a major step forward in the Government’s push to improve the living conditions of vulnerable Jamaicans under the New Social Housing Programme (NSHP).
The groundbreaking ceremony also included the official contract signing for the project, which will see the transformation of a former tenement yard into six modern apartment units valued at over $49.9 million. The development will house 13 individuals who were previously living in deplorable conditions.
“We have demolished the units that were there and we are going to build a fantastic new development of six modern apartments, and it is not just this tenement yard. We have now refined the process and my objective is to re-develop every single big yard and tenement yard in this area and, indeed, to take this project right across Jamaica”, explained Prime Minister Holness.
The Prime Minister emphasised that the Government now has the capacity to construct housing units under the NSHP at a significantly faster pace.
“Last week I handed over a house that took three weeks to build, so we have developed the capacity to do it quickly. There is still some time that has to be taken in the application, verification, procurement, contracting and building processes. But we are lessening the time it takes, so we are much faster in delivering the benefits.”
He added that the NSHP is not just about housing, but also about transforming communities and promoting ambition among beneficiaries.
Implemented in 2018 through the Ministry of Economic Growth and Job Creation, the NSHP is a key component of the Government’s Housing, Opportunity, Production and Employment (HOPE) Programme. As of June 13, 2025, the NSHP has delivered 292 housing units equating to 671 rooms impacting more than 1,050 individuals across 57 constituencies.
Currently, 46 housing projects are actively under construction in 20 constituencies, with an additional 65 projects comprising 175 units slated to begin during this financial year.
The Village of Tower Hill Housing Development is expected to serve as a model for future tenement yard redevelopment projects as the Government continues its commitment to build a better Jamaica for all.