Jamaica signs J$1.05 billion contracts for post-Hurricane Melissa housing
Key Points(5)
- The Jamaican government has signed contracts valued at a combined $1.05 billion to construct hundreds of semi-permanent homes for families in western and southwestern parishes severely affected by Hurricane Melissa last year.
- The contracts, signed Wednesday, September 3, by the Ministry of Economic Growth and Infrastructure Development, form part of the initial phase of the government's Shelter Recovery Programme (SRP).
- A total of 268 semi-permanent housing units will be constructed in Westmoreland and St.
- DT Brown Construction Limited has been contracted to build 143 units in Westmoreland, while Southland Construction Limited will construct 125 units in St.
- The housing solutions will include two-bedroom semi-permanent units from the National Housing Trust (NHT) as well as Chinese-built semi-permanent structures.
The Jamaican government has signed contracts valued at a combined J$1.05 billion to construct hundreds of semi-permanent homes for families in western and southwestern parishes severely affected by Hurricane Melissa last year.
The contracts, signed Wednesday, September 3, by the Ministry of Economic Growth and Infrastructure Development, form part of the initial phase of the government's Shelter Recovery Programme (SRP).
A total of 268 semi-permanent housing units will be constructed in Westmoreland and St. Elizabeth.
DT Brown Construction Limited has been contracted to build 143 units in Westmoreland, while Southland Construction Limited will construct 125 units in St. Elizabeth.
The housing solutions will include two-bedroom semi-permanent units from the National Housing Trust (NHT) as well as Chinese-built semi-permanent structures.
The project is expected to be completed within 12 months, although the government said tangible results should be visible within the first two months.
Minister with Responsibility for Land Titling and Settlements Robert Montague said the programme is intended to move families displaced by Hurricane Melissa out of shelters and into safer accommodation.
“At the end of today, the success will be measured when a child has somewhere safe to lay their head, and [a place] to do their studies rather than [living] in a classroom or in a hurricane shelter. We want to move our people out of the shelters into their homes,” Montague said during the contract-signing ceremony in New Kingston.
Hurricane Melissa caused severe damage across western and southwestern Jamaica when it struck the island in October 2025.
Montague said several government entities are involved in the housing programme, including the NHT, Office of Disaster Preparedness and Emergency Management, Jamaica Defence Force and the ministries responsible for labor and social security and local government.
The Ministry of Labour and Social Security provided the names of beneficiaries following a verification process to determine need, he said.
“We tried to do everything to ensure that the needy were the recipients, and not the greedy,” Montague said.
The government has also entered the procurement phase for the next component of the Shelter Recovery Programme, which will extend construction to Hanover, St. James and Trelawny.
Permanent Secretary Arlene Williams said the signing marked another step in the government's recovery efforts following the hurricane.
“At the end of the day, the true measure of this programme will not be the contracts signed today. It will be what happens in the communities when families are able to move into safe, suitable housing and begin to rebuild their lives with greater confidence,” Williams said.
