By Mickella Anderson-Gordon
KINGSTON, Jamaica, (JIS) – Prime Minister, Andrew Holness, on April 24, broke ground for the $1.99 billion Galina Housing Development in St Mary, which will deliver some 360 housing solutions.
Spread across 72 acres of land near Port Maria and Oracabessa, the project, which is a partnership between the National Housing Trust (NHT) and Henan Fifth Construction Group Jamaica Limited, will comprise one and two-bedroom detached units as well as serviced lots.
Prime Minister Holness said that the project is a deliberate and strategic investment in people, noting that it will provide secure homeownership for hundreds of Jamaicans. He said that the 360 solutions represent “real families, young professionals, working parents, and aspiring homeowners who will move from uncertainty into security, from informality into ownership and from vulnerability into stability.”
“It reflects a clear understanding that housing is not just a social good; it is a central pillar of economic growth, community stability and national resilience,” the prime minister stated.
Priced at $3.8 million for the serviced lots and between $8 million and $14 million for the units, Prime Minister Holness said that the solutions being provided will offer both quality and affordability. They will include modern fixtures, durable construction, and essential infrastructure for dignified living and functional communities.
The prime minister noted that the Galina Housing development is part of a larger, coordinated national strategy to address the housing deficit in Jamaica. Holness said that the government has identified the need for over 150,000 new housing units over the next five to 10 years, with over 11,000 units under construction by the NHT.
Minister without portfolio in the ministry of economic growth and infrastructure development with responsibility for land titling and settlements, and member of parliament for St Mary Western, Robert Montague, said that the project represents an investment in the parish. He noted that the ripple effect extends beyond housing construction to creating jobs, improving infrastructure and boosting business.
“We have dreamed, in this area, for this housing development for a mighty long time. The dream is over, it is implementation time,” added Montague.
NHT chairman, Linval Freeman, in his remarks, said that the project is an important addition to the entity’s ongoing work to expand housing access across Jamaica, especially as it celebrates its 50th anniversary. He noted that the one-bedroom, two-bedrooms and serviced lot options are deliberately designed to meet a range of needs.
“(They give) contributors the flexibility to choose what works best for them, whether they want a completed unit or they want to build something of their own over time. Whichever option they choose, NHT’s mortgage financing support as well as other subsidies such as home grants are available to them.”
Importantly, he reminded that the agency provides 100 percent financing for all NHT schemes.
“The demand for housing remains very high, and we are responding with greater urgency, stronger partnerships, and a clear focus on delivery. The Galina Housing Development is one more step in that effort,” Freeman said.