Housing Row! - Morris slams Holness' record after PM warns against PNP promises

Opposition Spokesman on Housing, Senator Professor Floyd Morris, has slammed the Holness administration’s housing record, accusing it of failing low and middle-income Jamaicans.

The latest row comes as Prime Minister Andrew Holness defended his government’s approach as “practical and realistic.”

Responding to Holness' call for voters to back his administration’s housing policies, Morris said the prime minister has "miserably failed" to deliver on his 2020 promise to build 70,000 houses in five years.

"The Holness administration has been delivering on average 2,300 houses annually over the past nine years. If this is not a failure, I don’t know what else is," Morris said.

General election is expected by September.

Holness, speaking at Friday's handover of keys at Edmund Ridge Estates in St James, argued that his government’s policies were designed to create lasting value. "Our housing policy is thoughtful. Our housing policy is not just aspirational, but it is practical and realistic," Holness said. "If you really want a house, then this is the housing policy to support."

But Morris dismissed that assertion, citing the 2025 Fiscal Policy Paper which he said showed the National Housing Trust (NHT) completed just 2,754 units against a target of 15,009 for the 2024-2025 fiscal year.

According to the policy paper, the NHT estimates slower than planned execution of its housing projects and an improvement in the collection of mortgage repayments. It added that the NHT "expects to commence construction of 6,366 housing units, compared to its original target of 15,009 and estimates to complete construction of 2,754, compared to its original target of 3,664".

"This has contributed to a $15.3bn underspend in its housing expenditure which stems predominantly from delays in the execution of its Guaranteed Purchase Programme," the paper added.

The People's National Party spokesman also blasted what he described as the administration’s neglect of low-income NHT contributors, noting that "approximately 48 per cent of the contributors are individuals earning below $30,000 per week, but the Holness administration has dismally neglected their housing needs."

Holness had acknowledged that Jamaica faces a "serious housing gap" of about 150,000 units but warned voters against promises he suggested were unrealistic. "Don’t believe the people who come to you and tell you, ‘Yes, we can solve the problem and we’ll sell you a horse that can’t fly,’" the prime minister said.

However, Morris argued that the Government’s idea of affordability was detached from reality, pointing to upscale developments such as Ruthven Towers in St Andrew, where units were sold for up to $38 million. "None of these constitute affordable houses," Morris said. "A one-bedroom unit that used to cost under $7 million is now over $12 million under Holness."

Morris reiterated his faith in Opposition Leader Mark Golding's plan to address the crisis, which includes stopping the $11.4 billion annual extraction from the NHT, creating a $1 billion fund to assist young people with deposits, building 50,000 houses over five years, and introducing rent-to-own schemes.

In a social media post on Monday, Golding also hit back at Holness' criticisms of the limited reach of the $1 billion fund.

Holness argued that the Opposition’s housing policy will amount to another Operation Pride, a programme launched by former Prime Minister P.J. Patterson as a solution to the then-growing problem of squatting.

Holness said what low-income earners received were half-finished housing schemes, lands without titles, and settlements without the necessary infrastructure. “This administration is not going to leave any development incomplete or unfinished. We’re not going to put people into housing solutions that turn out to be a nightmare for them. No, what we have done here is to build housing that will create an asset for you,” said the prime minister.

However, Golding rejected the argument that his proposals would not yield much positives for Jamaicans.

"Our $1 billion Young Owners Fund will be replenished annually from ending the annual $11.4 billion raid on the NHT, benefitting 2,000 young people per year — so that’s 10,000 who will benefit in our first term," Golding said.

He continued: In 2020, you (Holness) promised the Jamaican people 70,000 NHT homes by 2025, but after nine years as Prime Minister, only 14,741 homes have been delivered. Only 7,950 NHT homes have been built during your current 5-year term. Of the 70,000 homes promised, 10,000 were to be for young people aged 18 to 35, and 30% reserved for public sector workers. You have failed to deliver on those promises for young people and public sector workers. You also promised 1,000 social houses per year, yet fewer than 300 have been delivered in 9 years. Another failed promise."

Holness said housing projects built in the region of 5,000 to 10,000 at one time is what is required to tackle the issue and make significant progress. But he pointed to constraints such as availability of land and capacity of local contractors

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