Housing Minister Horace Chang ... wants a new policy to address shelter issues. - File

Having received the green light from the Finance Ministry and the National Contracts Commission to hire the consultants, the Golding administration will begin work shortly on a new housing policy, officials say.

Genefa Hibbert, permanent secretary in the Ministry of Water and Housing, told Wednesday Business that the experts who will guide the development of the policy outline have already been identified and will begin the exercise in mid February. A final policy document should be ready within a year.

Definitive statistics

It is expected that the policy, among other things, will provide definitive statistics on the housing and shelter deficit in Jamaica as well as outline least-cost strategies to close the gap.

Under the former People's National Party administration, which lost office in September last year, housing construction grew significantly in the 1990s into early into this decade, averaging more than 9,000 starts a year - the bulk of them by public sector agencies.

However, housing starts have slipped to under 5,000 in recent years, slowing down the goal of achieving the original policy goal of affordable housing for all by 2025.

Recently, the new Housing Minister Horace Chang has talked of the need for new strategies to address Jamaica's housing problem, arguing projects such as low-rise schemes that have begun in a number of inner-city communities were no longer affordable.

The minister has not yet said what specifically is his preference or approach, but he recently told Wednesday Business: "I intend to revive activities under the Local Community Improvement Act to enhance the quality of living in what is called 'tenement yards' in urban areas."

Hibbert, the permanent secretary, said that new policy will look at improving the legislative frame-work for housing as well as seek to improve joint venture partnerships in the provision of a shelter - an approach that was favoured by the previous government.

Policy issues

Among the other issues to be addressed by the policy are:

Security of tenure through divestment and titling programmes

increased collaboration between housing and approval agencies

Reactivation of the secondary mortgage market

Strategies for dealing with informal settlements

Mechanisms to reduce the impact of natural disasters or other emergencies on housing settlements.

It will also outline approval process and timeline for developers to get development approved and enhance the quality of living in what is called 'tenement yards' in urban areas.

dionne.rose@gleanerjm.com