More affordable housing needed in MoBay, says Silvera

WESTERN BUREAU:
Businesswoman Janet Silvera, president of the Montego Bay Chamber of Commerce and Industry, says housing solutions, which are supposed to be affordable, are being priced out of the reach of young professionals and low-income earners.

“Housing (that should be affordable) remains out of reach for thousands of Jamaican citizens, especially our bright, promising, young people," said Silvera, who was addressing a JAMPRO forum on the business of real estate, and the opportunity for low to middle-income housing solutions, in Montego Bay earlier last week.

According to Silvera, Montego Bay is a strong market with a high demand for affordable homes. However, she said the cost of acquiring those that are available is a challenge, particularly for our low-income earners and young professionals, who are constantly raising concerns about the severe shortage of affordable homes, even for rent.

“Living with friends or renting a shared house is an increasingly common way of living for many young adults, as they struggle to raise the deposit required to get on the housing ladder, “ said Silvera, who further noted that, with Montego Bay being one of the top places for employment opportunities, the matter of affordable housing solutions need attention.

“The minister of tourism (Edmund Bartlett) recently announced that over the next five years, Jamaicans and tourists can expect to see 12,000 new rooms being added to the country’s tourism industry. This means we are going to need additional housing in Montego Bay, “ continued Silvera.

“We have to understand that the growth of the tourism sector and the need for housing solutions go hand in hand. If you are aiming to improve our citizens’ standard of living and our country’s economic performance, affordable housing solutions must be a part of the plan,” she said.

“And let me tell you something, - until you get people to live in a humane and civilized environment, you are not going to be able to fight crime effectively, because crime thrives in chaos, and illegal tenancy adds to that chaos. Therefore, we cannot leave out the informal communities that continue to wreak havoc on our parish,” added Silvera.

In noting that unplanned developments generally mushroom into havens for criminality, Silvera welcomed the recent announcement by the Government that it will be seeking to add some 22,000 housing solutions by 2021 through the National Housing Trust and private developers.