Letter of the Day | Why is Jamaica unaffordable for Jamaicans?

THE EDITOR, Madam:

It has become painfully clear that Jamaica is facing a housing crisis that the authorities have yet to confront. People who live and work here can no longer afford a home.

Every day, new ‘luxury’ developments rise across the island – yet the average citizen, earning in Jamaican dollars, cannot dream of buying a unit. An average degree-level government worker still takes home around US$20,000 a year, while housing prices now rival, and in some cases surpass, those in Miami – one of the most expensive real estate markets in the region. How is this sustainable in a developing country?

These homes are not being built for Jamaicans. Prices are quoted in US dollars and marketed as Airbnb investments, income properties, and vacation homes for foreign buyers and returning residents with overseas income. Meanwhile, the people who keep the hospitals running, teach the children, protect the streets, and sustain the public sector are locked out entirely.

Many homes were destroyed for a simple reason: people cannot afford strong, resilient, concrete structures. They build with what little they have –not out of carelessness, but out of desperation. While the Government has appealed to developers to provide low-income housing for those affected by Hurricane Melissa, what about the rest of the island where citizens struggle daily to secure even basic shelter?

We are facing sky-high rent, punishing mortgage rates, inflated construction costs, and stagnant salaries. The cost of living climbs daily, yet the average worker is expected to compete with foreign investors and cash buyers. This is unjust, and unsustainable. A few questions arise:

– Where are the regulations?

– Where is the oversight?

– Where is the Government’s commitment to Jamaican taxpayers?

If we continue on this path, the only people who will be able to live comfortably in Jamaica will be tourists, investors, and those earning foreign currency. The rest of us will remain permanent tenants in our own country.

The Government must stop treating housing as a commodity for outsiders and start treating it as a right for those who live, work, and pay taxes here. Every citizen should have a realistic path to owning a safe, permanent home in which to raise a family. Home ownership for Jamaicans must be a national priority.

CONCERNED CITIZEN