NHT extends hurricane relief loan
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The National Housing Trust (NHT) Hurricane Relief Loan is being extended to March 2027.
Prime Minister, Dr Andrew Holness, made the disclosure during his contribution to the 2026/27 Budget Debate in the House of Representatives on March 19.
The Hurricane Relief Loan provides up to $3.5 million at a concessional two per cent interest rate to support essential repairs, disaster resilience upgrades to include reinforced roofing and hurricane shutters, and supplementation of insurance claims.
Holness said that the extension of the loan programme will ensure that “families across the island can access concessional financing to rebuild not just to the standard that existed before Melissa but to an even higher standard of resilience”.
The relief loan is part of measures introduced by the Trust to assist mortgagers following the passage of Hurricane Melissa in October 2025.
The others include a Mortgage Moratorium and a Special Disaster Relief Grant.
The Prime Minister pointed out that when Hurricane Melissa struck, the NHT did not wait, noting that the agency moved quickly, decisively, and with the compassion that the scale of the crisis demanded.
Holness noted that the Mortgage Moratorium, to benefit mortgagors whose homes remain uninhabitable, has also been extended until the beneficiary is able to restore their home.
Approximately 30,000 mortgagors across the seven hardest-hit parishes received an automatic six-month moratorium, providing immediate financial relief.
As it relates to the Special Disaster Relief Grant, Holness informed that more than 5,500 applications have been received under the facility with nearly 1,800 already processed and close to $1 billion disbursed.
The grant, of up to $500,000, was made available for contributors in demonstrated need, prioritising those unable to take on additional borrowing, including pensioners and other vulnerable groups.
- JIS News
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