Hague relief

COOPER’S PEN, Trelawny — With residents whose houses remain standing facing a November 30 deadline to vacate the privately owned Cooper’s Pen property, the Government has begun subdividing lands at nearby Hague to create lots for those who qualify for longer-term relocation. Permanent secretary in the Ministry of Economic Growth and Infrastructure Development Arlene Williams, addressing residents in the community on Saturday, said work had started on the Hague property, and that Government was actively preparing the site for eligible Cooper’s Pen residents. “We have identified lands very near to here in Hague that we are actively subdividing so that persons who are there longer term will get [their] title,” Williams said. She stressed, however, that the Hague lots would not be given away. “Nothing is coming free, as the prime minister would have said to you,” Williams emphasised to residents, explaining that those who are employed and able to do so would be expected to purchase their lots.

Minister without portfolio in the Ministry of Economic Growth and Infrastructure Development, with responsibility for land titling and settlements, Robert Montague (left) and permanent secretary in that ministry, Arlene Williams in the community of Cooper’s Pen on Saturday.

Prime Minister Dr Andrew Holness had previously told Cooper’s Pen residents that Government assistance would help qualified residents transition to a properly planned settlement, but that they would ultimately have to pay for the land and associated services. The Hague arrangement applies to residents whose homes have not been demolished but who occupy the privately owned property and will have to relocate. Meanwhile, the families whose homes were demolished on August 11 by the private owners of the property, and who have since been living in tents on the property, are being dealt with separately. They had been given until September 19 to vacate the land. Sunday, the Ministry of Economic Growth and Infrastructure Development announced that cheques had been delivered to these displaced residents as the ministry with responsibility for housing — following directives by Holness during his visit to Cooper’s Pen last month — was coordinating a whole-of-Government intervention to assist members of the community to relocate. Minister with responsibility for land titling and settlements, Robert Montague, alongside Williams, issued 19 humanitarian grants, valued at $9.9 million, to assist vulnerable citizens who were displaced in the eviction exercise. The grants, ranging from $200,000 to $800,000 per family, are being provided to some of the most vulnerable residents, many of whom have been living under tents provided by the Government as emergency shelter since August 12, 2026, the ministry said.

A representative from the Ministry of Economic Growth and Infrastructure Development (left) processing displaced residents of Cooper’s Pen on Saturday.

At the handover, officials outlined the Government’s position on the relocation exercise and reiterated the November 30, 2026 deadline for the full evacuation of the site. Montague emphasised that the emergency assistance is being funded by Jamaican taxpayers. “The cheque is not a Government cheque. It is the taxpayers of Jamaica’s cheque,” he said. “You who pay your taxes, and taxpayers from all over the country, have provided this assistance.” Williams also reiterated that the Government is not the owner of the property and was not responsible for the demolition or displacement of the occupants. Under legitimate terms issued by the property owners, residents remaining on the site are required to leave by November 30, 2026, while those currently occupying tents were required to relocate immediately. Extensive work was done in engaging the occupants, the ministry said. A multi-sector team comprising representatives from Jamaica Defence Force, Jamaica Constabulary Force, HEART/NSTA Trust, the Social Development Commission (SDC), and others, provided social support to the displaced occupants including formalisation of their tax registration and national identification documents. The ministry said many households and displaced occupants had no formal identification documents or bank accounts, therefore a three-day facility was arranged with a commercial bank to allow beneficiaries to cash their cheques.

A representative of HEART/NSTA Trust (second right) processing residents at Cooper’s Pen on Saturday.

The ministry and the SDC are scheduled to return next week to assess the remaining residents and support the finalisation of the resettlement process ahead of the November 30 deadline. Meanwhile, some of the displaced families have also been offered the option of temporary accommodation at a site prepared at Salt Marsh for two weeks. Williams said the immediate assistance was only part of a broader Government intervention, with several agencies working together to determine the appropriate support for affected households. She said the Government is working with residents to facilitate an orderly transition while preparations continue at Hague, underscoring that the State does not own the Cooper’s Pen property and therefore cannot permit residents to remain there beyond the period agreed with the owners. Montague said the circumstances of residents vary, and that Government therefore had to hear their individual concerns rather than assume that one solution would meet everyone’s needs.