EVALUATION - JAMAICA : URBAN AND RURAL SHELTER IMPROVEMENT

Evaluation covers the period 2/78-8/79 and is based on a review of project files, interviews, and site visits. This project consists of three programs, Urban Upgrading (UUP), Squatter Settlement Improvement (SSIP), and Rural Home Improvement (RHIP). To date, the project has moved slowly due to weak institutional arrangements. The Jamaica Mortage Bank (JMB), the borrower, is not a government agency and must be financially prudent. Low-cost shelter programs are not its top priority. The Ministry of Housing (MOH), on the other hand, lacks the administrative capacity to be fully effective. The Jamaica Cooperative Credit Union League Limited (JCCUL) serves its affiliates first and maintains its independence from the Government. UUP is moving slowly -- no improvements have been financed by Housing Guaranty Funds to date. Managerial weakness and confusion over program design, i.e., differing concepts as to when to preserve and when to demolish, are continuing problems. UUP is viable and needs administrative rather than conceptual changes. SSP is making reasonable progress and has excellent potential for meeting its objectives. Construction is under way in Montego Bay and in May Pen, and a site in Old Harbor has been approved. No funds have yet been disbursed under RHIP. While program concepts are sound, implementation procedures need to be changed. Recommendations include the following: (1) A.I.D. should place a DS/H direct hire employee in USAID/J. (2) A.I.D. should extend Foundation for Cooperative Housing/OPG assistance for 24 months. (3) GOJ should affim its national housing policy and commitment to the principles of UUP. (4) MOH should unite UUP and SSIP under one administrative head and expedite planning for additional SSIP sites. (5) The JMB, with Ministry of Finance and Planning support, should assert leadership in implementing all three programs and should update rural and urban income distribution data. (6) JCCUL should promote the RHIP.