Jamaica gov’t to transition Hurricane Melissa relief to voucher system

The Jamaican government is preparing to transition its post-Hurricane Melissa relief efforts from the physical distribution of supplies to a voucher-based system early in the new year.

Permanent Secretary in the Office of the Prime Minister, Ambassador Dr Rocky Meade, said that in the immediate aftermath of the hurricane, the government had to rely on emergency procedures to deliver assistance quickly, with a strong focus on food relief.  However, the response has now moved into a new phase.

“We want to give more purchasing power to those who are in need so that, as the businesses come back up, they can actually get the things they want and not just a package that we assume that might be [where] they may have too much of one thing and not something else,” Dr Meade said.

“So we’re hoping to put purchasing power in their hands. The details of that are being worked out by the MLSS (Ministry of Labour and Social Security)… so they are looking at what I will loosely call a voucher system. But it doesn’t necessarily mean a piece of paper that has the word voucher on it… It’s really putting purchasing power in the hands of citizens. We have had some meetings on how that could work, and the details of that are also being worked out,” he added.

Many homes and buildings were damaged or destroyed when the Category 5 system battered central and western parishes in Jamaica in October. At least 32 people were killed, and damage was estimated at $10 billion.

Dr Meade said the Ministry of Labour and Social Security will also provide guidance on the needs list and the prioritisation of beneficiaries. “We are hoping to pivot to that modality of providing relief by the New Year,” he said.

He noted that the ministry recently made a presentation on the initiative to Prime Minister Andrew Holness, who requested that a few adjustments be made.

“I can assure you there has been progress, and they (the ministry) have a product. But for some tweaks, [it] will be ready [for] rollout in January. I am reasonably confident that by the New Year, we’ll be able to roll something out,” Dr Meade stated. (JIS/BT)