Minister of Housing and Land Reform Keith Bell said that the government plans to build over 900 homes throughout the country.
The government announced that it plans to expand housing developments in New Providence, Abaco, Grand Bahama, Eleuthera, Exuma, and San Salvador.
The expansion will consist of single homes and subdivisions across the country.
“The future pipeline is also strong,” he said during debate on the 2026/2027 budget on Wednesday.
“Altogether, the department has identified a projected yield of more than 900 lots in future housing and subdivision developments.
“This represents one of the most significant housing pipelines currently being advanced by the government. It reflects both the scale of the challenge and the seriousness with which this administration is addressing it.”
Affordable housing was a pledge made in the Progressive Liberal Party’s pre-election “Blueprint for Progress”.
Initiatives like “A place to call home” rent-to-own program were launched which initially built 50 homes in its pilot phase.
According to Bell, since October 2021, the Bahamas Mortgage Corporation has financed vacant residential lots, private home construction, government-built homes, and private home purchases with a lending value exceeding $109 million. More than 700 Bahamian families were assisted through these programs.
Bell said that the government will foster private-public-partnerships to carry out the expansion project.
“Solving the housing challenge requires the government, the private sector and Bahamian contractors working together,” he said.
“That is precisely the approach my ministry has adopted.
“Alongside traditional government construction, we are utilizing public-private partnerships to accelerate delivery and increase housing supply. Under this model, private sector partners provide the capital necessary to construct homes while government provides the land, planning framework and program oversight.
“The homes are then sold to eligible purchasers and the private partner is repaid from the proceeds of sale. This model allows housing construction to proceed more quickly without requiring government to fund every unit directly upfront. It accelerates delivery, increases supply and enables more Bahamian families to access home ownership.”
He continued, “We are expanding opportunities for small Bahamian contractors to participate directly in the national housing program.
“Many homes being delivered under this administration are being built by Bahamian contractors. That is not incidental. It is part of our policy.
“The ministry has developed standard plans, specifications and pricing structures that allow contractors to build at established competitive rates. These rates are designed to support affordability, discipline costs and ensure that Bahamian families receive value.
“We want Bahamian contractors building Bahamian homes for Bahamian families.”
