419 churches to receive hurricane grants from Jamaican gov’t

Desmond McKenzie, Jamaica’s minister of local government and community development

Jamaica’s Ministry of Local Government and Community Development has announced that 419 churches damaged during the passage of Hurricane Melissa will receive government grants beginning in April.

Minister of Local Government and Community Development, Desmond McKenzie, said the funds will be distributed under the Government’s $75-million Community Church Clean-Up and Restoration Initiative, which forms part of the broader post-hurricane National Clean-Up Programme.

McKenzie made the announcement during the Kingston and St. Andrew Governance Conference held Wednesday at the Jamaica Conference Centre.

The conference was held under the theme, “Civil Society Organisations (CSO) on a Mission: Reset the Vibe…Build Our Future…Reignite the Fire.”

Delivering the main address, McKenzie said approximately 6,000 churches across Jamaica were affected when Hurricane Melissa struck the island in October 2025.

He explained that the Government, through the Social Development Commission (SDC), conducted assessments across the most affected parishes to determine the extent of the damage.

“I’m pleased to announce this morning, that in April, the handing out of cheques to some 419 churches that were assessed, evaluated, and signed off on will take place,” McKenzie said.

The minister noted that the official handover will take place in St. Elizabeth, which recorded the largest number of impacted churches.

The SDC indicated that applications were received from churches in St. Elizabeth, Westmoreland, St. James, Trelawny and Hanover, with the highest concentration coming from St. Elizabeth, Westmoreland and St. James.

The assessments of the religious institutions were supported by Municipal Corporations and various community groups, as part of efforts to ensure affected churches receive assistance to restore their facilities and resume community services.