In a landmark step to address Haiti’s growing affordable housing crisis and expand social protection coverage, Haiti’s Minister of Social Affairs and Labor (MAST) Marc-Elie Nelson officially laid the foundation stone for the new regional office of the Public Enterprise for the Promotion of Social Housing (EPPLS) in the northern border city of Ouanaminthe on Saturday, April 26, 2026.
During the well-attended groundbreaking ceremony, Minister Nelson used the occasion to directly address local families, workers, and laborers, reaffirming the Haitian government’s unwavering commitment to supporting vulnerable populations across the Far North region through targeted, people-centered subsidy programs. He confirmed that a total allocation of 7.405 billion gourdes has already been disbursed to boost social protection frameworks and support the country’s most economically disadvantaged groups. As part of this broader effort, Nelson highlighted that the Fund for Economic and Social Support (FAES) has rolled out direct cash assistance, providing 5,000 gourdes in one-time support to every employed worker in Haiti’s key textile export sector.
EPPLS Director General Rony Charles praised the government’s strategic investments in social welfare and called for proactive collaboration from local communities to ensure sustainable, responsible management of the new social housing developments and planned residential villages. To institutionalize this local oversight, a nine-member Supervisory Commission made up of early-career young professional trainees has been established. The commission’s core mandate includes ongoing monitoring of infrastructure upkeep and enforcing public cleanliness standards across all social housing sites, with formal letters of appointment officially presented to the new commission members during Saturday’s ceremony.
In a major policy announcement made at the event, Nelson confirmed plans to construct 1,000 new housing units across the broader northern region of Haiti, a project designed to alleviate the severe housing shortage that has disproportionately impacted low-income households in the area. The entire development will be funded through partnerships with international development organizations, with all units reserved exclusively for low-income families struggling to access safe, affordable housing.
The Ouanaminthe groundbreaking is part of Minister Nelson’s official cross-country outreach tour, which launched in northern Haiti on April 24, 2026. Following the conclusion of his northern visit, Nelson is scheduled to travel to Haiti’s Great South region starting next week, where he will oversee the rollout of direct government assistance to vulnerable households in that part of the country.