Thirty-six residents of the Jittu Estate informal settlement in Suva have been issued offer letters to move into public rental flats at the Lagilagi Housing Estate, Minister for Housing and Local Government Maciu Nalumisa told Parliament on Tuesday. The move is the latest step in the government’s push to expand affordable housing and provide secure tenancy and home‑ownership pathways for low and middle‑income earners.
Speaking in the House, Nalumisa said the offer letters mark a formal transition for the Jittu Estate residents from informal settlement living to secured rental arrangements under the Public Rental Board (PRB). He said the initiative is being carried out in close coordination with the Housing Authority of Fiji and the PRB as part of a broader national priority to increase the supply of safe, sustainable and affordable housing across urban areas.
“The promotion of home ownership, in partnership with the Housing Authority and Public Rental Board, remains a key policy directive,” Nalumisa said, describing the Jittu Estate relocations as one component of that programme. He said the PRB is also planning to construct an additional 157 housing units at Lagilagi to expand options for tenants and ease demand on existing stock.
The announcement builds on activity earlier in 2025, when the PRB issued offer letters for 11 flats in Kalabu and one in Makoi, providing long‑term tenants the opportunity to purchase homes they have rented for decades. Nalumisa told MPs those offers targeted renters who had occupied units for more than 35 years, illustrating a parallel effort to move long‑term tenants from rental status into home ownership where possible.
Lagilagi has been a focal point for the government’s recent housing efforts. Earlier this year the government marked the opening of newly completed units at the estate, and officials have repeatedly pointed to the project as a model for public rental provision and urban renewal. The planned 157 new units at Lagilagi are intended to broaden the estate’s capacity and help absorb families transitioning from informal settlements such as Jittu Estate in Raiwaqa.
Housing advocates and residents have in past coverage highlighted the poor living conditions and lack of basic services at informal settlements, arguing that formal housing interventions bring not only improved infrastructure but greater security and social stability. The PRB and Housing Authority’s combined approach — expanding physical supply while offering purchase pathways for long‑standing tenants — addresses both immediate shelter needs and longer‑term tenure security.
Nalumisa framed Tuesday’s update as part of a continuing rollout of affordable housing measures designed to reduce urban squatting and improve living standards. The issuance of offer letters to the 36 Jittu Estate residents signals a tangible next step in that campaign, with further construction at Lagilagi and ongoing tenant purchase opportunities intended to sustain momentum in the months ahead.
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