HOUSING and Urban Renewal Minister Keith Bell.
By EARYEL BOWLEG
Tribune Staff Reporter
ebowleg@tribunemedia.net
HOUSING and Urban Renewal Minister Keith Bell said of the New Providence homeowners who sought help with repairs from the government, more than 300 homes are in “dire” need of repairs.
To qualify for home repairs, applicants must have proof of property ownership and proof of citizenship and must fall within the economic status requirements of the programme.
Mr Bell conducted a walkabout yesterday through the Carmichael constituency, assessing homes as part of the Small Homes Repairs Programme.
Senior citizen Cynthia Monroe told him her roof was repaired in November, only for a fire to damage the back of her home just before Christmas. She had been in the home for about 30 years.
She has been moving from house to house since, staying with her children.
The minister anticipated repairs on her home would start within two weeks and cost somewhere near $30,000.
He said the woman lacked insurance, adding that Prime Minister Philip “Brave” Davis has spoken about creating “some form of insurance for these types of cases.”
Another resident, Cypriana McDonald, said she is dealing with a termite infestation in her home.
She said the problem began seven years ago in the home she has lived in for 50 years.
Mr Bell emphasised the importance of the home assessments.
“The idea is to look and assess these homes and give a comprehensive, thorough inspection, and then we go from there,” he said. “Now, this particular house, as you would have seen, the roof is infested with termites. The idea is to ensure that when we go in, that we deal with all of the problems; in this particular case, with the issues of termites, to treat those to ensure that when we do repair the roof, we don’t have the reoccurrence of the problem and we minimize that.”
Comments
bahamianson 10 months, 1 week ago
Casting pearls among swines, so to speak. I am not calling anyone a swine, only referring to the biblical reference. These people do not appreciate the money we spend on them. They will throw garbage in the yard, keep a derelict vehicle in the front to harbor rats, not paint the house, break the window fixtures , and the list continues. Give a man a fish and he eats for a day. Teach a man to fish , and he eats for a lifetime. They need to be taught about cleanliness and the value of a clean environment. The government has teaching to do. It always feels like it can throw money, police cars, surveillance cameras, and police in schools and thinks it is going to solve the crime mental problem. You must teach the next generation values and you will reap the harvest in 35 years.
ExposedU2C 10 months, 1 week ago
Keith Bell is one fella who should never be empowered to spend taxpayers' funds in any way whatsoever.
stillwaters 10 months, 1 week ago
He went into hiding during the House closure and is back out of hiding now acting like he's brand new. Corrupt dogs just keep getting away with this nonsense. Sob story about that lady..........Let one of that lady's children take her into their home.........suck teet....and I am guessing that these ladies are PLPs
moncurcool 10 months, 1 week ago
Why is the government in the business of repairing people's home?
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