No more leaking roofs and renting as five WBD families receive keys to new core homes

A blessing in disguise, that is what owning a new home means to Shelly Allen, a young mother of three, who once lived in a rented house with conditions that were not healthy and comfortable for her family.

“I must say I am so much grateful for this home the government has grant me. It is an honour, a blessing in disguise.

“Previously, the home we lived in was a rented place. It’s not in really good condition…water from the roof, the ceiling, the floor, the yard. So it was not good condition for my family,” Allen expressed on Monday.

She was among five persons who received the keys to their new core homes under the Ministry of Housing and Water/Central Housing and Planning Authority’s Adequate Housing and Urban Accessibility programme.

Each home costs close to $5 million. They consists of two bedrooms, a kitchen, living room and washroom facilities.

Minister of Housing and Water, Collin Croal said under the programme, a total of 105 houses were handed over to date.

“This is the continuation of the completion of the project under the Adequate Housing and Accessibility programme… the parameters include some infrastructure works, for example within the low income area we have spent about $1.3B for the streets, drainage, even for some lighting, etc,” Croal explained.

Though there were some delays due to some issues which have since been addressed, Croal said all of the beneficiaries for the core homes and housing subsidies have already been identified.

“The beneficiaries have all been identified already. We already have the baseline. So it’s just to implement now for those beneficiaries,” Croal said.

To benefit, all of the recipients were required to be landowners and contribute $100,000 towards construction costs.

“I thank God first of all for presenting this home for myself and my family. At least that’s a big stress off my head right now concerning the rent.

I don’t have to pay house rent anymore. So I am very much happy,” beneficiary Marlon Joseph, who will be living with her daughter, said.

Meanwhile, for Paul DeSouza, there will be significant improvement to prior living conditions he and his family endured.

“The place use to leak and then we use to get flood…so the place was bad.

“I feel so comfortable and glad,” DeSouza said.