Today’s report on the signing of another contract with a local builder for the long-awaited home repair programme of government and the National Recovery Programme Bureau (NRPB) for which registration closed on April 26 is no doubt being welcomed especially by those with still-damaged homes. The first batch regards 14 houses in seven low- and middle-income districts, but in total 175 applications have been approved.
The focus is on roofs, doors, windows and electrical works. The release listed being a legal resident, legally owning the property and earning no more than NAf. 4,000 per month as criteria, but did not mention also living there like had been done in the past, perhaps because of the large number of persons renting on the island.
The news comes on the heels of the Red Cross announcing May 26 as deadline for its own home repair programme that it says has already helped hundreds of people in nine different neighbourhoods. Materials for fixing roofs, walls, doors and windows are provided, accompanied by expert advice, some quick practical training sessions and a manual on how to do the job.
As it involves some of the same areas, the necessary coordination between the two programmes was obvious required, but the main thing is assisting those who still need it. They are many, but if one adds other similar initiatives from the White Yellow Cross Care Foundation (WYCCF), the St. Maarten Development Fund (SMDF), Samaritan’s Purse, church communities, United Nations Development Program (UNDP), St. Maarten Housing Development Foundation (SMHDF), etc., since the devastating passage of Hurricane Irma, it’s safe to say there has been no shortage of efforts to help.
