MP Anna Richardson. File photo.
~ Will request Parliament meeting on matter ~
PHILIPSBURG--National Alliance (NA) Member of Parliament (MP) Anna Richardson has called on St. Maarten Housing Development Foundation (SMHDF) to provide an update on the status of repair of government homes and housing facilities such as the building housing senior citizens which falls under its management.
She said in a press release on Sunday that there is a high number of complaints by residents and senior citizens regarding the lack of follow-up and assistance from SMHDF.
Richardson said she had met and had discussions with tenants in Belvedere, Hope Estate, the 911 neighbourhood and residents of the Red Cross Senior Citizens Home.
“The living conditions of the residents are heart-breaking and alarming. Tenants spoke about leaking roofs and showed photos of the water running down the walls when it rains,” she said. “‘We received a bucket of a white paste to put on the roof, but it still leaks,’” she quoted one of the tenants in the 911 neighbourhood as saying.
“‘We have broken windows, leaking piping and faucets that need replacing. Up to now no one came to fix things, but the moment you don’t pay the rent, you receive a warning letter,’” she quoted another 911 resident as saying.
“A resident in Belvedere sent me a video of his leaking roof with a message that read, “Good morning blessing, I am sending you a video of my leaking roof. Just listen,” Richardson said.
She said seniors had spoken about bathrooms that have no handle rails for them to hold on to and bathroom facilities too low, making it difficult for those with aching knees and backs to bend.
“I have a bad knee and back, the toilet is too low. It’s difficult to get down and up. I have to use that walker there to brace myself. I’ve fallen down in the bathroom and burst my chin. They had to carry me to the hospital and I got seven stitches,” Richardson quoted a senior at the Red Cross Senior Citizen home in Belvedere as saying.
According to the MP, the area surrounding the senior citizens building in Belvedere is also “extremely dark,” making it unsafe for residents there. She wants to know what actions are being taken to fix these many issues.
“These are prime examples why all neighbourhoods must have established community councils going forward. One of the tenants asked me, ‘Who can we complain to?’ My response was, with a Belvedere and neighbourhood 911 representative in place, these matters and more can be brought directly to the Parliament Community Council Committee, who will then have the role to address their concerns with the concerned Minister and request a solution within a time frame,” said Richardson.
Richardson said then-Minister of Public Housing, Spatial Planning, Environment and Infrastructure VROMI Miklos Giterson had released NAf. 1 million to SMHDF in February 2019, which was a percentage of unpaid subsidy indexations and other compensations owed to SMHDF for annual rental subsidies of tenants and the repair of homes.
According to the official government website, “the Foundation intends to carry out much-needed repairs to the various homes under its management.”
She said, “There are a lot of complaints by tenants regarding the state of their homes and apartments. To date the action plan regarding how the repairs will be executed has not been released by the SMHDF. Almost one year has passed and no action has been undertaken to have these homes repaired.
“Prior to the devastation of Hurricane Irma, many residents had been complaining about the poor upkeep and maintenance of the homes in Belvedere, Hope Estate and also those in the 911 neighbourhoods. Post the storm the matter has gotten even worse and, as many tenants have expressed, the rent is demanded despite the lack of upkeep by the SMHDF.”
The Ombudsman of St. Maarten and the National Ombudsman of the Netherlands issued a joint letter to then-Prime Ministers Leona Romeo-Marlin of St. Maarten and Mark Rutte of the Netherlands in July 2018 expressing concern regarding the slow pace of the reconstruction of St. Maarten and urged both to speed up the recovery process, she said.
“More than two years since the passing of Hurricane Irma, there are still many complaints about the snail pace with home repair. The report focused on how the most vulnerable persons in our society have been impacted by Hurricanes Irma and Maria, how the hurricanes impacted their standard of living, what the experience was for these persons in terms of receiving assistance surrounding home/roof repair, and the challenges they have and continue to experience.”
The chronic lack of affordable housing was also a subject of concern for the Ombudsman and is also a concern to Richardson, who said she is currently working on a draft to amend the existing rent committee decree. She said the rent committee’s inability to adjudicate over landlord/tenant matters is a vital missing link and she intends to work diligently on having the law instated to “make living in St. Maarten fair and affordable for all parties affected.”
Richardson said she will be submitting a letter to Chairperson of Parliament William Marlin requesting an urgent public meeting to be scheduled with the VROMI Minister.
