Vision linked to Sint Maarten Housing Vision 2012-2020 Building Book
Minister of Public Housing, Spatial Planning, Environment and Infrastructure (Ministry of VROMI) Hon. Maurice Lake met with the board of the St. Maarten Housing Development Foundation (SMHDF) on Wednesday regarding his vision for public housing for the country.
Minister Lake stated that his vision for public housing for the people is based on the recent Sint Maarten Housing Vision 2012-2020 Building Book that was presented by KAW Architects and Consultants recently to the minister.
The project commissioned by the Government of Sint Maarten and financed by USONA entailed a review of legislation relating to housing, and a review of the housing policy. The project objective is to increase the quality of life and living conditions of residents with low and middle incomes through policies and legislation relating to adequate and social housing.
"We need to get back to basics by building public housing for all the people, and this is well defined in the housing vision. We need housing for all. I want to see the SMDHF putting in place in a transparent manner the vision, and I want to see homes built for our seniors, disabled, low and middle income inhabitants, and beginners, homes that our local people can afford, and then I will give credit where credit is due, and not just to look in the newspaper.
"How can I congratulate when the real people who need houses are not getting the houses. I find SMDHF has left the values and principles behind when it was established. The board has to be more pro-active than reactive with the housing vision and make sure that management takes care and provides good service to the tenants.
"Perform for the people of this country by implementing the vision for housing for all instead of a selected few and we good to go where this is concerned," Minister Hon. Maurice Lake said on Thursday.
A number of other points were also discussed such as: filling supervisory board vacancies; SMHDF operational audit; financial audit; changing articles of incorporation of the St. Maarten Housing Financial Foundation and membership of its board; code of ethics with respect to the functioning of the foundation and its relationship with other entities; the board’s plans to hold a Summit in January 2014 in connection with how SMHDF can enhance its services and operations taking into consideration of the housing vision; and a listing of project priorities of the Minister responsible for Public Housing.
The listing of priorities will be presented at the Summit 2014 and will include some of the following: construction of senior citizen homes; Upper Princess Quarter housing project; the sale of duplex homes in Belvedere; the building of low and middle income homes; the purchasing of private land to build more affordable homes for the people of Sint Maarten. Minister Lake added the focus needs to be placed on one housing vision instead of all kinds of personal vision by SMHDF.
"As Minister of Housing, I can promise the people one thing, in the middle of January 2014, we would start building affordable homes for the people of this country," Minister Hon. Maurice Lake said on Thursday.
PHOTO CUTLINE: Minster Hon. Maurice Lake (4th from left) with housing foundation board members and members of his Cabinet. DCOMM Photo