Twenty Barbadians, including members of the disabled community, are the island’s latest homeowners under the government’s Terrace Unit Programme.
On Monday, during a ceremony at Alleyne’s Court, Whitepark Road, St Michael, several of them were handed the keys to their new homes in that housing estate.
While giving his remarks, Minister of Housing Dwight Sutherland said that Alleyne’s Court was the first housing estate this administration erected and it was opened in the same year that the National Housing Corporation (NHC) celebrated its 50th anniversary.
He added that homeownership was an enfranchisement opportunity many Barbadians aspired to.
“Owning a home is a dream that every Barbadian carries on their shoulders and in their hearts, or to leave a piece of this rock for their loved one, their children . . . to have a decent standard of living. Home ownership in essence is what I call the Barbadian dream,” he said.
The minister said the government would be erecting other housing estates in an effort to produce 3 000 terrace units and the tenants would be living under a rent-to-own policy, in which they would rent the property for 20 years and then they could begin the process of owning their unit. Ten per cent of the housing stock will go to people with disabilities.
Reco Moore and Joan O’Neale were among the first to receive their keys.
Happy homeowner Reco Moore (third right) with his keys, as officials look on.
Moore said that this Christmas would have sentimental significance for his mother, Euriline Moore, who is moving in with him, as it would be the first time she spent the holidays in pristine conditions.
Sutherland said the current administration was on a mission to create an equitable and a just society and housing had a major role to play in realising this goal.
“Good housing is associated with education, health and development. Poor housing is associated with ill health and social decay,” he added.
Over the years, various governments “tinkered” with housing in Barbados, the minister said, adding that this led to a significant backlog of people on the waiting list at NHC. Currently, there are more than 18 000 applications before the corporation.
The minister admitted that processes at the NHC took quite some time and that also contributed to the problem.
“I am hoping the day will come that we reconstruct and deconstruct our systems and business processes so that we can work a lot smarter and in a less [stressful environment]. I call it business processes reengineering, where we create an environment that we manage by systems and processes and we don’t manage by people but through people and we get things done,” he said.
Sutherland also said many of the people in need of homes were low-income earners and, therefore, homeownership was about more than having a place to live.
He said that a number of working-class families lacked assets and were not even able to qualify for student loans for their children.
“This government, in creating the 10 000 housing revolution, not only will address a housing problem but will address a problem of social decay, it will empower families and give families, loved ones, the opportunity to earn a living in this country, go abroad and study, or study here at the University of the West Indies by leveraging an asset,” he said.
Sutherland added that erecting more housing estates would address the overcrowding problem at a number of the units that were built several years ago, such as 820 units in The Pine which were constructed in 1948.
In total, he said there were 49 old terrace estates, comprising 4 000 units which housed about 10 000 people who were at the bottom of the economic strata.
Sutherland also reported on the electrical wiring upgrade programme on those units programme. Approximately 2 687 units required upgrades and thus far 2 100 units were completed. The minister added that the project was budgeted at $21.6 million and thus far $16.5 million was used.
The minister added that the name of the housing estate was an important feature of the development.
Previously named Queen’s Court, the area was renamed Alleyne’s Court after the former and late general manager of NHC Garvey Alleyne.
He started working in the loans department at NHC in December 1977 and was appointed in April 1981. He started as a clerical officer, was promoted to senior clerk, loans supervisor and then loans administrator. In 2009, he became the deputy general manager and in 2020 he moved up to head the corporation. That same year, he fell ill and passed away. He spent more than 24 years there.
Sutherland said Alleyne was a dedicated and hardworking individual, adding that a plaque would be placed at the estate to honour him.
Member of Parliament for The City of Bridgetown Corey Lane thanked Sutherland on behalf of his constituents who stand to benefit from the housing solution. He said he was pleased the estate was named after someone who was not a “big wig” and had the vision of creating opportunities for ordinary Barbadians.
Work at Alleyne’s Court started in 2021 but completion of the project was impacted by challenges associated with the COVID-19 pandemic.
sheriabrathwaite@barbadostoday.bb
