In just a few days, 500 of the thousands of applicants waiting to be allocated a Housing Development Corporation (HDC) home will be chosen through a random draw, Housing Minister Dr Roodal Moonilal said yesterday.
He made the comment during an address to recipients at the HDC’s key distribution ceremony at the Mora Heights Housing Development, Rio Claro, where 130 families were given keys to their new homes.
“This Wednesday, April 15, the first 500 random names will be chosen to receive houses and we will be carrying out this distribution over the next five weeks. We are ensuring that everyone has a fair opportunity to get a home,” Moonilal said.
He said construction of houses within the Mora Heights development began back in 2007, but was put on hold by the previous administration.
“When we came into office and realised the demand for housing had already far surpassed the supply, we unlocked this stalled project and were able to complete it. Today you have 130 single unit three-bedroom houses that these families can call home.”
While he renewed his pledge to give out 100 a week, he sent out a word of caution to hopeful applicants, telling them that the process to get a home takes time.
“Giving out houses is not like giving out doubles, I am accountable for every single unit that is allocated. I could be investigated at anytime and this process is one that needs to be able to stand up to scrutiny. Even if it comes ten years from now, the proper process must be followed.”
New accounting plan
HDC chairman Rabindra Moonan reiterated that errant tenants and homeowners currently owed almost $300 million in arrears.
“Currently the HDC is owed $291 million by homeowners and tenants who are in arrears. Some people basically just never paid anything since they moved in. There is one tenant in an apartment where the rent is $100 a month and he now owes $13,000.”
Moonan said HDC had employed the services of debt collectors to recover the monies and new accounting procedures had been put in place.
“We have implemented a new accounting procedure to prevent a repeat of this. As soon as you lapse on your payments we will be sending notices immediately. For those who are owing right now, we have employed debt collectors to recover these monies.”
But Moonilal gave the assurance that the HDC's clientele would not be evicted from their apartments because of failure to pay their arrears.
"We definitely will not be evicting anyone from their homes. We will deal with everyone in the most humane and understanding manner,” he said. Addressing the new homeowners, Mayaro MP Winston ‘Gypsy’ Peters urged them to band together to create a community where they would all feel welcome.
“You have a wonderful opportunity to create a community from scratch; you can form neighbourhood associations to look after your needs,” he said.