The Tribune

By RICARDO WELLS

Tribune Staff Reporter

rwells@tribunemedia.net

MORE than 200 rental units have been identified and logged as alternative housing for evicted shanty town residents, according to an official with the government's Shanty Town Action Task Force.

This was disclosed yesterday by Colin Wright, chairman of the Alternative Housing Committee, a subcommittee within the task force, during a status briefing at the National Training Agency on Munnings Drive.

Mr Wright said his unit has identified and documented just over 200 vacancies around New Providence that range between $400 and $800 per month in rent.

He said the committee has started the process to pair residents with suitable alternative housing.

"Our job was to find as many vacancies as possible in the area of New Providence, mark the land owner, the location and what they charge," he told reporters. "And so far, the average price is between $400 and $800 per month - same thing they are paying in the shanty towns."

According to a report submitted to the task force by Mr Wright's committee, to date, only 10 residents have made inquiries about alternative housing.

"(Their) leaders have been contacting the unit in the last couple of days," he said in response to questions raised by reporters. "(Their leaders) have been assisting them with finding alternative housing.

"So far, approximately 10 persons right now. They are led by their (various community leaders). (The) leaders are taking the lead. They are assisting them," Mr Wright added.

When asked his view on why so few residents have attempted to contact the unit, Mr Wright said he believed many of them are taking a wait and see approach with the government's deadline for evictions in New Providence.

He said: "Based on my survey of it, they still don't believe that this is going to happen.

"That's being straight up. I don't think reality has set in yet, with them. I got a call this morning from some persons seeking housing, they say keep something for them, but they waiting to see the tractor first.

"That is the kind of attitudes they have."

However, Mr Wright said despite the current circumstances, he believes as the deadline creeps closer, more residents will reach out.

"I have a meeting as late as this afternoon with one of the presidents of the Haitian community and they want to see what I get and see how much they can assist with it," he added.

Some shanty town residents have been adamant about their inability to afford alternative housing if the government moves forward with its eviction and demolition plans.

Some residents have raised issue with the cost of alternative units and have insisted that one of the leading reasons they stay in the shanty town communities is due to the high cost of alternative housing.

On Monday, the government pushed its July 31 deadline for New Providence shanty town evictions to August 10.

The task force, through its survey process in New Providence, assessed 1,410 residents from the 428 households, and revealed most are long-term residents aged 40 or older with an average of three persons per household and total weekly incomes of less than $400.

The largest number of households, 44 percent, was located in the Carmichael constituency - a figure the report noted was consisted with the 2013 report from the Department of Environmental Health Services.

Yesterday's status briefing also revealed that, of the 14 properties which provided legitimate construction permits to authorities in recent weeks, none was ever granted an occupancy certificate.

As a result, task force officials yesterday said that no home identified in any of the communities meets the criteria to remain.

Additionally, task force officials disclosed that 282 derelict vehicles have been tagged for removal.

Owners were given a 14-day period to remove the vehicles or face losing them.

Officials yesterday also revealed that procedures have been drafted for the handling of all wildlife identified in the various shanty town communities.

Moreover, despite the existence of several dozen water sources, only one source throughout the 11 shanty town communities in New Providence was sanctioned by the Water and Sewerage Corporation.

With respect to electrical sources, officials from Bahamas Power & Light, attached to the task force, reported that all sources were reviewed and documented.

For his part in yesterday's status briefing, Labour Minister Dion Foulkes, chairman of the Shanty Town Action Task Force, said all efforts being carried out on the ground in New Providence will, at some point, be duplicated throughout the various Family Island communities.

Mr Foulkes yesterday reiterated the Minnis administration's intention to see its effort to eradicate shanty towns through.

He also maintained that the government does not intend to financially support the overall process of relocating residents.