The Tribune

By KEILE CAMPBELL

Tribune Staff Reporter

kcampbell@tribunemedia.net

ELEVEN San Salvador families received keys to rent-to-own homes yesterday as the Davis administration completed part of a housing development that began nearly two decades ago and survived years of delays, hurricanes and changes in government.

The homes form part of the Cockburn Town Subdivision, a 24-lot development where construction was undertaken on 18 lots.

Acting Chief Housing Officer Jeffery Clarke said the project began in 2007 but was delayed after Hurricane Irene in 2011 and Hurricane Joaquin in 2015.

He said the Ministry of Housing and Land Reform later completed infrastructure at the site and revived plans for the development in 2024, when Housing and Land Reform Minister Keith Bell visited San Salvador and 18 construction contracts were executed.

Mr Clarke said the contracts went to San Salvador contractors who had been involved with the development from its earlier stages.

Mr Bell blamed part of the prolonged delay on work stopping after the 2017 change in government, when the Minnis administration took office.

He called that decision “a mistake” that “was wrong, and it had consequences”.

“Public funds had already been spent,” Mr Bell said. “Yet partially built homes were left standing there for years and years and years. That should never happen in an independent Bahamas.”

He said families who had expected the chance to own homes were forced to wait, while contractors who had committed labour, resources and money also suffered losses.

Mr Bell said the government could not recover the years that were lost or undo the disappointment experienced by families and contractors, but could correct what had gone wrong.

The homes were completed by local contractors, keeping jobs and economic activity on the island.

Mr Bell said each home was valued at about $130,000 and was built with architectural shingles and impact-resistant windows.

“They are very well designed, and they are very well finished,” Mr Bell said. “So they are really no low-cost houses in here.”

The 11 homes were distributed through the government’s rent-to-own programme, which is intended to give people who cannot qualify for conventional mortgages another path to homeownership.

Mr Bell said rent-to-own payments would be applied towards the principal owed on the homes, with occupants able to move into conventional mortgages later if they became eligible.

He said the programme was particularly aimed at self-employed Bahamians who could show an ability to save but might struggle to satisfy traditional mortgage requirements.

Mr Bell identified taxi drivers, entrepreneurs, hair braiders and people who sell breakfast among those who could benefit.

“These persons have demonstrated a very, very keen ability,” Mr Bell said, “and they have exercised a very high degree of prudence in terms of savings.”

“So why should they be denied the opportunity to get a home?” he said.

Prime Minister Philip “Brave” Davis said presenting the homes to the families was among the greatest privileges of his office.

“For me, this is one of the biggest joys of this position that I hold,” Mr Davis said. “What a privilege it is because I, like so many of you here, know the power and importance of a home.”

He said his administration had made homeownership a priority and had introduced measures intended to reduce financial barriers for families who could maintain homes but could not save enough for down payments or qualify for mortgages.

Among the recipients was 22-year-old Ashley Poitier, who became a first-time homeowner.

“I am so grateful to be a homeowner, especially at 22 years old,” Ms Poitier said.

She said she was raised in a household where her mother worked several jobs while raising seven children and struggling to meet household expenses.

Ms Poitier also said she encountered communication difficulties during the application process and eventually travelled by plane to deal with the matter personally.

She said she hoped becoming a homeowner at her age would encourage other young people to continue pursuing their education, businesses and personal goals.

“It's just something to call your own,” Ms Poitier said, “like not living under your parents' roof, being able to come in when you like, go when you like, turn your own key, and it just starts the adulthood, starts the journey.”

Another recipient, 16-year-old Reno Kelly, described his mother receiving a home as “a good feeling” after years of waiting.

“It was a long time coming, and it didn't look like hope,” Mr Kelly said.

He said his family had begun making other plans, including renting elsewhere, before the development was revived.

Mr Kelly identified insurance, mortgage financing and difficulties dealing with the government among the obstacles encountered during the wait.

Mr Bell said more homes were planned for San Salvador and elsewhere in The Bahamas, although he did not say how many additional houses would be built on the island or when construction would begin.

“More homes are coming nationally,” Mr Bell said, “but importantly for those here, more homes are coming here to San Salvador.”

He said the administration was targeting major Family Islands for further housing developments.

“We’re not going to leave no Family Island behind,” Mr Bell said.

He pointed to completed housing at Ocean Hole Estates in Eleuthera and Central Pines and Spring City in Abaco, where he said more homes were under construction.

Grand Bahama will also be targeted, with plans to break ground for 18 homes in the Heritage Subdivision.

Mr Bell said more than 200 additional homes were being considered for scattered sites across Grand Bahama and that the government had acquired properties in Garden Villas, where it expected to begin demolishing buildings for redevelopment.

In New Providence, he said seven subdivisions were in progress.

The government is moving into additional phases of Renaissance at Carmichael, while an opening at Adastra Gardens is expected within the next few months.

Mr Bell said homes at Vinspen Meadows had been completed, but the government was awaiting ratification of the subdivision before an opening expected within three to four weeks.

He also outlined plans for another housing development on more than 13 acres in the Fox Hill area near Bernard Road and St Augustine’s College.

Mr Bell said the government intended to move quickly to compulsorily acquire the property and develop at least 100 homes.