New Housing Minister Michael Finnegan has been touring government housing sites around the country. On Friday he visited the San Lorenzo Housing Site in Orange Walk and you might be surprised what he found. Our colleagues at Channel 10 accompanied him.
Keith Swift Reporting,
Driving into the San Lorenzo housing site – it looks a neat residential community -nothing fancy but neat. But walk further in and this is what you will find – a graveyard of sorts for abandoned houses – sitting in overgrown yards. Inside looks nothing like the outside: there are holes in the ceiling, broken doors, vandalized fuse boxes, and missing louvers.
Deputy Prime Minister Gaspar Vega described the situation as a “crisis.”
Gaspar Vega, Deputy Prime Minister
“I have just come to realize the state of emergencies or the crisis that these houses are in and I am happy that the Minister is here and we will be taking a decision as to how bad the state of each individual house is.”
And while that is one thing – ownership is another. And that’s why Housing Minister Michael Finnegan told this contractor to cease and desist. And all those living in these houses will have to prove to the Ministry of Housing that they own the homes. The CEO in the Ministry of Housing is Rosalie Gentle.
Rosalie Gentle, CEO – Ministry of Housing
“Next week the Ministry, Housing personnel will be sent in to an individual assessment of each house. We are asking at this time if occupants of the existing houses, if they can have their documents ready to prove that yes they have some title or ownership to the land as such and if they can kindly cooperate with our personnel going in because this is in an effort to legalize their status as to whether or not they have an ownership and we will advise people to cease from doing any renovation, any additions to their premises until we can determine that the house is theirs. As such the idea is for government of Belize, if they don’t have something signed by the Housing Department giving them permission to occupy the house.”
There are about 50 houses in San Lorenzo and 75% of them are occupied.
