IN the St. Lucia Labour Party, “PUTTING YOU FIRST” document of 2021, the party carefully articulated that “As a social good, affordable, and quality housing will be a priority of a St. Lucia Labour Party government.”
The party fully recognised the inadequacy of housing among the low to medium families in St. Lucia. In fact, many families in the low-income bracket, were living in sub-human conditions.
A few of the strategic priorities are documented as follows:
Removal of the current Property Tax on residential buildings;
Engage citizens in a process of consultation to determine where they would prefer to live in relation to their place of employment or key services, and to inform the planning and locating of housing developments;
Address infrastructural deficiency by re-developing some of our unplanned settlements in and around urban and suburban areas.
As I write, there is clear evidence that the government is living up to those priorities outline in the strategic plan of the “Putting You First” document.
I was very pleased to have read in the the Voice Newspaper of Saturday, 7th October, 2023, that the Morne Layby Scenic Point has been relocated, after the Ministry of Tourism had worked in collaboration with the Morne Layby vendors to identify a safe and secure alternative scenic stop to replace the current lookout, because there were structural challenges in the former location.
Now, I have been trained in Administration and Management, and I can tell you, this is excellent community participation and development. And I give the Ministry of Tourism and vendors of the Morne Layby full marks.
Let’s go back to the Housing issue. A Housing Corporation has been established by the Government of St. Lucia. And the Minister for Housing, Hon. Richard Frederick, was intent on getting a Home for the Corporation. And a home has been found for the Corporation, on upper Chaussee Road. It was very recently formally opened.
Now in order to vigorously pursue the housing agenda of the government, the staff must first be comfortable. This is a management phenomenon. In other words, this is an excellent way of managing people.
During a news broadcast on the same evening of the official opening, I was able to get a good view of the building on the outside as well as the inside. And I have no doubt that the Board of Directors and staff are comfortable and satisfied.
Generally speaking, job satisfaction refers to the degree of pleasure or happiness that an individual feels in his or her job. This can be influenced by a variety of factors, such as the nature of the work, the work environment, inclusive of the building, the organization’s culture, and employee’s relationship with their co-workers. A person who is satisfied with their job is more likely to be productive and motivated, and less likely to leave the organization.
I now wish to point to the situation in Soufriere. History tells us that Soufriere was the first town in St. Lucia.
Now, for the last 60 years, some resident of the town of Soufriere lived in homes which were covered with asbestos roofing. It is important to understand that if a person breathes asbestos fibres, he or she may increase the risk of several serious diseases including mesothelioma and lung cancer. Asbestos exposure may increase you risk for cancers of the digestive system, including colon cancer.
I was very happy to hear in the news that the Parliamentary Representative, Hon. Emma Hippolyte and the Minister of Housing, Richard Frederick have informed the public, that government has agreed to replace the asbestos roofing of several residents in Soufriere. In fact, a group photo which was taken, perhaps by a journalist, was shown in the news clipping. The removal of the asbestos roofs was done with no cost to the home owners.
This is how a government that PUTS PEOPLE FIRST operates! And I wish at this time, to congratulate the government on that achievement. These are the little things that matter for the people. And the members of the community that were in the photo looked quite happy and satisfied.
We come now to the importance of Housing. Good housing leads to good health. When we don’t have stable housing, we can’t participate fully in our communities. That’s why it is so important that everyone has access to homes that they can afford and suit their needs.
The Board of Directors, an intergovernmental body, of the Housing Development Corporation, will be addressing the housing challenges in our urban, sub-urban and rural areas.
Urban areas usually refer to cities; suburbs are towns, and rural areas often refer to villages.
Now urban areas like Castries have more development in terms of access to transportation and connectivity like airports, ports, housing and roads.
Indeed, rural areas usually do not have much development in terms of densely settled areas around them.
The government of St. Lucia is moving quickly to make affordable housing available in all areas in Fair Helen.
Now a lack of affordable housing may negatively impact lower income families by reducing the amount they can spend addressing other health and wellness needs.
Additionally, older persons and persons who are disabled, can remain in their own homes as they age, and not moving like nomads.
Now nomads are people with no settled homes, moving from place to place as a way of obtaining food, finding pasture for animals they may have around their homes or just simply finding new homes.
The government of St. Lucia is well poised to create a serious impact in housing on this beautiful island.