Woman in tears as THA house awarded after 22 years

After being on a waiting list for some two decades, a Scarborough woman on Friday shed tears of joy when she was randomly selected to receive a house in the Riseland Housing Development during the THA Division of Settlements, Public Utilities and Rural Development’s first computerised public housing draw in Crown Point, Tobago.

Yolanda Moreno, who currently lives at Union Trace, Plymouth Road, was among 43 lucky applicants who are to receive homes at the housing development, which is scheduled to completed within the next two years. The project is being managed by the National Insurance Property Development Company Ltd.

Of the 43 homes, three were allocated to members of the protective services, five to people from the surrounding communities and 35 from a general pool of applicants. About ten long-standing applicants witnessed the draw.

The 43 successful applicants must now fulfil the requirements of the division for home ownership.

Overcome with emotion, Moreno told reporters she had applied for a house in Tobago since 2000. She said her prayers have finally been answered.

“I did not expect to be selected, even though yesterday I laid down and prayed whole time – but now I am bursting with excitement, tears.

“I did not expect to see my name but through God’s will everything is possible. I am really happy I have been selected.”

The mother of three said when she left her home to come to the draw, she told her children to pray for her.

“I didn’t tell them where I was going. All I told them is pray for me and my big son said, ‘okay mummy,’ and I walked out the house. Now I am going home with good news.”

Moreno said she is originally from Trinidad but has lived in Tobago for many years.

“I have my immediate family here, which is my kids alone. I have grown fond of Tobago and the quiet life. They say Trinidadians like speed but I like quietness and I like family, and I see Tobago as family-oriented and I have grown into that too.”

Asked if she felt a different system could be implemented to ensure that people have easier access to houses, Moreno said, “Maybe, but it’s done in a way that everybody will get a chance in selection and nobody has to worry that somebody else is picking their name.”

She advised people who have been on waiting list for years to keep the faith.

“Just keep trying. God will open a way for you just like He did for me.”

Saying he was happy for Moreno, the division’s secretary, Ian Pollard, said one of his colleagues, Akeia Francis-Stewart, also received a house at Riseland. He said her name was on the waiting list since 2006.

“So, it shows clearly to everyone that the process is transparent. In spite of what people say, it is a transparent process.”

Pollard said the division is hoping to deliver over 500 houses before the Progressive Democratic Patriots-led THA term ends.

He observed many Tobagonians are desperately in need of housing.

“Upon my visits out there, I have found that it is very tough on some persons and the requirements and policies are really stringent. So, we need to release some of these requirements and at least make it more reachable to the persons because people out there are really in need.”

Pollard added, “We could expect more delivery from the Division of Settlement and this dispensation of the Tobago House of Assembly under our Chief Secretary, because we have Riseland coming on stream shortly and Adelphi in Mason Hall, which will comprise about 400 plots.”

He said the division also intends to build houses in the rural communities.

“So, there will be pockets of development along the rainforest where we could do solar-powered houses that will be eco-friendly. We are really looking to change the status quo in the island.”

Pollard said the THA is also looking to construct homes for people in low-income groups, including those working in the Community-Based Environmental Protection and Enhancement Programme (Cepep) and Unemployment Relief Programme (URP).

“We are now looking at a model where this gentlemen (private developer) from Canada can deliver just the walls of the house, the partitions at a cost of US$7,000, and we will have to put the foundation and the roof. So, this will be greatly subsidised for persons with that level of income.

“We are on average thinking that that house can be completed for TT$150,000. That would be good to give to the citizenry of the communities because people out there really need houses.”

He urged Cepep and URP workers to “hold strain, help is coming.”