Robinson-Regis meets with HDC managers

HOUSING and Urban Development Minister Camille Robinson-Regis met with Housing Development Corportion (HDC) managing director Jayselle MacFarlane and her management team at the HDC’s South Quay, Port of Spain offices on Monday.

The meeting was part of the minister's familiarisation tour of agencies under the remit of her new ministry.

She was handed the housing and urban development portfolio in the last Cabinet reshuffle, which also saw Faris Al-Rawi removed as Attorney General and Reginald Armour replacing him.

Former housing minister Pennelope Beckles replaced Robinson-Regis in the planning ministry.

A release on Tuesday said Robinson-Regis told those at the meeting, “It is important for citizens to view the HDC as working for them, in facilitating their need for shelter, whether it’s a mortgaged unit, rental or rent-to-own."

She said the same applies to structural issues encountered with allocated units. Homeowners and tenants alike, she added, must believe the HDC will act in their best interest to resolve issues in a timely and efficient manner.

"Further, the public must be made aware of the process involved in the allocation of public housing and the HDC must do its best to alleviate their level of frustration.”

Robinson-Regis met with the HDC team to get status reports on ongoing projects and developments, as well as works proposed by the corporation.

Additionally, she sought to get a sense of the operational challenges the HDC was encountering in delivering its mandate.

MacFarlane and her divisional managers spoke at length of what they have been doing and said they will continue to do to improve the efficiencies of the corporation, so as to better serve their clientele.

The minister highlighted the need to keep potential clients updated on the status of their applications, from the issue of reference numbers to finding out the kind of housing unit for which they may qualify.

She believes once the public understands the process, their level of frustration will be lessened.

She was updated on projects particularly in relation to digital transformation, as the HDC will soon be unveiling electronic fund transfer and the e-tender platforms which will reduce the need to physically visit HDC offices.

MacFarlance told the minister of plans to promote various initiatives with multi-media campaigns, so that existing as well as potential clients, will have a better appreciation of what they can expect going forward.

Robinson-Regis reiterated that the HDC must ensure that citizens are kept at the forefront of their work, so that the quality of construction is of the highest standards, and the treatment to citizens is of the highest quality, making interaction with the HDC a positive experience.

She promised the HDC her support in finding solutions to the issues at hand. She also promised to meet with the HDC managers to work on strategies to address the financial constraints of the company which have adversely affected timely payments to contractors, the quality and cost of construction and the way forward in treating with contractors whose work sometimes requires costly remedial intervention.

Also at the meeting were Minister in the Ministry of Housing Adrian Leonce, Permanent Secretary Claire Davidson-Williams, deputy permanent secretaries Nirmala Ramlogan and Walda Dottin-Matthew and HDC divisional managers.