THE Democratic National Alliance (DNA) candidate for Englerston, Stephanie Lightbourne, began her community clean-up effort to enhance several homes and properties in the area on Saturday.

With an estimated $20,000 value, the campaign has sought to renovate three specific homes and several vacant properties reported to be in states of disrepair.

According to Ms Lightbourne, ratified as the DNA’s standard bearer in Englerston last month, areas of focus include the Cordeaux Avenue, Washington Street and Podoleo Street neighbourhoods.

Ms Lightbourne indicated that her team identified one property in particular while canvassing the community as a part of their campaign exercise. She said the property, on the corner of Podoleo Street and Cordeaux Avenue, was supposedly used as a dump site following the passage of Hurricane Matthew last year.

She added that her team had planned to clean and restore the property to its original state but were pre-empted by actions by the area’s current MP, Minister of Transport and Aviation Glenys Hanna Martin. Subsequently, the team decided to redirect resources and manpower to other properties in the community identified as “locations needing help”.

“We pushed forward and turned our energy to other sites that needed attention and got those on the roster to be addressed,” Ms Lightbourne said. “The team identified three homes that were in a serious state, belonging to persons that can not address the problems themselves. We started the first this weekend and intend to continue until we complete all three homes and clean-up the various properties we have identified.”

Ms Lightbourne told The Tribune that her team is being assisted by several business in the Englerston area with building supplies and by skilled workers from the community.

“This isn’t a effort for notoriety or political gain, we are just trying to step into a gap that exist and help where we can,” she added.