By EARYEL BOWLEG

Tribune Staff Reporter

ebowleg@tribunemedia.net

HOUSING and Urban Renewal Minister Keith Bell said of the New Providence homeowners who sought help with repairs from the government, more than 300 homes are in “dire” need of repairs.

To qualify for home repairs, applicants must have proof of property ownership and proof of citizenship and must fall within the economic status requirements of the programme.

Mr Bell conducted a walkabout yesterday through the Carmichael constituency, assessing homes as part of the Small Homes Repairs Programme.

Senior citizen Cynthia Monroe told him her roof was repaired in November, only for a fire to damage the back of her home just before Christmas. She had been in the home for about 30 years.

She has been moving from house to house since, staying with her children.

The minister anticipated repairs on her home would start within two weeks and cost somewhere near $30,000.

He said the woman lacked insurance, adding that Prime Minister Philip “Brave” Davis has spoken about creating “some form of insurance for these types of cases.”

Another resident, Cypriana McDonald, said she is dealing with a termite infestation in her home.

She said the problem began seven years ago in the home she has lived in for 50 years.

Mr Bell emphasised the importance of the home assessments.

“The idea is to look and assess these homes and give a comprehensive, thorough inspection, and then we go from there,” he said. “Now, this particular house, as you would have seen, the roof is infested with termites. The idea is to ensure that when we go in, that we deal with all of the problems; in this particular case, with the issues of termites, to treat those to ensure that when we do repair the roof, we don’t have the reoccurrence of the problem and we minimize that.”