Commissioner Claudia Toet (centre) and Minister for Public Housing and Spatial Planning Hugo de Jonge (second right), with members of the Island Council and St. Eustatius Housing Foundation.
ST. EUSTATIUS--A letter of intent for the upgrading of social housing in St. Eustatius and the construction of new homes was signed by Minister for Public Housing and Spatial Planning Hugo de Jonge and Deputy Government Commissioner Claudia Toet on Tuesday.
The agreement calls for the renovation of 100 social rental homes between 2023 and 2025 and the construction of approximately 50 new homes by Bazalt Wonen.
Island Council members Rechelline Leerdam, Reuben Merkman, Koos Sneek, Adelka Spanner and Clyde van Putten, Director of St. Eustatius Housing Foundation Jacquil Pandt, administrative clerk Melissa Robins-Spanner and board members of St. Eustatius Housing Foundation and others were present for the signing.
Toet signed on behalf of the Public Entity St. Eustatius, Minister De Jonge on behalf of the Dutch ministry, Spanner signed on behalf of the Island Council, and Pandt signed on behalf of the Housing Foundation.
“This is a great step forward. It is not the last step, of course, because there is still a lot of work to be done, but it is an important first step because it will improve the lives of the people here on Statia,” Minister De Jonge said, adding that he had held “very good” discussions with the commissioners and the Island Council in the morning.
“We have a lot in common. We have set up an agenda for the coming years and I think it is a great opportunity for us to improve the situation here on the island. I am really willing to do my utmost to help realise that agenda,” he said.
Deputy Commissioner Toet responded by saying: “Let me say categorically how proud we are, together with the Island Council, Minister De Jonge and our partners to be taking this step together.”
She called the signing of the Letter of Intent “immensely important” for the residents of Statia. “Anyone who has seen the current state of social housing cannot help but recognise the need to repair and renovate these homes to make them truly liveable for the residents, and anyone who needs one of these homes is familiar with the embarrassingly long wait on the waiting list. This is a tremendous challenge for a small island, where the level of poverty is an uncomfortable truth, everyone has to face. With over half of the residents living below the poverty line, and with house rental prices rising sharply in the Caribbean Netherlands, it is of great importance that households with a minimum income can continue to afford housing cost.”
Toet said: “It is imperative that we tackle poverty from different angles. We need to improve education and create employment opportunities. We need to provide necessary financial help and adopt an integrated approach for, and access to, relevant facilities and services.” Many of these recommendations are contained in a report on poverty among single parents and children in the Caribbean Netherlands, presented recently by the Ombudsman.
“With the upcoming financial contributions from the Netherlands, we aim to improve the living standards in Statia,” said Toet. The financial package will include support for social benefits and subsidies for water, electricity and information-technology connections.
Pandt said that this step has been an awfully long time coming. “We have been trying to reach this point for quite some time, and it is very nice that we are finally here and that all parties are willing to sign, so that we can move forward. This is not the final destination, but it is the first step in the right direction,” he said.
