NA MP Anna Richardson.
PHILIPSBURG--National Alliance (NA) Member of Parliament (MP) Anna Richardson with the support of fellow MPs Solange Ludmila Duncan (NA) and Rolando Brison (independent), has issued a call for Ministry of Public Housing, Spatial Planning, Environment and Infrastructure VROMI interim Minister Christopher Wever to attend Parliament with Director of the St. Maarten Housing Development Foundation (SMHDF) Helen Gumbs-Salomon.
The MP wants an update on the status of repairs of SMHDF’s housing units in Belvedere, Hope Estate, 911 and the Red Cross Senior housing facility. Richardson is seeking answers to questions related to claims by residents that their living conditions are inhumane. Residents want information on the plan to fix their homes.
Residents, the MP said, are concerned about their health with mould infesting their homes and the hazardous environment that they, their children and seniors “are being forced to live in.
“All parties involved have their own perspective on the matters at hand. As such, it is imperative that a discussion be held to discover the bottlenecks and circumstances that may be playing a role in the delay of actions needed to be taken and progress being made,” Richardson said in a press release on Tuesday.
The meeting has been scheduled as an urgent public meeting and will convene this Thursday, January 23, at 12:00pm.
The goal is for government and the Foundation to provide information on the way forward to Parliament and residents of the public homes and senior facilities. “It is of high importance at this time, to gain an update on the plans in the pipeline to improve the living conditions of the residents and to identify what policies and/or procedures may be hindering the foundation from operating at an optimal level,” Richardson said.
