PHILIPSBURG:— St. Maarten Housing Development Foundation Director Helen Salomons took note of correspondence received from law firm Hoeve & Rogers with some frustration, the law firm having been contracted by various SMHDF tenants in their Belvedere community. She laments what she classifies as an unfortunate disregard for personal responsibility and the underlying ‘cultural’ practice of favor-for-family, both of which have had a significantly negative impact on SMHDF’s efficiency and effectiveness over the course of the last decade.
“We at SMHDF are faced with the very real reality,” Salomons states, “that we have tenants who ignore direct communication, both written and verbal, deny us access to properties we actually own and refuse to pay the required rental fees, some for as long as six years.”
This, she states, has only led to delays regarding in particular, the repairs to damaged homes following the passing of Hurricane Irma.
“Instead of cooperation and collaboration, what we have seen is the stated behaviors taking place and then the same tenants take the foundation to court for what they claim is our lack of attention towards their repairs. Twelve tenants could have started these repairs on their own, in accordance with the court case verdict earlier this year.”
Salomons cites the recent Court of First Instance ruling wherein twelve tenants were given permission to pay only 25% of their rent until such time as repairs to their homes were completed. These repairs were to be funded by the tenants directly, taken from the 75% of their rent that they were permitted to keep by the Court. To date, approximately 15 months after Hurricane Irma, it appears to SMHDF that none of the tenants involved in this initial court case have not complied with the court’s instruction. To make matters worse, only one of these tenants has been complying and paying 25% of their rent to the foundation.
“The lack of repairs is an assumption from our end, of course,” Salomons continues. “We have not been allowed access to the homes of approximately 58 individuals, one of whom is not a tenant, to properly assess what repairs, if any, have been made since Irma. It is almost as if the tenants want to continue paying just 25% of their rent for a lifetime, which of course is not the purpose driving the Court’s ruling. So perhaps the Court, and involved law firms, should investigate the true motivation behind the tenants’ filings.”
It must be noted that SMHDF’s experience in the post-Irma world highlights several long-running issues that the foundation has been struggling with since its inception. SMHDF was established in 1996 as a response to the need for social housing targeted at low-income individuals within the community. It was meant to be a springboard toward long-term home ownership to allow for there to be a continuous cycle of renters, as individuals and their incomes developed. However, Salomons states that through various actions taken by her predecessors, previous board members and previous Commissioners/Ministers of VROMI, SMHDF is at serious financial risk as it prepares to enter into 2019.
“It is a vicious cycle,” Salomons says. “Court-appointed Marshals have delayed execution of certain verdicts in cases we have had against tenants not paying rent for over five years. Former Minister Emmanuel went so far as to call a halt to our cases or to the Marshals. The rent on our properties is already significantly lower than it should be to accommodate our maintenance and emergency situation funding. We are of the sad belief that many tenants are trying to delay repairs to force the value of their home to go down as the property deteriorates and thus be ‘given’ the home. SMHDF is not going to allow this to occur, as it goes against the very principles on which the foundation was started. There must be some personal responsibility taken with regards to the delays of the repairs.”
Salomons concluded her statement by expressing thanks to those tenants who have shown a commitment to communication and collaboration with the St. Maarten Housing Development Foundation, stating that this is the only way the true and full post-Irma recovery can actually progress. As mentioned in previous releases, large-scale repairs will commence in January after the usual construction holiday.
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Source: St. Martin News Network http://www.smn-news.com/st-maarten-st-martin-news/30848-smhdf-director-queries-lack-of-personal-responsibility-misrepresentation-of-facts.html
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