NRPB Director Claret Connor (sitting right) responding to the concerns expressed by attendees during the launch, while Ombudsman Gwendolien Mossel (standing) looks on.
Ombudsman Gwendolien Mossel speaks to attendees during the launch of the short film on Friday.
PHILIPSBURG–Some persons who were affected by Hurricane Irma, who attended Friday’s launch of a short film by the Ombudsman Bureau about the pace of home repairs, in which they were featured, got a bit emotional during the event.
Some of the attendees shed tears as they passionately spoke about the snail’s pace of the home repair project and the criteria, which many felt are out of their reach. “When are were going to get help,” one person emotionally asked. Some of the persons who were featured in the video are still living under tarpaulins and still get wet whenever it rains, two years after the devastating hurricanes. Some of the frustrated residents took the opportunity of the film launch to have their voices heard and express their frustration.
The film was produced to complement the Ombudsman Bureau’s “Home repair. A revelation of a social crisis,” report.
Many of the persons who were featured in the video attended the viewing as well as representatives of some of the organisations interviewed including National Recovery Programme Bureau (NRPB) Director Claret Connor, St. Maarten Housing Development Foundation (SMHDF) Director Helen Salomons, St. Maarten Anti-Poverty Platform and Consumers Coalition representatives Raymond Jessurun and Alberto Bute; Dr J Enterprises and St. Maarten Development Fund (SMDF) Programme and Development Manager Makhicia Brooks. Former Ombudsman Dr. Nilda Arduin was also in attendance.
The film depicts the challenges that persons are still going through, two years after Hurricane Irma. The Ombudsman expressed hope that the report and the film will prompt government to act upon the concerns of the people.
Earlier this year, Ombudsman Gwendolien Mossel and her team embarked on an initiative to reach out to the public, in particular the most vulnerable in society. Over the past months, with the assistance of community councils, town hall meetings were held in Dutch Quarter, Philipsburg (Down Street), Cay Hill, South Reward, Belvedere and St. Peters. The objective of the town hall meetings was twofold: to spread awareness about the institution of the Ombudsman and for persons to share their personal experience relating to roof and home repair as result of the damage caused by Hurricane Irma. Following the town hall meetings, a number of residents signed up to be interviewed.
The comprehensive report is a culmination of these interviews as well as information received from various stakeholders regarding the various roof and home repair projects.
In the report entitled: “Home Repair. A revelation of a social crisis,” the Ombudsman concludes that the slow pace of home repair reveals and compounds the already weak social infrastructure.
In the report, the Ombudsman also touches on the lack of social and affordable housing in the country and the challenges of the SMHDF, the transitional shelter and the need for improved post disaster planning.
Improving the pace of home repair in the country and reviewing the eligibility criteria for home repair taking extenuating circumstances into consideration were amongst a list of recommendations Mossel provided in the community outreach report. Also recommended in the report is the need for proper data gathering and analysis in terms of the population, especially regarding the elderly and other vulnerable persons on which effective planning and policies can be based. The report also recommends that there should be better controls and coordination by government on (international) organisations executing repair works to ensure the quality of the work carried out; the national ordinance on financial assistance must be reviewed and adjusted to tackle the challenges that persons currently face when transitioning from a temporary shelter/housing back into society and the need for affordable housing must be addressed with absolute urgency.
While this is primarily the task of the SMHDF, government has an equally important role based on international human rights law, specifically the right to adequate housing.
The final report is available via download on the Ombudsman’s website:
www.ombudsmansxm.com under the “reports and articles” tab. The short film complements the report, The film is available via the Ombudsman’s Facebook page and via the Bureau’s YouTube channel: Ombudsman SxM Sint Maarten.
Source: The Daily Herald https://www.thedailyherald.sx/islands/92008-emotions-run-high-at-launch-of-short-film-on-pace-of-home-repairs
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