28 more Dominican families to receive new homes says PM Skerrit

View from Hillsborough Gardens, St. Joseph where the new homes are being built. Photo by Dick St. Jean

Prime Minister Roosevelt Skerrit has said that 28 families from Layou and St. Joseph will be receiving new homes at Hillsborough Gardens in St. Joseph by the end of June.

On Wednesday the prime minister led a Cabinet delegation to the construction site of the new homes.

He said the government plans to build 100 homes for the St. Joseph and Layou residents.

“The plan here is to build 100 homes for the residents of St. Joseph and Layou. In the next couple months, we will commence the construction of [an] additional 36 units which will be utilizing the apartment type structures because we have an issue of land space and as you recognize, the individual homes do occupy large pieces of land, so, we will be having a mixture of the housing interventions,” he said.

He added, “The intention is to acquire a lot of the lands in St. Joseph from private citizens to redevelop St. Joseph because the challenge you have is that there are many homes but everybody has a small plot of land and you have a challenge of sewage and building of the septic tanks to facilitate the disposal of the waste. So, you are never able to do what you truly want to do in St. Joseph where housing is concerned.”

Skerrit said this relocation of residents will redevelop St. Joseph to a more modern community.  

Parliamentary Representative for the St Joseph Constituency, Kelver Darroux said this project will have a significant impact on the livelihoods of these families.

“I’m indeed very happy as the member of parliament for the St. Joseph constituency to see this project materialize. This project did not happen over night. This is a project that was well thought of, well planned,” Darroux stated.

“It’s always important when you are able to raise the standards of living of anyone of your constituency,” he noted. “One of the challenges that we’ve faced is that of housing and these 28 homes that we are currently constructing will impact significantly on the livelihoods of the families who will benefit from these homes.”

Darroux said these homes are also being constructed as hurricane shelters for the residents.

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31 Comments

  1. Bring back the kidnapped Dominican parrots
    April 14, 2019

    The Chinese will own the new houses for their coming Chinese citizens in the New Chinese colony called the Chinese Peoples Overseas Providence of Dominica. Meanwhile yours truly will be living higher than a hog at his mansion in Florida smiling all the way to the local bank.

  2. EastCoastGirl
    April 14, 2019

    I will take the house if he offer it to me but I can’t vote for him anymore. Things are becoming clearer to me by the day. Our PM has betrayed us and our country.

  3. teacher.
    April 13, 2019

    But you could not repair the hospital that Ross university requested and repair the roads from Douglas Charles airport to Portsmouth. Ross left because of your obsession with yourself.

  4. Ibo France
    April 13, 2019

    A house is a necessity and nothing and nothing is wrong with government providing houses for people who are really in need of shelter. However, the manner and terms in which this current administration distributes these houses are very questionable. These houses are most definitely used as election bribes just like the free airline tickets given those Dominicans living in the diaspora to come home to vote. Without the certificate of ownership, the residents of these houses are not owners but mere occupants. What is the cost of each house, the monthly mortgage, etcetera. This is the Silly Season- strange things are happening.

  5. Lin clown
    April 13, 2019

    LaPlaine Observer,St.Joseph is one of the sure seats for the Labour Party ask Blessings.Labour built Hillsborough Gardens Housing Scheme before Hurricane.Your Lazy BlueBugs closed the Layou Five Star Hotel robbing the St.Joseph and Layou People of much needed jobs.The Labour Party is building villages all over Dominica for POOR people while you lazy BlueBugs sit and criticize.

  6. marcus
    April 13, 2019

    People need to know the money is not Skerrit’s money.A lot of money was given by international donors after Ericka and Maria.The country broke them thieves did a 19 years robbery on the country. I keep wondering if Dominica can pay back monies that was borrowed from China and the rest.May God help beautiful Dominica.

  7. The Bible Says so
    April 12, 2019

    So in lesson1, point #1, we see that God commanded man to work so he could feed his family and when Adam accepted food from Satan instead from his sweat, Adam and Eve fell. No doubt Skerrit has taken and is taking work from us especially from young men.
    2. We said Skerrit is destroying marriage with that housing of his. When he /or she ‘gets’ ‘their house’ there is no need to marry anyone. He or she feels free to rent their body because they got their house. In fact the house giver sometimes has his key
    3. It Promotes Laziness. Growing up as a young man I was eager to work so I could save money to build may house. Today very few of our young men have that goal. Nobody wants to work. In fact Skerrit is on record saying Dominicans don’t want to work.
    4. parents have no inheritance to live for their children. So young men not working they can’t build their house so they can live no inheritance for their children Proverbs 13:22. They can’t make a will it’s not their house

  8. The Bible Says so
    April 12, 2019

    It disturbs me to see how Skerrit destroying every responsibility God gave to man and the church saying nothing! let me point out how Skerrit is using his housing ministry to destroy God’s plan for man.
    1. Work. God gave man work before he gave him woman or even food to eat Gen 2:8-18 so much so that it is from his sweat he should work Gen 3:19. In fact God did not even build a house for Adam; he simply put him in the garden to work it. In fact it was when Adam accepted food from the serpent instead of food he provided he and Eve fell. It’s no secret with this housing ministry of Skerrit his obhective is to take work form us, especially young men so we could look to him.
    2. Marriage. With that housing ministry Skerrit is destroying Marriage and is indirectly promoting SEX RENTAL. When a man loves a woman he wants to marry her and build a house for her so they could raise their family. When the wife sees her house her husband build her even if they both worked, it reminds her of…

  9. Mary
    April 12, 2019

    I’m an American that loves Dominica. I don’t talk politics. But please PM Mr. Skerrit, if you are going to put people in apartment complexes, then please provide the people with some land for garden co-op or community gardens. Dominicans are people of the earth and Dominica is blessed with fertile land. Please don’t make American style projects. Nothing good will come of that. Bless you for helping people but don’t forget who your people are. Dominica Stromg…..

  10. LaPlaine Observer
    April 12, 2019

    People of Layou and St Joseph, don’t be fooled by Skerrit’s deception. It has been almost two years since the government received money to build houses for those who were affected. Just because election is approaching, now he is talking about building new homes. We have seen this movie for the past 18 years.

    • dee
      April 12, 2019

      I say
      lets change the constitution to facilitate election every year .
      that would eliminate ample time for any thieving , no wanna be God, no dependency on Dictator , no laundering , no special favours for and as rewards.
      Lets watch Dominica develop at a real pace .
      all ministers would be on their toes , no false promises, there would be accountability for the Country’s resources .
      No millionaire ministers on poor peoples backs .
      Watch Dominica develop at pace.

  11. Marlon
    April 12, 2019

    Gone are the days when hard working folks could afford to build their dream homes. This dlp cabal seem to have the majority of the population hooked on begging. These people don’t want to work! And the civil servants who work so hard can’t enjoy their tax dollars because skerrit busy giving it away or should I say throwing it away in houses for lazy people. Dominica seems like it under a spell!

  12. Who Owns The Houses?
    April 12, 2019

    Admin: I have heard that the houses are in fact not owned by the recipients. Can you verify for us please? Thanks

    ADMIN: We can confirm that ownership of the houses have been promised to the recipients but the certificates of house and land have not yet been issued. This process may take some time.

    • April 12, 2019

      If the promise to the recipients is fulfilled and they obtain ownership free gratis, Dominica’s “housing revolution” appears to run contrary to social housing schemes elsewhere in the world. Please correct me if I am wrong.

      For example: council houses in the UK are owned by the local authority. However, in recent years established tenants have been granted the right to buy their council house at a preferential rate.

  13. Just me
    April 12, 2019

    Nothing is wrong with assisting the people of the different area with housing. My question is who will be the owners of the properties. This is just nothing but elections gimmicks.. My people take what you get and vote them out. Dominicans are brought to this level . Unbelievable…

  14. April 12, 2019

    People across the Caribbean like to say that a particular party gave them a house when it was in Government, but the reality is the Government is only facilitating the acquisition. The recipient has to pay for the house, which means he or she, or the family should be generating enough money to be able to pay the mortgage and other related expenses. I can remember former US Senator and Presidential Candidate John McCain saying on the campaign trail that lots of people are house poor. Having said that, I recognize that owning a house should be paramount. It is a way of building wealth, and having a good paying job is needed; which means Government need to ensure that it creates an economic climate where good paying jobs are generated. This building of houses close to an election can be perceived as a political scheme to try and get votes.

  15. REAL!!!!
    April 12, 2019

    Ill planned Housing Development is all this GOVT knows to what end.
    What is sense of people living in these houses while they remain HUNGRY.

    Please, were is the Job Revolution which encompass long sustainable employment for the people of Dominica??

    Create the adequate environment for jobs we will build our own houses…WTH!!

  16. The Evangelist
    April 12, 2019

    Nothing wrong with helping people with a house but you cannot destroy their future and think when you build them a house with government money you are Jesus Christ to them. If you give me a choice between building a house for me and not amputating my hands and feet, I would definitely choose my hands and feet because with them I can work to build my house and be able to help my children’s future. When you take my ability to work from me, you have indirectly amputated me for life Mr. Skerrit. I want the people to see that because while Skerrit is using your money to build you a house, he is taking your work from you and destroying the present and future of Da. His children’s future are as bright as the stars. They are already rich with your money and they are Americans. So even if he destroys your Dominica he really does not care. So please “O LORD, I pray, open the eyes of the people of Dominica that they may see the wicked Ahab & Jezebel like plans of Skerrit

  17. The Evangelist
    April 12, 2019

    2 Kings 6:17 “O LORD, I pray, open his eyes that he may see ” And the LORD opened the servant’s eyes and he saw”
    Lord I pray that you open the eyes of Dominicans so that they could see Roosevelt Skerrit is deceiving them while he destroys the future of their children and children’s children.
    I grew up in poverty and I saw how my parents worked hard and sacrificed to raise 13 of us in the 60’s. they were not educated and couldn’t work for government. But they planted their gardens, and their bananas, sold ferine and their straw hats to help keep a roof over our heads until hurricane David came in 1979 and demolished our house. By then some of us were educated thanks to mom and dad and had good jobs. They were able to take loans and built a good house for us. They didn’t have much to leave for us but sure left us a foundation to build on. Today Skerrit destroyed that foundation and left today’s parents totally dependent on him so that he could stay in power, while their…

  18. Maybe
    April 12, 2019

    All you do PM is encourage laziness create jobs or let them no there is a monthly payment you need to stop wasting hard working tax payers money skerrit you and your cabal need to go lazy

  19. I Still Red
    April 12, 2019

    So since building homes seems to be the ONLY vision of Skerrit, what if we don’t get a hurricane the next 5 years, will Dominica be a better place? We had two very bad storms back to back, in 2015 & 2017, and I have no problem with the government helping the people. But the truth is you cannot continue to amputate the hands and legs of the people uselessly, except for personal gain, and when you use their passport money to build them a house you feel mission accomplished and the people owe you a vote. It’s none sense man because we have a country to build. You taking the jobs of the people and send them to Barbados, China and other places. You met us with Ross University that had thousands of us employed and you and your Bajan advisors sent it to Barbados. If what you did to us was done by the PM of Bados or any Caribbean island, that PM would not even have to wait for election to kick him out! You destroyed our bananas, coconuts, even our Parrots we lost under your watch.

  20. jamie
    April 12, 2019

    Fool them, senjoe young men are too lazy and need to go find jobs,and Skerrit your not helping,esp the young men hooked on drugs on the back road,what a shame,once such a vibrant community.

  21. %
    April 12, 2019

    Hope you don’t disrespect the St Joseph people, if you know that you have made them poor, by telling them to keep your corrupt DLP in the houses ..Many Petite Savanne people are still enraged at your heartless and inconscionable character towards people who almost perished by the forces of nature,and we’re highly traumatised.You should be overwhelmingly rejected at the polls by those people. Do you know that those people already had their homes??
    Skerrit Must Go
    Skerrit Must Go
    LAZY Skerrit Must Go Now

  22. RandyX
    April 12, 2019

    Skerrit, stop your madness with this house giving bonanza. We know it’s nothing more than vote buying and rewarding loyal DLP supporters. Dominica needs at least 3 modern hospitals, one in Godwill, one in Marigot and one in Portsmouth. Furthermore the nurses and public workers need to be paid properly.

  23. Willeb
    April 12, 2019

    Buildings cannot help with those who are unable to help themselves. We are sick 😷 and we cannot get help no hospital no health centers. Do something positive.

    • Karl Orndem
      April 12, 2019

      No jobs. when you cannot even maintain the house they giving you. what will happen to it? Ghetto

  24. Inquiringminds
    April 12, 2019

    But them two houses that are being built in Roseau North since February 2018 can’t finish up to this day and not nothing much they remain to do.

  25. Progit
    April 12, 2019

    Just give house for free acording to asa your dam ***. How can this man say that he is responsible? I not against the giving of apartments to the qualifIED persons.. but how can a governemnt just give young peopel who can work house for free.. so no one contributing a dime to the public purse? ?? What kiND of madness is that? So nothing going back to the treasury? But how will Dominica develope with that type of practice?

  26. John
    April 12, 2019

    And I am here struggling and my name not on the least… bias set of people!!! Is for I need set alone…

    • Karl Orndem
      April 12, 2019

      May God bless you John. Hopefully you will see your way through.

  27. DA Love
    April 12, 2019

    Congratulations to the recipients.

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