ILLEGAL occupants in Housing Development Corporation (HDC) homes will be “removed” and any regularisation of such squatters has been placed on hold, Housing Minister David Lee said yesterday
In a brief statement via WhatsApp, Lee said he met with the board of directors of the HDC and “we had discussions on the issue”.
He said at the end “there are different reasons why some individuals are occupying HDC homes, but there are some who are actually occupying it by breaking into the homes”.
“Any policy change of regularising individuals is on hold after my meeting with the board,” the minister said.
He added, “Any individuals who have occupied homes illegally will be removed.”
In a newspaper report last week, HDC chairman Feeroz Khan said the HDC was looking to regularise people illegally occupying HDC properties.
Khan said the corporation was moving to recover lost revenue, with some 1,000 properties under illegal occupation at this time.
Khan applied a minimum value of $500 million in rent and mortgages being lost.
He said the HDC’s first move on encountering illegal occupation was to process whether the occupant qualified for a mortgage and could pay for the property.
Khan’s statements caused public anger, and the Government was accused of supporting lawlessness.
Lee later said he was unaware of any changes to the HDC’s policy regarding illegal occupants.
He said no such discussions had been held with him as line minister, and any policy changes regarding squatters would have to go through the Cabinet.
Former housing minister, Trincity/Maloney MP Camille Robinson-Regis, also called “political hypocrisy” on any policy to regularise HDC squatters.
Contacted for comment yesterday, Khan said he was in a meeting and would address the matter later on.
Not fair
A number of people told the Express yesterday they have waited years to be allocated an HDC home and considered the regularisation of any illegal occupants to be unfair.
One Enterprise resident said she applied for a home nearly 15 years ago and was still waiting.
She said it was “hurtful” to see people from outside the community and those waiting a shorter time receiving homes in the Enterprise and Central areas.
Similarly, several people said they have waited over a decade and have seen governments change.
They questioned when the HDC would build enough housing to meet demand, with one 53-year-old taxi-driver saying: “People are waiting years and years. People who came and applied after are getting through, and they are not building enough houses. It’s thousands of people waiting years; it is not fair to give the houses to squatters.”
