Affordable Housing
In
a Tribune article dated Monday, 28th
October, 2019, written by Youri Kemp, Top Realtor Mario Carey founder of Better
Homes and Gardens Real Estate laments that there is not enough
affordable Housing in the Bahamas. He
stated that “the cost of owning the Bahamian Dream of having your own home is
far outpacing the majority of Bahamians because in today’s economy affordable
housing just does not exist.” “Incomes in the Bahamas can’t keep up with
inflation, the cost of living, increases in VAT/taxes, lack of access to
capital for the business community along with a high unemployment rate in
addition to the lack of diversity in housing inventory, all speak to people’s
inability to buy a house.” According to
Carey, industry professionals report that the demand for affordable housing is
higher than the supply. Housing
especially in New Providence is a major issue as more and more families find
themselves locked out of the market.
Many
working class Bahamians have a difficult time securing decent housing
consequently, some of these families live in sub-standard or squalid
conditions. Others live in crowded homes
with relatives or friends with limited privacy, increasing the probability of
abuse for both women and children. This
is of particular concerns to single mothers as 47 percent of poor households
are headed by females and women also make up 52 percent of the poor (Department
of Statistics). Therefore, one of the
ways we can impact the poor, and improve the living situation for many working
class families is to address the need for affordable housing.
The
Ministry of Housing has a Low Cost Housing Programme, but, these homes are
still out of the reach of many as they cannot afford the down payment. Therefore in order to meet the needs of the
people, I think it’s time for the government to begin to explore alternative housing
programmes. I would
suggest that the government re-institute the Rebirth Housing Project, firstly, these
homes were cheaper and the down payment was less. Perhaps there may also be a need to increase
the amount of Government Rental Units or investigate the possibility of
programs such as rent to own. This would
help many families as the monthly rent they currently pay is equal to what many
home owners pay in mortgages. We must
also look at cheaper building materials to reduce the cost of home construction. This is a challenge because the country is in
the hurricane belt but, we can have a strong building code without pricing average
Bahamians out of the market, we just have to look for better, more affordable
and sustainable solutions.
Affordable
housing is not solely about building a structure that people can afford, it is
also about ensuring that the vast majority of residents have a safe place to
live. The primary goals should be about
ensuring that ordinary people can enjoy a decent standard of living. Unfortunately,
many children experience eviction numerous times and move from place to place
because their parents cannot afford the rent.
Some are no stranger to homelessness resorting to things like sleeping in
cars or abandoned houses until they find decent accommodations. These children are often angry and frustrated
because they don’t have a safe place to live on a consistent basis, they don’t have
the security of having a home.
The
issue of homelessness was also highlighted during the Covid 19 Crisis because
while we were told to stay home, many had no home. So there is a need in this country not only
for affordable housing, but emergency shelters for persons who have been
evicted, or in need of temporary accommodations.
Just
food for thought.