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FREEPORT, Grand Bahama Island, The Bahamas – On May 4, 2022, the Honourable Lisa Rahming, Minister of State for Social Services and Urban Development, officially launched the revolutionary Small Home Renovation Program in Grand Bahama.
In making the announcement, Minister Laming said they described the scheme as “revolutionary” because it not only covers roof repairs done by the previous government but also other aspects of the home. The Minister said it was important to note that inspections of applicants’ homes showed that some of the necessary home repairs were not limited to the roof.
She said the areas will receive immediate attention as Grand Bahama and Abaco were devastated by deadly Hurricane Dorian in 2019. Existing funding comes from $2.6 million from the previous budget and will be used until the new budget is in place. Leading the North Bahamas team are Senator Kirkland Russell (Deputy Director of Urban Renewal, Grand Bahama), Kyle Stuart (Project Manager), Rashema Delva (Building Inspector) and Ramadan McKenzie (Inspector).
The team will be based on the islands and familiarize themselves with the issues facing them. Urban Renewal has received 2,500 applications from Grand Bahama, Abaco and Bimini, and the minister asked people to be patient as the process is two-tiered: “We have a subcommittee that first looks at the applications, and then we have a final committee that consists of the chairperson, the project manager and all those people.” She went on to say that as Minister of State for Urban Renewal, she is not on any committee and has no say in who gets what contract or whose house gets rehabilitated.
“I want you to know that this is a fair process, which is why we have two committees.” Minister Laming noted that the Disaster Reconstruction Authority (DRA) is also working on the home rehabilitation project, but as a more expansive program: while the cap for urban renewal is currently $10,000, the DRA program is higher.
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Urban Renewal Chairman Stephen Dean was also at the meeting and said the goal is to make people proud of their neighborhoods. He said they shouldn’t have to live in an area just to make their home look nice, so if they fix the roof and find other areas that need improvement, they can continue to make repairs to the property, including painting, landscaping and fencing. He said if a lot of work has been done, they will put up a sign saying it’s another Urban Renewal project.
Mr. Dean added that they will hire small contractors who may have been out of work for a while. Qualification requirements for these contractors include being Bahamian, having a business license, having a tax compliance certificate and showing proof of past work.
“We are trying to help the little boy as much as we can because a lot of people are hurting,” he said.
Grand Bahamas Minister, the Honourable Ginger Moxey, described the day as a “fantastic day” and said reconstruction and recovery are the main objectives of the Blueprint for Change. I am delighted that the residents of Grand Bahama are also pleased that the plan has been launched.
Senator Kirkland Russell said the Department of Health has allowed them to go to residents’ homes to assess their needs and “today we begin providing this compassionate relief.”
He added: “We want to say we are here for you and we intend to improve the happiness of the residents of Northern Bahamas.”
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