The dream of every Barbadian is to own a piece of the rock. Your home for most persons represents your single largest investment and your major asset. The Democratic Labour Party (DLP) has always recognized and been guided by the philosophy that when you create a society of home owners you have created a solid foundation for economic empowerment and wealth creation. The National Housing Corporation (NHC) was established on April 1st 1973 by the Democratic Labour Party (DLP). The DLP has always viewed the NHC’s responsibility as one of providing access to housing for Barbadians from all walks of life and helping Barbadians fulfill their dream of “owning a piece of the rock” and having an asset they can use as security for a business and something they can pass on to their children.
The DLP’s commitment to housing was clear from the outset and during the DLP administration of 1962 and 1976, 3,539 housing solutions of one, two and three bedrooms were provided. Of these housing solutions, 2,714 were constructed for low and middle income earners. We developed Eden Lodge, Friendship Terrace, Wildey Terrace, Lodge Terrace and Wanstead. This commitment has continued and in 1989 alone, the then DLP administration provided 186 masonry houses, 30 timber, 12 terrace units, while 196 masonry were under construction. In addition, 118 housing solutions were completed under joint venture arrangements. As you will see later, the 1989 output alone was greater than the 594 housing solutions provided by the NHC over the fourteen years of the Owen Arthur led, BLP administration.
The records of the NHC indicate that in early 2008, soon after the current DLP administration assumed office, there were approximately 28,042 persons on the NHC’s waiting list. The NHC data further indicates that between 2003 and 2008 there was a 250% increase in the number of persons on the waiting list. This surge in the waiting list occurred despite a decade long construction boom, four high profile Ministers of Housing, a much publicized Primary Homes Program, a Settlement 2000 Program, a joint venture program launched in 2003, the aim of which was to provide 860 houses to primarily middle income earners. Of this only 147 were completed. As a matter of fact, Deans Town was launched in 2004 and not a single house was constructed. The Owen Arthur led BLP administration’s lousy record on housing continued with the Hardwood Housing fiasco and the vesting of 134 parcels of land spread over 30 constituencies ranging in size from 177.5 square meters to 111 828 square metres, but no houses being completed.
Of these 594 houses completed under the Arthur administration, 123 were constructed for relocation purposes and 181 were under construction when the BLP came to office. Even it we are generous and include the houses under construction, the Arthur administration’s record works out to 42 houses per year, and 10.5 houses per minister. Of course, Minister’s Farley‘s contribution was to sign a 99 year lease, 11 days before the last election, with Sapphire. Stay tuned, Minister Lashley will give full disclosure on this matter so that the Opposition leader Mia Mottley will have all the facts on the 99 year leases signed by the NHC during their tenure.
In two years, in the midst of the worst economic recession since 1933, and with limited financial resources available to the NHC, Minister Michael Lashley (on the job full time) has completed 515 housing solutions. Terrace units at (Country Park Towers[56], Tweeside[20], Sayes Court[4] and Clapham[16]). Houses at (Work Hall [44], March Field [31], Four Hill [42], Greens [51] , French Village[17] and Constant[64]) and Coverley [170] with 300 promised by year end. The NHC has already put out tenders for small contractors to build 122 houses in Parish Land St. Philip and 89 houses in Lancaster 1 and 2. Other solutions are at various stages of development and the nation will be made aware of these over the coming months. The fact is that to date, Minister Lashley’s completion rate is 8 times the rate of his predecessors. In other words for every one housing solution provided by the four BLP ministers, the current Minister is delivering approximately eight.
What can explain this dramatic difference in performance, between the DLP administration and the BLP administration? Why can Bajans now reclaim the dream of owning a piece of rock? Why can Bajans now dream, not just of being workers, but homeowners as well? The reasons are clear, while one party was focused on simply building an economy; the Democratic Labour Party is focused on building a society. We have placed people at the centre of our development agenda, a concept that upsets the Opposition.
During the period of the last BLP administration, ordinary Bajans were priced out of the housing market. Some persons had to resort to renting rooms (instead of a house), living at home, while others had to pay through their teeth for their homes. There are several reasons for this:
There was a dramatic increase in land prices over the 1994 to 2007 period. Mr. Owen Arthur is on record as stating that’s land must fetch its highest economic value, Bajans are now paying the price for this philosophy. Dame Billie Miller even felt that Barbadians were schizophrenic in their concerns when responding to concerns raised about land prices.
The exclusive focus of the Arthur administration on building condos, villas, and homes for the wealthy and the economic benefits from such, led to a surge in building costs to as high as between $400 to $600 per square foot on the west coast.
The exclusive focus of the Arthur administration on building condos, villas, and homes for the wealthy and the economic benefits from such, saw the construction sector almost completely ignoring the lower to middle income group. During the Arthur years there was simply no product being produced for lower and middle income persons in Barbados. This is the first time in years that we are seeing major housing projects aimed at the ordinary Barbadian and we do not apologize for it.
The DLP supports and welcomes foreign investment in our construction sector. However, the government is prepared to intervene aggressively in the housing market to ensure that while we get the economic benefits of the foreign investments, Barbadians can afford decent housing.
The DLP has conceived and is assiduously implementing a comprehensive range of housing solutions for Bajans. The solutions are not just aimed at the lower income group and the working poor created under the Arthur administration, but the new, landless and houseless middle class in Barbados. The solutions range from VAT relief for houses valued up to $400,000, $5/500 lots of land, rental units , starter homes , lower and middle income housing projects, a rent to own program, among other creative solutions.
The DLP is not interested in talking housing solutions. It is interested in finding housing solutions for Barbadians. This has led to creative public Private partnerships in the housing market. It is our intention to continue to work with interested partners to bring a mix of affordable housing options to Barbadians. There will be no compromising on quality and comfort. While the Barbados Labour Party seeks to create scandal, the Democratic Labour Party continues to build and create a home owner society.
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