Prime Minister Ralph Gonsalves says that the government expects Southern Grenadines residents whose homes have been repaired to return to their homes by the end of July.
He urged Southern Grenadines residents whose homes the government has repaired to move out of the rented accommodation that had been provided during the interim.
Thousands of people from the Southern Grenadines moved to St. Vincent after Hurricane Beryl damaged or destroyed 90% of the buildings in their archipelago on July 1, 2024.
Since then, the government and private entities have repaired a significant number of the homes in the Southern Grenadines.
“I want to make a plea to the 200 and something families, especially from the southern Grenadines, who are in touristic accommodation, … please, I’d like to see you go back, because we can’t fix up your home, and then you stay up here, and we continue to pay for you in a guest house or an apartment,” Gonsalves said.
He had noted that in addition to paying for the rent at the guest houses and apartments, the government was also paying for electricity and water.
“Some persons have gotten jobs up here, and they may wish to stay, but you’re going to get somewhere, because we have carried you for a whole year,” the prime minister said.
“Everybody knows that I’m very generous and have a big heart, and I always err on the side of helping, but everybody has to be reasonable.”
Gonsalves further said that the government has a problem in that a number of the people for whom the government were paying rent after they relocated to St. Vincent had also been renting in Union Island.
“… we fixed back the houses but the landlords don’t want to rent back those same people, but those people don’t have any land,” the prime minister said.
He said the government have identified some parcels of land between 1 and 1.5 acres each and would subdivide them and build houses for these people who are renting and do not have land.
“These are some of the problems of displacement,” Gonsalves said, adding, “Some of the owners of the properties want to rent them, I believe, in some cases, for more money.
“Complicated business, eh? Now, I’m not making any criticism of anybody. You notice I’m stating this as a matter of fact, as a problem which we have to solve,” the prime minister said.
“That’s how I address these things. I’m not taking any moral position on this or that, just a problem which requires solution. There are details. If you don’t have to deal with it, you wouldn’t — for instance, this one, you probably would not have thought about this. But it is a problem.”