John Culatto
A HOUSING group in Gibraltar has pressed the government for more rented homes after showing the responsible minister the ‘appalling conditions’ of some local residents.
Action for Housing showed Minister for Housing Steven Linares around five private flats and one government apartment so he could see for himself the plight of local residents.
The group has long campaigned for more rented accommodation for the poorest in society, especially among local residents from the Moroccan community.
Linares was accompanied in the visit by Gibraltar’s Principal Housing Officer.
They saw for themselves the cramped homes ridden with humidity and poor hygiene.
“What they observed was only a snapshot of a much wider reality and a situation which should not exist in a financially prosperous place like Gibraltar,” Action for Housing said in a statement.
The group said it appreciated the latest homes for pensioners and low-cost housing schemes.
But it added, ‘there is still a great deal to do in order to eliminate all those pockets in which people live in totally unacceptable conditions’.
“During our visits we were able to speak candidly with the Minister and urged him once again the need for government to provide more homes for rental to cater for the poorer members of our community.
“Without these extra number of flats, some of the people we visited, as well as others in the same predicament, will pass away (as has happened in the past) without having been able to enjoy a decent home in their twilight years.”
Action for Housing lamented that due to the short notice they were unable to send a TV crew on the visit.
The Gibraltar Government has a very good record on public housing, building over a thousand homes during the last 11 years in office.
It is now planning even more private and public homes as more land area has become available.
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