TRADE-OFF: Govt could rebuild Abaco rental homes on condition of controlled rental rate

Affordable housing and high cost of living cited as hindrances for teachers to return to hurricane-stricken island

NASSAU, BAHAMAS — North Abaco MP Kirk Cornish said on Wednesday that there have been high-level discussions about the government assisting apartment complex owners who lost homes in Hurricane Dorian, with a condition to offer a low rental fee for residents as a trade-off.

This comes as Abaconians face high rental costs more than two years after deadly Hurricane Dorian destroyed thousands of homes on the island.

Cornish was responding to concerns raised by several parents about the high cost of living, namely accommodations on the island and the need for the government to intervene, during a parent-teacher association meeting on Wednesday.

Cornish said those concerns are at the forefront of the government’s attention.

“I want you to know that the rent situation here on Abaco has not escaped the government’s attention,” Cornish said at Friendship Tabernacle Church.

“We’ve had the minister of housing here, social services and we are fully aware of the Airbnbs.

“Some conversations took place about that — how [to] regulate it and how do we control it.

“There are also conversations about affordable homes…because there was a large population of Abaco that depended on renting.

“A lot of homes were destroyed, but a lot of apartments were destroyed and the DRA (Disaster Reconstruction Authority) yesterday indicated that they would assist because a lot of persons want to come here, but don’t have a home here.

“They indicated [they would] assist persons who would have lost their apartment complexes, and a part of the conversation was how do we give them benefits from assisting them in restoring their apartments or rebuilding their apartments.

“…One of the suggestions was — because it would perhaps be government or privately-funded — would be to include a low rental fee, control the amount that you would charge persons to rent as a payback…because we just can’t build the apartments for free, because it’s a business.”

The rent is ridiculous and for parents, some parents who are not working, I mean all your money is basically going to rent if you don’t have a home.

– Concerned parent

During the meeting, Samantha Sulley, a former janitress at Central Abaco Primary School, said living accommodations for teachers remains a challenge on Abaco, preventing many of them from returning.

She recommended accommodations be constructed for teachers.

“The rent here is extremely high,” she said.

“We have some places now where they’re asking $2,000 per month.

“You’ve got one bedrooms going for $1,500.

“As teachers, how could they even survive with the salary that they have now?”

Another parent expressed concerns about the high rent on Abaco and asked if the government could regulate it.

“The rent is ridiculous and for parents, some parents who are not working, I mean all your money is basically going to rent if you don’t have a home,” she said.

“If you can’t pay rent, you can’t pay for your children to go to school and education is costly because basically parents have to pay for everything except a tuition — like, you would have to pay for book and everything for your child.

“Looking at that, it would relieve some of the stress off the parents because it is very, very expensive here on Abaco to live — daily and to have to pay rent at $2,000, $1,500 a month.”