PHILIPSBURG:--- Homeowners and tenants living Belvedere gathered at the basketball field Tuesday night to discuss a way forward since they are not getting the help they need to have their homes repaired.
On Wednesday SMN News asked the Minister of VROMI Christopher Emmanuel if he was aware of the gathering and if he told the tenants that government really cannot help them since the SMHDF is a foundation. Minister Emmanuel said that he never told any of the tenants that government cannot do anything, he said government is limited in some ways and while he agreed that there is a lot of things going wrong with the management of SMHDF he is busy seeking advice from the Council of Advice and other legal minds as to how he could remove the civil servants that are sitting on the board of the SMHDF. He said there are severe issues on the management of the foundation. Emmanuel said that he intend to do something about the situation which he is not ready to speak about yet. He said he is disappointed with the civil servants he asked to vacate their position. He said he also intends to speak with the current director, but he does not know if speaking to the director will help the situation. He said one thing he knows he could do is to remove the board members with a little bit more haste.
The Minister said on several occasions said the tenants have to endure a lot in their leaky homes or cracked walls and the living conditions are not at all acceptable.
