ANYONE WHO illegally occupies Government housing will feel “the full weight of the law”.
This warning came from Minister of Housing and Lands Michael Lashley last Friday.
Lashley was commenting on the takeover of a National Housing Corporation (NHC) Unit by Keisha Brathwaite, a pregnant 21-year-old mother of two.
“Anyone who decides to occupy our housing units without permission will feel the full weight of the law . . . , ” he said.
“We decided not to involve the Royal Barbados Police Force (this time) but to go the civil route of asserting our rights under landlord and tenant law.”
Last Tuesday evening Brathwaite, who is seven months pregnant, moved her bed out of the unit in Barbarees Hill, St Michael and handed over the keys to NHC officials. She also expressed remorse about the actions she took.
She reported that officials had found her a unit in The Pine, St Michael.Lashley, as well as NHC officials, denounced her takeover of the unit and had warned of the possibility of prosecution.
“At this point in time the Welfare Department has given the assurance to pay the rent and that they are dealing frontally with the case,” the minister said on Friday.
“We don’t want to put two children on the streets [so] we decided that we will assist from that point of view.”
He added, however: “We are still asserting our rights in relation to the matter. We have some damage done to the door at the National Housing Corporation (unit) so we will still be asserting our rights.” (JS)