By Sue-Ann Wayow

PROPOSALS are being made to have the elderly and extremely disabled citizens have access to housing specifically designed to suit their physical needs.

On Thursday, Minister of the People, Social Development and Family Services (MPSDFS) Vandana Mohit met with Housing Minister David Lee to discuss the possibility of a strategic collaboration to provide fully accessible and outfitted housing solutions for persons with extreme disabilities and the elderly across Trinidad and Tobago.

“This important initiative, once formalised, will be facilitated through the Housing Development Corporation (HDC) and aims to identify and develop housing units (houses and apartments) that are purpose-built to accommodate the unique needs of persons with disabilities. These homes will be located in communities under the remit of the HDC and designed with accessibility, safety, and comfort,” the ministry stated in a  media release on Friday.

In addition to supporting persons with disabilities, the initiative also proposes to address the housing needs of vulnerable elderly citizens, providing safe, affordable and appropriate living conditions for those in need.

The ministry stated that the initiative aligned with the government’s people-focused, broader goal of expanding subsidised and affordable housing, ensuring that no citizen was left behind, in pursuit of a better quality of life for all.

Also attending that meeting from the Social Development Ministry were Parliamentary Secretary Dr Natalie Chaitan-Maharaj, Permanent Secretaries Ryan Ramcharan and Wendy Guy-Hernandez (MPSDFS) and a team of senior technical officers.

Minister in the Ministry of Housing Phillip Alexander, as well as the  Housing Ministry Permanent Secretary Shanmatee Singh-Ng Sang and other technical staff was also present.