Monday, August 20 2012

A pregnant mother of two is appealing to the Housing Development Corporation (HDC) to find her a home before she is forced to live on the streets.

Arlene Phillip, 32, visited Newsday’s offices in Port-of-Spain, last week, to share her story.

Phillip explained that five years ago, she lived at an apartment in El Socorro but was left homeless after an electrical fire destroyed her home. She also lost her three-year-old daughter in the fire and was still traumatised by the entire incident.

“After that I just could not catch myself, I was crying all the time and I was so depressed so I never really took the time to reach out to HDC myself to see what could be done for me,” she said.

She said after the fire, good Samaritans reached out to her and placed her in a home in San Juan but the owners intend to renovate and they informed her she will need to find a new place before the end of the year.

“So now here I am hoping that I can get something for me and my family because we can’t survive on the streets. In four months I will have my third child and I need to find somewhere before then,” she said.

Phillip said she was currently receiving social welfare and hoped she will be able to get a home she could afford.

“I am receiving welfare and I hope whatever home I can get I will be able to afford it because things are hard for me right now so I really hope I can get any kind of help,” she said