On Thursday, 21 November 2019, 33 homes were handed over to beneficiaries, including some of the residents from the emergency settlement of Blikkiesdorp as well as special needs beneficiaries, as part of the City’s The Hague Housing Project in Delft. These residents received the keys to their new homes and unlocked their life-long dreams of being homeowners as they unlocked their new front doors. The City’s Mayoral Committee Member for Human Settlements, Councillor Malusi Booi, was there to congratulate the new home owners and to hand over the keys to their State-subsidised Breaking New Ground (BNG) houses.
One of the beneficiaries was Mr Ashley Cornelius (43), a Blikkiesdorp resident with special needs.
Councillor Booi was joined by Ward Councillor Michelle Adonis (Ward 13) and Ward Councillor Xolani Ndongeni (Ward 106) to congratulate the 33 beneficiaries and welcome them to their new homes.
‘I am honoured to have been there to congratulate our beneficiaries on their new homes. It was meaningful to see the joy on their faces as we celebrated this memorable moment with them. Owning a home gives beneficiaries security and signifies the restoration of their dignity. We are pleased that we are able to share these moments with our beneficiaries and their families.
‘Going forward, it is important for our property owners to know that they are responsible for their homes. We therefore encourage them to make responsible decisions regarding their homes which includes maintenance and upkeep as well as ensuring the security of their assets for their loved ones by including it in their will,’ said Councillor Booi.
The selection of beneficiaries for housing projects is done in accordance with the City’s Allocation Policy and the City’s Housing Database to ensure that housing opportunities are allocated to qualifying beneficiaries in a fair and equitable manner that prevents queue-jumping.
‘The City is committed to empowering our most vulnerable residents as property owners so that they can have a place to call home.
‘As a caring City, it is important for us to ensure that the homes for our beneficiaries with special needs specifically cater for physical challenges so that their homes are more accessible to them and suitable to their needs. For this reason, their homes include a ramp leading to the front of the house, grab rails in the bathroom, sliding doors to the bathroom and lowered light switches to make it accessible to wheelchair-bound residents,’ said Councillor Booi.
Over the coming months, more qualifying beneficiaries will receive their own homes as part of the City’s commitment to provide 2 400 BNG houses in Delft.
The Roosendal housing project, which formed part of the first phase of development, was completed in 2016 and provided 288 beneficiaries with BNG housing opportunities.
‘It is pleasing to see that the construction of the Delft Housing Project is progressing well. Approximately 864 houses have been handed over out of the 2 112 housing opportunities that are planned for this part of the construction phase.
‘The City would like to assure beneficiaries of housing projects that they will be contacted when their houses are ready for occupation. It is therefore important for beneficiaries to ensure that their contact details are updated on the City’s housing database,’ said Councillor Booi.