Home Repair program

Private Home Repair

Hurricane Irma severely damaged Sint Maarten’s housing stock when it struck the country in September 2017. The hurricane’s violent winds and tremendous storm surge affected between 70% and 80% of the local housing sector, resulting in damage to the tune of approximately US $442 million.

Many of these houses belonged to low- and middle-income families, who largely lacked the means to rebuild their homes after the hurricane’s devastating blows. Instead, they used tarpaulins to block out the rain and used makeshift materials to board up broken windows and doors. Some homes were so damaged that the owners were forced to abandon them, leaving the structures to be inhabited by flocks of pigeons and other animals.

ERP-1’s home repair program sought to return the most vulnerable of these affected families to their homes. Through repairs to roofs, windows, and doors – as well as electrical, plumbing, and structural works for enhanced safety – the program has provided a safer environment safer environment for this segment of affected homeowners, following the “Build Back Better” principle.

As of August 1, 2022, exactly 160 private homes have been repaired through ERP-1, with work on an additional 18 private homes scheduled to start in the first quarter of 2023 under a new contract.

Category Private Home Repairs Private Home Repairs Private Home Repairs
Activity Pilot Project Phase 1 Phase 2
# of Homes 14 26 120
Status Completed Completed Active
Contract Sum US $0.7 million US $0.4 million US $7.8 million
Contractor Confident Construction B.V. Aluminum System B.V. LICCOM N.V.
Supervisor ILACO Suriname N.V. ICE Build Change / ILACO Suriname N.V.
Start Date July 4, 2019 September 30, 2019 July 20, 2020
(Projected) End Date February 2021 June 2020 August 2022

Social Home Repair

The home repair program has also directly repaired 109 social homes of the Sint Maarten Housing Development Foundation (SMHDF), while work on another 64 units of the so-called Belvedere Towers is currently underway. In addition to this, ERP-1 has provided retroactive financing for 160 units that were repaired by SMHDF immediately after the 2017 hurricane season.

Category Social Home Repairs Social Home Repairs
Activity Phase 1 Phase 2
# of Units 109 64
Status Completed Active
Contract Sum US $0.5 million US $5.5 million
Contractor Caines Construction & Systems B.V. LICCOM N.V.
Supervisor SMHDF ILACO Suriname N.V.
Start Date March 2019 January 2022
(Projected) End Date December 2019 December 2022