The Central Planning Authority has rejected an application to use trailers as halfway homes for recovering addicts and people with mental health issues.
The Bridge Foundation* applied to the authority to install on a one-acre site in the District of West Bay in Grand Cayman three trailers, supplied originally by the United States Federal Emergency Management Agency, or FEMA, after Hurricane Ivan for people who lost their homes in the 2004 storm and subsequently used by Cuban migrants awaiting repatriation to Cuba.
In a meeting held on 15 August, the Central Planning Authority refused the planning permission, saying that trailer homes were “not consistent with the established character of the surrounding residential neighbourhood, which is that of permanent dwellings with a high degree of design reflective of the architectural traditions of the Island and a departure from this established character would unacceptably detract from the amenity of the area”.
Neighbours objected to the application, saying it would devalue their homes and make their properties more susceptible to hurricane damage.
“We feel that trailer homes will not be suitable for our small community, which is made up of extended family members,” an objection letter from neighbours read.
Cabinet Secretary Orrett Connor arranged for the foundation to have the three trailers, which are located next to Her Majesty’s Prison at Fairbanks. The trailers were to be used for housing women admitted to the foundation’s halfway house programme for recovering addicts.
Bud Volinsky, representing the Bridge Foundation, said he was disappointed the application had been turned down and the board was considering an alternative plan to provide additional halfway homes.
Mr. Volinsky said the plan to use the trailers as half-way homes began about four or five months ago and the foundation had hoped to gain permission to use the trailers because it did not involve any additional costs. “We had volunteers who were going to help out,” he said.
He admitted the trailers were in rough condition, but local service clubs had agreed to restore them.
Mr. Volinsky told the Central Planning Authority during the 15 August meeting that the programme would have reduced prison costs, as housing prisoners costs about $56,000 per person per year.
In its report to the authority, the Building Control Unit said the trailers did not meet the basic code requirements for institutional occupation.
The trailers most recently have been used to house Cubans who land illegally in the Cayman Islands because the Cayman Islands Immigration Detention Centre has fallen into disrepair and is considered uninhabitable.
Editor’s note: This story has been amended to reflect the correct name of the foundation making the planning application and further edited for clarity.
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Housing prisoners cost 56,000 per per per yr..Is the pool broke again??
So again Cayman is helping others while their own go down the tubes. If the Cubans can stay there why cant people who need a private place for recovery use them. Why let the dwellings sit there and deteriorate? The entire coastal area of the usa is loaded with these tyoes of trailers that people live in or use as vacation fishing homes, they are secured into the ground with metal tie straps and make for a nice get away. They are fit for long or short term living and many of them are fixed up quite cute with decks and awnings. I think Cayman needs to provide a shelter affordable shelter for battered women, drug rehabilitators, mental health recovery and so on. these trailers are not going to cause a distrubance in the style etc of West Bay come on mate have you seen what is in West Bay – West Bay needs cleaning up – if I were in tourism I would not allow tourist to come rolling through the ghetto of west bay ares to see the cayman lifestyle. But that is another issue. I say use the trailers for benefiting Caymanians and help us get our people back on track. If West Bay is too staunchy and thinks they are all that move the mobile homes (that is why they have wheels on them) to each district for a short amount of time to help those in need. These were a gift to help the country in our time of need. Why should we let them go to waste? Becasue cayman has so much money and we are wasteful that we can just let a perfectly capable resource lie there and rot. Planning get a grip – at least off a solution. These little homes can do a lot for a struggeling addict, abused woman, starving famillies. I am sure if Dart or Mr ryan wanted to do this it would go off without a hitch. Again snap out of it people and start looking out for our own. Institutional occupation…..this is to help keep people out of institutions besides where is the mental institution here in great flawless Cayman? Mental disorders are not selective as to who they touch no race, no incmoe status, no politacl connections can keep mental illnesses away – drugs….well we all know they are no respector of man either any race any class any one can be effected. Government you are in the dark ages. Again let’s provide for others while we let our own go down the tubes.
If I were Planning, I would have rejected the application too. Wanting to provide halfway homes is laudable. However, if you are occupying them with domestic abuse victims and drug addicts, then you need to address the security concerns. Let us say, hypothetically, that a husband tracks his estranged wife to a trailer, the ones in the photo appear to have only one means of entry and exit. What happens if he decides to bar the access points and set fire to it? The Cubans ought not to be in them either. It’s time we stopped doing Castro’s dirty work for him (free of charge no less) and quit flying them back to Cuba.
Catlover, we have to fly them back or else they will swamp this island. If you give one Cuban freedom, that one will call his family, and you will have to deal with giving more and more Cubans freedom. The government will get itself in a sticky situation where they will have to find the revenue to feed hundreds if not thousands of Cubans.
We don’t have the housing, the facilities, nor the monies to deal with hundreds and thousands of Cubans, therefore we have to fly them back as soon as they come. It is a sad situation, but that is the awful reality. And who will help us manage the Cubans we house when we can’t financially deal with them? Which country larger than us will reach a helping hand to manage thousands of Cubans when we need the help? I don’t think they will because cost and large numbers of them migrating is a concern to them as well.
The UN seems to not support keeping them.
Those mobile homes are not decent enough for a dog to live in them . They would be best suited for chickens or a new reef for lobsters to grow. We need to build homes like frank hall style 2 bedrooms 2 bath with the basic for the rehabs. I know these buildings could be built for 10,000 US dollars in the philippines. Why can’t they be built here by prisoners who have nothing to do in prison. The houses don’t have to be 8 inch block . It can be 4 inch filled with cement. The roof don’t have to be wood , it can be steel like angle iron. Thats how they build them there . They have hurricane type weather also. If you see these houses over there you would want one also.