Squatters: Wallerfield is our home

In an interview at Newsday’s, Chacon Street office, Barclay said she has been living in a one room structure, approximately seven by nine feet, at Jacob’s Hill for the past two months. An area that is void of both electricity and running water, she said. Prior to moving, Barclay said, she rented an apartment at Pinto Road, Arima but could no longer afford the rent.

One month ago the Land Settlement Agency (LSA) issued letters to Barclay, along with several other families squatting on the same piece of land, informing them that they were to vacate state lands within 30 days from the date of issue. A second letter was issued after the occupants neglected to comply with the directive and the LSA threatened to take necessary action to remove the structures without any further notice.

She told Newsday five structures were torn down a few weeks ago, but she believed, she was spared, because at the time she was not at home.

Barclay, who claims she suffers from diabetes and other medical complications, said although she has been an illegal occupant at Jacob’s Hill, she currently has no other place to stay.

She added if the LSA tears down the only place she can call home, she would have to sleep on the streets.

Barclay is pleading with the government and the LSA to grant her and her neighbours certificates of comfort or homes at a new housing project currently under development in the Wallerfield area.