Tent family gets new apartment

Following an exclusive story carried in Newsday’s Monday edition, Arnaud, 42, her son Joshua, seven, daughter Salome, 17, and Salome’s five-month-old daughter Weiling, were removed from their street side tent on Monday night and placed in a three-bedroom apartment at Aerides Extension in Orchid Gardens, Pleasantville. Arnaud and her family were living in the tent at St Joseph Street in San Fernando after being evicted from her apartment on June 14.

To compound matters, Social Services informed Arnaud on Sunday that her son who was hospitalised for the past two weeks after swallowing some tablets, would not be given back to her until a fixed place of abode was found.

When Newsday visited Arnaud at her new home yesterday, she had just finished taking a hot shower. Her daughter Salome sat on a rug playing with baby Weiling inside one of the bedrooms. With a broad smile on her face, Arnaud gushed, “I finally have somewhere to call home...I can’t believe it. For the first time in 43 days, I had a good night’s rest.”

Arnaud told Newsday her prayers were answered around midday on Monday when she received a telephone call. She said an official from Prime Minister Patrick Manning’s constituency office told her she needed to visit the Housing Development Corporation’s south office, immediately.

“I rushed over to the office and was told I had to make a down payment of $200. I did not have the money but my pastor gave it to me. After I paid, the keys were handed over to me. It was like a dream for a while,” Arnaud said.

She added that housing officials informed her that the accommodation at the apartment was temporary, but permanent residence would be sought for her at Embarcadere in San Fernando. “The most important thing is that we are no longer on the streets, we would not be getting wet anymore and I can be reunited with my son.”

Salome chimed in, “This all feels like a dream. I feel so relieved. We have nothing besides our clothes but we are very happy.” Arnaud also reserved a special ‘‘thank you’’ to The People’s Newspaper saying that Newsday’s coverage of her plight went a long way in alerting the powers that be to her problem.