WILLEMSTAD – MFK Member of Parliament Maria Nita is asking the government to reveal how much shelter capacity Curaçao currently has for people without stable housing and how much public money has been spent addressing homelessness over the past three years.
The questions form part of a broader request submitted to Minister of Social Development, Labor and Welfare Charetti America-Francisca ahead of World Homeless Day on October 10.
Nita wants an inventory of temporary accommodation facilities currently operating in Curaçao, including how many people they can accommodate and whether existing capacity is sufficient to meet demand.
She is also asking which organizations receive government subsidies or other financial support to provide shelter, guidance and assistance to homeless people, along with the amount received by each organization.
The MP wants the government to provide a three-year breakdown of spending on homelessness, identifying the amount allocated each year, the organizations or programs that received the money and what the funding was used for.
However, Nita's questions extend beyond emergency shelter.
She wants to know what assistance is available to people who are at risk of losing their homes and what the government does to intervene before their circumstances deteriorate to the point of homelessness.
Nita is also asking whether Curaçao has a comprehensive plan to prevent and reduce homelessness, which measures are included and what deadlines or indicators are being used to determine whether the policy is working.
Another concern is what happens after someone leaves temporary accommodation. Nita wants the government to explain how former shelter residents are monitored and supported to prevent them from becoming homeless again.
The MP is additionally seeking information about cooperation between ministries, government agencies and social organizations. She wants to know who coordinates that cooperation and how authorities ensure the different organizations work together.
Finally, Nita has asked America-Francisca to provide Parliament with any studies, evaluations, statistics or reports the government possesses concerning homelessness and housing instability in Curaçao.
Nita said the objective should not only be to help people who are already homeless but also to identify those at risk early enough to prevent them from losing stable housing.
The questions were submitted under Article 96 of Parliament's Rules of Order, with Nita requesting a written response from the minister.