Even though former national lightweight boxer Wendell Joseph and his disabled wife Erica have been living rough in the Queen’s Park Savannah for 39 days, the couple have refused an offer by the Housing Development Corporation (HDC) to move back into their ground-floor apartment at the Embacadere, San Fernando.
HDC managing director Jearlean John explained to the T&T Guardian on Monday in a phone interview that the HDC had outfitted the apartment with a ramp to allow access for Joseph’s wife but the couple insisted they would not move back to Embacadere, as accessibility was not the major issue.
Joseph said if they moved back to their apartment his wife’s health would only get worse because of neighbours. He said they were still traumatised after the treatment they received, which forced them to leave in the first place. One of the neighbours would purposely pour maggots into his home, he claimed. Another was running an illegal rum shop and they would be kept up for hours late at night because of cursing and food preparation, he continued.
Joseph believes his wife became ill because of this environment which he said his “criminal” neighbours created and added that no matter what, he is not returning. John now says on the basis of the couple’s needs, the HDC has identified a three-bedroom, one-bathroom home at Tarodale Gardens, San Fernando. She hopes the renovations to make the house more accessible for Erica will be completed by the end of the week, so that the couple can move in.