Single parent Annisa Elliot and her children are facing homelessness due to a landslip that is threatening a Rio Claro church that they have called home for the past five years.
Wiping away tears, Elliot, 33, accepted that she had to shoulder some responsibility for the predicament facing her and her children, but the woman said she always tried to do what was best for her children.
“I say, my fault. I would like to blame myself because innocent kids are brought in the word in this kind of problems. I love my kids too bad ... You have to put your foot down to certain people disrespecting you in life,” she lamented.
The domestic violence survivor said she did not depend on assistance from the two fathers of her children and has “hustled” various jobs, including geriatric nursing, URP, bakery work and even gardening to make ends meet for her children, ages 12, nine, and six.
Her second child is sickly as he has low white blood cells. She moved several places in Rio Claro, Biche, and South Oropouche until the pastor of Glad Tidings Assembly allowed her to move rent-free into the church basement at Old Mayaro Road, Libertville five years ago.
Almost three years ago, a landslip developed on the road near the church, and she is forced to search for another place to live.
“I am asking for assistance to make them (children) happy, cause I have been moving for years since I am a teenager to now, and this is my most happy place,” she said.
Due to financial and other issues, Elliot said her children have not attended school in months so paying rent would be difficult.
She said, “I was on my way to building a home. Somebody set a fire in the back and lick up all my materials last year. Now, I have nothing to build my home.”
While leaning on her faith to overcome this hurdle, the mother is appealing for assistance from the government or the public; as soon as possible because the landslip is a threat to the church and their lives.
“The biggest part of that is hearing the crackling trees and bamboo moving and when you look things that you plant no longer there in the morning, it is a very frightening effect, means that you not sure if you and the building might leave at any hour, any time, any day. It is very hard because it is not one life in this building is more than one.”
When contacted, Rio Claro South councillor David Law said there were two landslips in close proximity along the road, but the regional corporation did not have adequate funding to undertake major works, but temporary repairs would be done as soon as possible.
Noting that there were at least ten major and a few minor landslips within the district, he said the average cost to repair a landslip was $1 million.
He said in the last financial year, he received $1.1 million for roads and bridges.
Explaining that road maintenance and repairs were in high demand, Law said there are almost 600 roads listed under the corporation. “The most we do is cutlass and clean drains. We don’t have stockpile material to respond to even one landslip proper. We don’t have steel sheets. We don’t have beams and things like that,” he added.
Anyone willing to assist the Elliot family could contact 365-2415.