Father-of-two Morris O’Brien, and his ailing wife, were yesterday handed keys to an affordable housing unit in Pembroke.

The family who have admittedly moved four times in the past four years just to find affordable rent, will have a place to call their own for the first time in the lives. They join two other families expected to move into the Perimeter Lane Housing Complex, completed earlier this week.

The unit will operate under the rent-geared-to income programme, which will see 25 percent of the household’s income go towards rent. An additional ten percent will be automatically saved and will assist the families on the path to home ownership.

Mr. O’Brien, 45, told The Royal Gazette yesterday he was “very, very happy” to get to move into his first home on September 1. And said he would now have more money to invest in his wife’s health care and his eldest son Raemar’s college education.

His wife, Margaret, has spent nine weeks abroad so far this year getting treatment for her dialysis. She said she has exceeded all her vacation and sick leave so far this year and the affordable home would be one less financial stress.

Mr. O’Brien said: ”Being that my wife has medical challenges it helps that there is some affordable rent to make ends meet and also giving to us something of our own”.

Yesterday at a ribbon-cutting ceremony Home Affairs Minister David Burch praised the Bermuda Housing Corporation, Architects Benevides and Associates and Trinity Construction for their work.

The Minister said: ”The project consists of 12 one-bedroom, 16 two-bedroom and ten three-bedroom units.

”It took three years and two months to bring into fruition on budget at a cost of just under $20,000,000 inclusive of significant road improvements, which is still a work in progress.”

He admitted it was “always good” to provide people with one of their basic human needs, in this case shelter. And added that this was just one of a series of affordable housing units coming to fruition including the Harbour View Village project in St. Davids.

Minister Burch handed keys over to Mr. O’Brien, and Jameelah Raynor and Donna Maie Butterfield.

He said: ”They will be getting neighbours that have demonstrated they are responsible tenants. By no means are we dropping people in your neighbourhood that we wouldn’t want living next to us.

“The BHC will be on hand to ensure a smooth integration of the residents.”

Mother-of-one Ms Raynor, 32, said she was excited about getting her first home and wished her eight-year-old son, Najiyah, was there to see it.

She said: ”He is very excited because first of all we are moving into the apartment (on Tuesday) and believe it of not this is going to be his very first room.

“He will have his privacy. In this meeting he was talking about hanging up his posters because he is a sports fanatic. It is the greatest feeling to be able to give that to him.”

The mother admits she signed up for the Perimeter Lane Property a year and a half ago and believed it would be great for her small family.

“This was something that will be more suitable for us. Something new, something fresh so it is sort of a fresh new start.

“Like I said he’s never had his own space and I have never had my own space. So its monumental for the both us. It is also a liberating feeling.”

Ms Raynor gave the “thumbs up” to BHC for putting the programme together and said: ”I am glad to hear there are more to come because there are a lot of families on the Island that have nowhere at all.

“I have always lived with family but I sympathise with people who have nowhere to go and no means to an end.”

Ms Butterfield also said she was ecstatic and thanked God and the BHC for the opportunity to give daughter Arisha, 15, and son Allafia, 19, a good home.