The story of the Happy Family in San Cristóbal, specifically in the Residencial Don Antonio, exposes the frustration of more than 80 families who, after three months of the first public denunciation, continue waiting for the solutions promised by authorities and the company responsible for the project.
From Symbol of Hope to Focus of Discontent
The Happy Family Plan was announced as the state’s response for access to dignified housing, security, and family development. However, those residing in the Residencial Don Antonio report the opposite: deteriorated conditions have turned the proposal into a focus of indignation and danger. “It’s not happy family, it’s unhappy family”, summarizes Natividad, resident of the complex, just like dozens of families who claim to live between cracks, leaks, and constant lack of access to potable water.
Unsafe Apartments and Basic Shortages
The initial report revealed that these 40m² apartments were sold at a cost of RD$56,000 per square meter, above the usual average in social housing in the region. Promises like green areas, courts, and supermarkets never materialized. Instead, lack of water, leaks, electrical and structural defects were present. The testimonies are conclusive: “If I wash in the bathroom, the water falls to the first floor; cracks are my constant fear”, states a resident.
Official Commitments and Limited Responses from the Happy Family Plan
After the denunciation, the Ministry of Housing and Buildings (MIVED) indicated that the contractor Almabani had the commitment to correct the detected flaws. Even, they requested a three-month deadline to solve the problems in Don Antonio, but the affected insist that little has changed. “They only fixed the street and the little park; the rest remains the same”, laments Melani Genao, neighbor of the complex.
Water, a Luxury Service in the Project
The irregular supply of water has forced the residents of the Happy Family Plan to buy water tankers at high prices. Defective electrical connections have caused discharges, fire risks, and permanent fear. Another testimony illustrates the gravity: “I had to disconnect the electric stove because it gave me current several times”, denounces Rafael Ortiz Pérez.
A Repeated Pattern: More Projects Under the Spotlight of the Happy Family Plan
The case of the Residencial Don Antonio is not unique. Periodical reports like those of N Investiga indicate that other complexes of the Happy Family Plan—including El Trapiche and Hato Nuevo—present very similar conditions: rapidly deteriorating housing, perpetual leaks, and abandoned common areas. The irregularities have been denounced in media like this critical analysis and the chronology of non-compliances on our own portal.
Institutional Irresponsibility and Absence of Control
Despite repeated complaints, there is still no conclusive response from the authorities that guarantees the fulfillment of quality and safety standards in Happy Family. According to the official information available on the Ministry of Housing and Buildings portal, the declared goal is to offer dignified housing to the most vulnerable sectors, a purpose that the affected themselves denounce as an unfulfilled promise.
Today, the reality for those living in the Happy Family Plan is far from the expectations, and the constant demand for effective solutions suggests that the splendor of the program is still far from being achieved.
