LOCAL GOVERNMENT SECURING OUR LESS FORTUNATE
New Night Shelter opens in St. Thomas
The homeless, displaced or otherwise destitute persons in St. Thomas, now has a safe place to lay their heads and receive essential care, as the newly constructed St Thomas Night Shelter was officially opened on Friday (March 27).
While delivering his remarks, Minister of Local Government and Community Development Hon. Desmond McKenzie asserted that 13 of the 14 parishes across the island has a facility geared towards providing care for the homeless and needy.
“Drop-In Centres is a policy programme of the government… since 2016, almost every parish in Jamaica, except one, have had facilities like this one built.” he said.
He further added that the decision was taken to add a night shelter to the previously built Drop-In Centre in St Thomas based on the unfortunate increase in the homeless population within the parish.
“It is the responsibility of the government to take care of these people and we have been doing so, … this is a fully furnished facility, it has provisions for 28 individuals, it is fully furnished, well taken care of,” he said, while adding that an additional $12 million will be allocated for rehabilitative works to be carried out on the St Thomas Infirmary.
Further to that, the Minister announced that within a few weeks, the team will be breaking ground in Cheswick, St Thomas, for construction to begin on two Indigent Houses under the Ministry’s Indigent House Programme – another policy project that focuses on providing suitable and sustainable housing for registered poor.
“We have built about six indigent houses in this parish, and in couple weeks’ time, I will be going up to Cheswick to break grounds for the construction for two out of the eight indigent houses that was committed to that community about two years ago”, he said.
He also spoke to other plans that are in the pipeline to further meet the needs of those who rely on the state.
“Our Infirmaries are over a hundred years old… it is a legacy of our colonial past… we took a policy position in 2016, not just to repair Infirmaries alone, because a lot of them can’t be repaired any longer, this year, the government of Dr Andrew Holness, will be building two brand new Infirmaries in Jamaica, one in St Ann and the other one in Falmouth in Trelawny, and we are looking to ensure that all our Infirmaries meet world class standard” he affirmed.
Minister McKenzie spoke to the need for special amenities, such as the Therapeutic Parks that have been constructed at some of the island’s Infirmaries, stating that many of the clients of these state-run facilities have contributed greatly to the development of Jamaica and deserve to be treated with dignity.
He also added that the second phase of the Desmond McKenzie Transitional Centre is slated to be opened within a few weeks as the government continues its mission to reduce homelessness across the island.
For her part, Member of Parliament, Yvonne Rose Shaw, expressed gratitude for the night shelter and appealed to the homeless to make use of the facility.
“From a government perspective, they will do their part, and I am commending you for a marvellous job well done. To the homeless people, to the poor and unfortunate persons, this is your home, the street is really not your home,” she said.
Meanwhile, Mayor of Morant Bay, Councillor Louis Chin said that the night shelter is a symbol that no one will be left behind.
“The opening of the night shelter is a promise kept to our most vulnerable citizens, it is a modern compassionate space made to offer safety and restore human dignity… to the citizens of Morant Bay, let this building stand as a reminder that in this parish, no one is forgotten and everyone has a place to call home”, he said.