By Roy Sanford, Staff ReporterWESTERN BUREAU:
After being closed for just over eight months, plans are now on in earnest to re-open the Montego Bay Community Home for Girls.
The home, located at Irwin, in St. James, was in operation for over 20 years prior to closing its doors this past May, after falling into a serious state of disrepair.
"We were forced to close down the building as it was in such a bad shape," said Joyce Austin, chairperson of the home's board of directors.
Mrs. Austin, who has been one of the architects behind an ambitious campaign to renovate the facility, said the energy of the directors is now focused on completing the repairs to the building as the service it has provided over the years is of great value to the community.
"There is a great need for the service like the one the home is providing but lack of finance is keeping us back," said Mrs. Austin. "Currently, we are badly in need of funds to make sure the project is completed."
The need for the creation of the Montego Bay Community Home for Girls was first expressed in the early 1970s when probation officers and social workers began expressing concerns about the increasing number of girls, who were leaving their homes and taking up refuge on the streets. In 1979 a group of visionaries got together and decided to build the home.
"We normally take girls between the ages of 8 and 15," said Mrs. Austin, who said girls were initially sent to the home through sources such as schools, churches, family court, resident magistrates courts and social workers. "Sometimes we take those who are younger, depending on their needs. Approximately 15 girls are accommodated at any one time and remain for periods of 6 to 18 months."
She said at the home, the girls are protected from moral danger, are provided with professional counselling in order to improve their living standards and family relationships and are provided with opportunities to improve their lives.
"We help them become literate, we help them develop a sense of self-worth, we obtain jobs for them and we help them start their own businesses," said Mrs. Austin.
