ROBINSON
Monique Hepburn, News Editor
WESTERN BUREAU:
FIFTY-FOUR-YEAR-OLD Gilbert Robinson is a soon-to-be ward of the Refuge of Hope Night Shelter programme.
At the shelter in Albion, Montego Bay, St. James on Friday night, Mr. Robinson was glad about what was expected to be his last night at the facility.
"I can't begin to tell you how I feel. I was homeless for a very long time, but the Poor Relief assist me to get a job and now I will be moving to my own place. I am finally getting the chance to put myself together again," said Mr. Robinson.
Inspector of Poor at the St. James Parish Council, Jeremiah Dehaney, explained that Mr. Robinson is a part of the Montego Bay Homeless and Street People Rehabilitation Programme, in which he and several others have been trained and are employed as street cleaners.
"They are employed by Western Parks and Markets (WPM) and National Solid Waste Management Authority (NSWMA) in the street- cleaning programme. They are paid fortnightly and we encourage money management. They have an account at Churches Cooperative Credit Union. They have to account for every withdrawal," said Mr. Dehaney.
PROUD
Montego Bay cannot erase the memories of July 15, 1999, when 32 street persons were forcibly removed and abandoned in St. Elizabeth, in what became known as the 'Street People Scandal'. Today, the city is proud of the highly successful Homeless and Street People Programme.
"Mr. Robinson is part of an experiment to fully rehabilitate persons and he will be moving into a rented apartment. The Poor Relief Department will pay part of his rent until he is fully rehabilitated. He received his key, bed, stove, and all necessary amenities that will make him comfortable."
Another ward, 50-year-old Glacier Rochester, is currently a student at the HEART Trust Centre in Sandy Bay, Hanover, and is assisted by the Poor Relief. Ms. Rochester was born in Montego Bay and lived in the United States for 28 years before she was deported several years ago. She has lost contact with her parents and other relatives who still reside abroad.
Obviously astute, Ms. Rochester is an accounting student and also holds qualifications in nursing.
"When I was in the United States, I got into some trouble and I was deported, but now I have a lot to look forward to, because I am going to school and I am doing well," she said.
NETWORK OF ORGANISATIONS HELPING
The programme incorporates a network of organisations: the Care Centre, the first point of contact for the homeless; the Poor Relief Department, which conducts investigations and assessments; the Department of Psychiatry at the Cornwall Regional Hospital; and, the Committee for the Upliftment of the Mentally Ill .
"We are extremely grateful to psychiatrists Dr. Kevin Goulbourne and Dawnette Mitchell at the Cornwall Regional Hospital, the Calvary Baptist Church and the Regal Bakery, who have given selflessly to the programme. There are also others who give, but do not wish to be named," said Mr. Dehaney.
Ian Reid, secretary manager at the St. James Parish Council said that Montego Bay could view the programme with pride as it had come a long way since the infamous scandal. Mr. Reid also reinforced the need for families to play a greater role in the care of their relatives.
"We want them to volunteer to take some of the responsibility for their families or we will seek to use legislation to petition the court on the ward's behalf. They must play a greater role because they are also critical to the rehabilitation process," he stated.
