FORTY females set to exit State care should shortly get their first taste of independent living when they settle into a new transitional living complex in the Corporate Area.

Chief executive officer of the Child Protection and Family Services Agency (CPFSA) Rosalee Gage-Grey made the disclosure while delivering the welcome yesterday at the 2019 Educational Achievement Awards Ceremony for 79 wards of the State who performed well in the recent Caribbean Secondary Education Certificate (CSEC), Caribbean Advanced Proficiency Examinations (CAPE) and City and Guilds examinations. The event was held at Terra Nova All-Suite Hotel in St Andrew.

“We are pleased that pretty soon, possibly this weekend, we will have our young ladies, who are in tertiary institutions or in employment, occupying our premises at (location withheld),” Gage-Grey said.

Speaking with the Jamaica Observer, she said the facility was officially opened in 2018 but had remained unoccupied until some adjustments to satisfy the requirements of the fire department were made. She said there were now no other barriers preventing the young women from moving into the new residence.

Completed at a cost of $135 million, the complex provides housing accommodation for females, aged 18-21, who have exited State care and have no other living options, for two years. It was built under a multi-agency project funded by the United States Agency for International Development.

“We continue to provide an atmosphere within which transformation of our children occurs in preparation for independent living. The agency continues to place emphasis on our transitional living programme for children in State care to assist our young people as they prepare for adulthood while continuing their studies,” Gage-Grey said, noting that another set of wards are now occupying a similar premises at another location in the Corporate Area, which was constructed for students in university who have just transitioned to independent living.

“When we reflect on the lives of the children who have come into State care, and the outcomes, we are seeing it proves even more that it is essential to give young people opportunities to connect with the world and help them seek out the oceans of opportunities available,” she said.

Ground was broken for the complex in November 2015 with construction commencing in July 2017. The fully furnished state-of-the-art facility has seven four-bedroom suites, with double- and single-room accommodation, and shared living, dining and kitchen spaces. Also included is a manager’s suite with separate office space and laundry facilities.

The residents, over a two-to three-years stay, will be mentored to achieve personal and career goals in preparation for independent living.