PORT ANTONIO, Portland — The Portland Rehabilitation Management (PRM) Centre is now more equipped to care for the homeless and mentally ill who roam the streets of the parish.

On December 30, CIBC FirstCaribbean International Bank, through its Port Antonio branch, delivered on its promise to help the facility. The bank donated beds, utensils, a blender and cash to the facility.

“As we try to assist in satisfying their goal of rehabilitation, better health and independence, and integration within the Portland community, CIBC FirstCaribbean is satisfied that the goals of the PRM align with the bank’s corporate responsibility standards. As CIBC FirstCaribbean continues to deliver on our brand promise of commitment to the community and demonstrates a commitment to corporate social responsibility, we are proud to be able to assist,” said Roxan Brown, manager for the Port Antonio branch, as she made the donation.

The bank had given a commitment to help during an interview carried by the Jamaica Observer in an October 6 article under the headline “Street people dilemma in Port Antonio”.

The centre’s board Chairman Carol Holgate thanked the bank for its generosity.

“We are very grateful and appreciative of this kind gesture and assure you that they will be used for the benefit of the residents here and those who will come in from time to time as we seek to meet the various needs,” she assured.

She also provided insight into the important work that the facility does, describing it as a place of refuge for persons on the street who do not have a home.

“We provide accommodation, they are given hot meals and also other personalised services such as counselling, and those who are in need of medication are also medicated,” said Holgate.

“Most of them are very appreciative although they prefer meandering in the town, and so a challenge we have is security to make sure that they stay here,” she added.

Holgate said the long-term goal is to go well beyond meeting the surface level needs of those who visit the PRM Centre.

“Ultimately, the objective of PRM is not only to give them a clean place that they will call home, but that we will rehabilitate them and re-integrate them into productive society or to be realigned with their families.

“There is some resistance from them coming here and especially when they fall out of the schedule of their medication. But we continue to face the challenge with the hopefulness that, with collective partnership and responsibility with entities like CIBC and other community partners, together we can accomplish that goal. The more persons within and outside of the parish see the need to help, we will be able to accomplish that task,” added Holgate.

The centre is guided by experts of various fields in how it interacts with those for whom it provides care, Holgate stressed, and there is an ongoing effort to add qualified individuals to the board.

“We try to follow the law and [are] seeking to get some legislators and medical practitioners to sit on the board so we can approach this in a principled manner in terms of what the law caters for,” she explained.

“Ultimately, we really want to take them from down there. We have to have something to capture their attention for them to stay here — not just to feed and medicate them. [Something] like entertainment, help them acquire a skill, those who can, and find some meaningful way so they can see some value going back to themselves.”

— Everard Owen