MANDEVILLE, Manchester — Even as there is widespread debate in this south-central parish regarding the treatment of homeless people, particularly those with mental illness, there is hope that by June a partnership between the municipality and a shelter will bring about critical change.

Chair of Candle in the Dark Empowerment Centre Dr Wendy Freckleton told the Jamaica Observer on Monday that following a recent meeting with the Manchester Municipal Corporation, a memorandum of understanding (MOU) is being drafted between the two organisations.

She made the announcement during an interview regarding the authorities’ response to treating the mentally ill on the streets of Mandeville.

“The parish council had a meeting last Friday and we will be formulating an MOU between Candle in the Dark and the municipal corporation to ensure that we can have an agreement to alleviate the challenges of homelessness,” she said.

However, Freckleton said she has taken issue with how the Southern Regional Health Authority’s Mental Health Department treats mentally ill and homeless people.

“The health department used to come to Candle once per month and treat the persons there and assist with grooming them. They haven’t been doing that as a health department. According to their reports, they see them on the streets and inject them where they are, which is not good,” she said.

She pointed out that Candle in the Dark is equipped to cater to the vulnerable group.

“When you talk about human rights I don’t think that [injecting mentally ill people on the streets] is the right way to medicate people and give them assistance. Whereas I understand that there are some persons that they may be able to control or to guide to Candle, those that they can, I would have expected them to take them there, because the facilities are adequate to provide a proper room for check-up and so on. As it stands now, they are not getting the proper check-ups. They are just being medicated,” she said.

However, regional director at the Southern Regional Health Authority (SRHA) Michael Bent said he is confident in the mechanism used by the mental health team to treat patients.

“We have a team of psychiatrists, mental health officers, nurses who are specially trained and also the psychiatric nursing aides who are trained to deal with mentally ill people and all matters, based on their assessment,” he said while adding that the region — which comprises Manchester, Clarendon, and St Elizabeth — has three mental health buses to transport staff to treat patients.

Freckleton explained that Candle in the Dark, which was started more than 25 years ago, caters to the needs of the homeless in Mandeville and its environs.

“In terms of if Candle is getting the right amount of assistance, we need a lot more so that we can more adequately care for the people and a lot more would mean financial assistance that we can have a house mother who can monitor persons, so that we can have more people staying there on a nightly basis and this is part of the MOU that we are going to be working on with the municipal corporation,” she said.

“Optimistically, we do expect things to change within the first half of this year,” she added.

When asked about the current homeless population in Mandeville, Freckleton said the figure varies at different times of the year.

“Homeless people are migratory, so it fluctuates. As it is now, it is the high season. The number of people we care for at Candle can range anywhere from 30 to 45 on a monthly basis. That number basically is steady, and it is now closer to 45, it is not always the same people, but the numbers are constant,” she said.

“The majority of homeless people in Manchester are not from the [parish]. Some are from Montego Bay, St Elizabeth, St Ann, and Trelawny, so it is a mix,” she added.