THE promised drop-in centre for homeless people in and around Linstead, St Catherine, remains stalled five years after work started on the facility.

Councillor for the area, the People’s National Party’s Herbert Garriques, told the Jamaica Observer that the latest delay is based on difficulties in identifying a contractor to complete the construction.

“JSIF [Jamaica Social Investment Fund] is donating the money to complete the building but when they advertised for contractors the other day it seems as if the people who applied did not fit the requirements, so they are re-advertising,” said Garriques.

He added that once a contractor is identified, work will begin quickly as the money is in place to complete the facility.

Construction of the drop-in centre, an initiative spearheaded by Garriques, started in 2020 and was slated to be completed by February of 2024. But the work stalled after the money was exhausted.

According to Garriques, the Ministry of Local Government allocated $20 million to finance the project but the amount was not enough due to an unexpected costly foundation.

“Yeah, the building would have been completed with the $20 million but terrain consumed a lot of the funding,” said Garriques.

He said with that money spent an approach was made to JSIF for additional financing and the State entity approved the request.

The councillor reiterated that JSIF advertised for contractors but none met the selection criteria. He told the Observer that once a contractor is selected and work resumes it should be completed in quick time.

“Once the go ahead is given, within a month and a half, two at most it should be finished,” said Garriques.

“The building is already decked and all of that. The only thing that needs to be done is to put in the windows, and doors, and to tile, and to final up the plumbing and the electricity,” added Garriques.

Late last year a member of the Poor Relief Department in the St Catherine Municipal Corporation, Dr Camille Hudson, reported that there were more than 300 homeless people across the parish.

Linstead has been repeatedly named as a transit point for an undetermined number of homeless people and Garriques has argued that the drop-in centre will provide invaluable service to those who call the streets their home in the town and neighbouring communities.

He noted that once the facility is ready, “All of those people who you see lurking in and around the streets as if they do not have homes, they can go there, or they will be able to go there to get a meal and of course a doctor will be there.

“So doctors will, you know, have them checked — checked and give them medication, so that they could go back into their families. You know usually, street people are people who have — most of them have mental issues. They are really looking forward to what is going on there.”