A long-promised transitional house for young men at the Mustard Seed Communities’ Matthew 25:40 home is now just months from becoming a reality.

Ground was broken for the facility on Tuesday with construction set to be completed in three months.

The construction is being arranged by the Kiwanis Club of North St Andrew — which had announced plans for the facility almost four years ago — in collaboration with Mustard Seed Communities.

“This is the official start of construction of this transitional hostel, and it symbolises the transition from planning, to the construction phase, which is where we are now, and let me confess to you that the planning phase has been extremely long,” said distinguished president of the Kiwanis Club of North St Andrew Franklin Reid, at a “path breaking” for the facility on Tuesday.

According to Reid, the project, which was officially launched in October 2021, is being done in three phases, with phases one and two dedicated to providing psychosocial support, training, and development to the young men of Matthew 25:40 home.

He said with first two phases done the third phase will account for the completion of the $22-million facility which will act as a place of development and healing for the young men who will be calling it home.

Reid told the launch that the transitional hostel was set into motion on behalf of those living in the Matthew 25:40 home, aged 16-25, who were born with HIV and had been orphaned either by the death or abandonment of their parents.

He added that providing for the less fortunate has long been the vision and goal of the Kiwanis Club of North St Andrew and the Mustard Seed Communities.

“Inspired by the healing ministry of Jesus Christ, Mustard Seed Communities provide lifelong care for children and adults with disabilities, children affected by HIV, young mothers in crisis, and marginalised communities,” noted Reid.

In the meantime governor of Eastern Canada and the Caribbean District (ECC) of Kiwanis International Pam Rodney-White declared that Tuesday’s event was not just a path breaking, but the final step towards providing those who were once forsaken with a place where they could find support, stability, and community.

“What we witness today is not just the beginning, it’s the continuation of a vision built on hope, action, and love. This is not merely just a construction site. It is where dignity is poured into every corner street.

“Each child who walks through these doors, this home, will be able to say, ‘I am not forgotten, I am loved, I am seen and I feel valued’. We know that the ongoing support to these young men will not be just in steel and mortar, but in mentorship, care, and advocacy,” said Rodney-White.

That feeling of accomplishment was shared by Father Garvin Augustine, executive director of Mustard Seed Communities.

According to Augustine, there were doubts about whether the transitional facility would ever become a reality but now that it is in such close reach, this is a clear reminder that all things are possible through Christ.

“If you have faith the size of mustard seed, you can move mountains, you can move oceans…I remember back when this project was conceived we all thought, ‘yeah, this is going to happen in a few months, maybe a year,’ and it has been how long now? A while.

“So this journey has been uncertain at times, but I never lost faith,” said Augustine.

He underscored that the project was conceptualised to console those who were neglected.

“I look forward to three months from now when we will actually open the facility that will provide care for these young men. As our motto says, ‘we are caring for the world one child at a time…no child will be abandoned twice’,” added Augustine.

Mustard Seed Communities operate three homes in Jamaica for individuals living with HIV under its Dare to Care programme: Matthew 25:40, a home for 20 teenage boys; Martha’s House, a home for 25 children; and Dare to Care, a home for 15 teenage girls.