KINGSTON, Jamaica—Mayor of Kingston Andrew Swaby has called for a collective approach from the various stakeholders to address growing concerns about the homeless in Justice Square in Downtown Kingston.

“We continue to face a challenge with homelessness. In recent times you have seen an increase of the number of homeless persons on the street, and Justice Square is no different from what we have seen, because this is one of the concentrated areas… the KSAMC [Kingston and St Andrew Municipal Corporation] has instituted, just a little bit under a year now, we have instituted a homeless committee to look at the whole issue, and that committee is comprised of public and private sector and voluntary organisations trying to see how we deal with this issue,” Swaby said.

The mayor revealed that one of the challenges faced by the KSAMC is that homeless shelters are now at full capacity.

“One of the challenges that we face is the issue of where to put them. We have run out of space into our shelters. While we can take a few, there’s not enough space in the shelter, and we are trying to deal with that situation,” he said.

Swaby noted that while he understands that there have been calls for homeless persons to be removed from the streets, he noted that it is a sensitive matter guided by laws.

“We have been working on this because it has to be a joint approach. It requires the mental health persons, the police, the fire [Jamaica Fire Brigade] at times, the National Solid Waste Management Authority, the KSAMC, who’s leading the team, and a host of other voluntary organisations,” he said.

Swaby also made an appeal to individuals to cease feeding homeless individuals at Justice Square, noting that there is a system in place for them to be fed at 65 Hanover Street.

“I’m asking persons who are feeding persons on the street to stop. We have put a system in place where you can come to 65 Hanover Street, you can indicate when you feed them, and we can have these persons fed right at 65 Hanover Street. Because persons congregate in these areas, because they know that people are feeding them, especially on the weekend, Sunday in particular,” he said.