FOR one man, a cardboard box in downtown Kingston was home for several months. Rain or shine, only a discarded plastic wrap from a mattress covered his box to provide additional protection from the elements. His bathroom was the rushing waves of Kingston Harbour.

Once a week, he would receive a meal from charitable organisations that fed the homeless, and he had to be strategic when consuming each portion because there was no guarantee when his next meal would be.

With no source of income, the now 63-year-old man lived in absolute poverty.

Speaking to the Jamaica Observer ahead of International Day for the Eradication of Poverty last Friday, the man — who shared his story on condition of anonymity — said that he’s turned his life around and now assists as many of the more than 3,000 homeless people living on the streets whenever he can.

His life changed when he found refuge at the Missionaries of the Poor-operated The Lord’s Place in central Kingston in 2003 — a sanctuary for those who are sick, in poverty, and in fear of violence. Now, the man has his own roof over his head, clothes on his back, and a steady job in the landscaping space that allows him to be independent.

He told the Sunday Observer that he also does maintenance work at The Lord’s Place, partly to repay the Missionaries of the Poor brothers for the kindness they extended to him for the six years he spent there after living in absolute poverty.

Earlier this year, Prime Minister Dr Andrew Holness announced the Government’s intention to totally eradicate absolute poverty — which is the lack of sufficient financial resources or necessities for survival, including food, clean water, shelter, and health care — as a component of Jamaica’s new national mission.

In May this year the Planning Institute of Jamaica reported that Jamaica reduced its absolute poverty rate to a historic low of 8.2 per cent in 2023, down from 16.7 per cent in 2021.

Last week, the man who spoke to the Sunday Observer shared that his unfortunate situation stemmed from reckless life choices that led to a human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) diagnosis in 2002. A skilled labourer, his life spiralled out of control when the severity of his condition prevented him from working and money ran dry.

He was diagnosed with HIV two years before Jamaica made HIV medication more accessible and free to the public in September 2004, through support from the Global Fund. So, at the time, he could not afford proper treatment. His relatives became ‘scarce’, and before he knew it, he was without food, water, clothing, and a place to call home.

“When you have those sicknesses in those days, people scorn you. They don’t want you to touch them, and you can’t touch [anything] for them. I had to just be out there on [my] own and fight. When the sickness took me, if I [had] stayed out there a little bit longer, I would have died, because I wasn’t on any [antiretroviral] medication.

“Rain [fell], the sun shone, and everything reached me at the same time,” he recounted.

Tearful nights became the norm for him.

“Many nights I would lie down and cry that this is where I am. It was a tough journey. It was rough out there, so anybody I see out there [now], and I know they are in those situations, I explain that I know what they are going through. If I can pass by and give them something to eat, I give them, because that was my [experience] when I was out there with them,” he said with a sigh as he recalled the struggles of his past.

He shared that, with no one willing to help him, he lived on the streets for months and had to make the best of the resources he had around him.

“I had to get a big plastic bag that a mattress comes in, and put over the cardboard box and go in the box, lie down, and sleep. Mosquitoes [would] bite me, ants would bite me, and nobody would come knock me up and say, ‘Come make me carry you to my yard,’ because of the condition that I was in and with my sickness. People wouldn’t carry me to them yard like that,” he said, his voice filled with emotion.

“I [didn’t] have any toilet to use. I had to hide in a corner, go down [by] the seaside, and all those things, and then people would stone you. It was embarrassing, and I struggled. It wasn’t a pretty look. It did ugly,” he added.

The man said, occasionally, family members would visit him and bring supplies, but eventually the visits became fewer and he assumed they could no longer bear to see him on the streets.

However, his luck changed when someone recommended that he seek help from Missionaries of the Poor. He met with Brother Noel, who is in charge of answering calls from people in poverty who need assistance. For six years the man said he stayed at The Lord’s Place and was able to turn his life around.

Hot meals three times a day became his new reality, along with regular baths, access to HIV medicines and, most importantly, a safe place to lay his head.

“It was a joy there with the brothers. If I sit down too long they [would] ask me, ‘You want some tea?’ or ‘Are you feeling hungry?’ They were always there with me. I was comfortable.
They took me to the hospital and I got treatment free, my medication free, I had no problem with anybody,” he told the Sunday Observer.

When his health improved, the man shared that he got landscaping jobs and found a one-bedroom he could rent. By that time the Ministry of Health had made HIV medication more accessible, and the brothers referred him to clinics where he could receive treatment. He was finally able to stand on his own.

“If it wasn’t for them I wouldn’t be here. I’m telling you the truth, I was sick and in critical condition and they made me strong, so I give thanks to [founder of Missionaries of the Poor] Father [Richard] Ho Lung and all the brother missionaries.

“I am independent now. I can give back now and help whoever I want to help — buy them a bread or whatever, and a juice. Sometimes when I don’t have it I ask the brothers and they give it to me,” he said, his voice filled with gratitude.

Founded in 1981, Missionaries of the Poor serve Jamaica’s most vulnerable populations. Brother Noel told the Sunday Observer that currently The Lord’s Place is home to 400 to 500 homeless individuals who were living in absolute poverty or those who have been abandoned by family members at hospitals.

“These are people at the very bottom of society that nobody really wants to take care of, so they stay with us until they die. It’s free of cost. When they die, we have a cemetery for them as well,” he explained.

Brother Noel said that, over the years, the number of calls they receive have significantly increased. However, they are forced to turn away individuals due to capacity issues.

“Outside of the home, I have about 360 persons who want to be admitted to the home. They are really the worst cases… homeless people, but we can do so much and no more. Our homes have their capacity and, of course, while we want to help more people, we also have to adhere to the standard of how we run the facility because the Ministry of Health and Wellness checks on us,” he explained.

He noted, though, that once a week they provide meals for about 130 individuals in downtown Kingston through a feeding programme.

“If you experience being hungry for a day, you know how it feels… I have not experienced homelessness, but to be living on the streets for days or months, that’s something that is really heartbreaking,” said Brother Noel.

“If we could be mindful of the less fortunate in our society and if we could [give] more of ourselves and seek out the needs of those who are suffering [more] than us — if we really practise the Christian virtue, [as] we claim that we are a Christian country — and if we put more of the teaching of Jesus into practice, it will make a lot of difference,” he reasoned.

He also called for a holistic approach to eradicating absolute poverty in Jamaica, with a charge to citizens and the Government to be their brother’s keeper.

“I think Jamaica could be much better than what it is now,” said Brother Noel.

There are currently two official night shelters in Kingston, the Marie Atkins Night Shelter and another on Church Street. In addition to these, there are various drop-in centres that provide food, clothing, and hygiene services, and may offer temporary shelter if a night shelter is unavailable.

However, many homeless individuals living in downtown Kingston recently complained to the Mayor of Kingston Andrew Swaby and Minister of Local Government and Rural Development Desmond McKenzie that they are being locked out by staff members at the shelter.

The complaint was made during a meeting at Marie Atkins Night Shelter at which plans were announced to move the homeless from Justice Square on King Street to shelters. The minister, acknowledging the complaint, said he would look into the matter and ensure that it is addressed.

McKenzie also said that Ministry of Local Government and the National Housing Trust are also in the process of building 14 new shelters across the island. These will be located in every parish and are designed to meet the needs of the homeless population.

Other social intervention programmes, such as the Programme of Advancement Through Health and Education and the New Social Housing Programme, provide relief for the most vulnerable Jamaicans. Poor relief departments are also located in each parish to provide vulnerable citizens with support.

Lord’s Place is a home for the vulnerable operated by Missionaries of the Poor in downtown Kingston. (Photo: Naphtali Junior)

A homeless person takes refuge in this makeshift tent on a street in downtown Kingston. There are more than 3,000 homeless people living on the streets.