Homeless and stubborn
Several street people resisting efforts to move them into shelters before Melissa strikes
ACTING inspector of poor at the Kingston and St Andrew Municipal Corporation (KSAMC) Donna-Gaye Brady is bemoaning the hesitancy of some homeless people in the Corporate Area to move into shelters designated for them as Tropical Storm Melissa threatens to batter the island.
“They are not ready to go into the shelters,” Brady told the Jamaica Observer on Thursday.
“Most persons are waiting on the actual rainfall before they decide to come. They said they know where to come. The assertive outreach team went out this morning [Thursday] with a bus. Justice Square in downtown Kingston is one of the areas we went to where we have homeless people congregated.
”The team intends to go back out into downtown and Cross Roads. Those areas are the most populated areas. The team will also go into Half-Way-Tree and New Kingston. For Half-Way-Tree we generally partner with Bethel Baptist Church and other shelters. Other shelters will also be activated across the municipality. The main shelters for the homeless population is Marie Atkins and the shelter at Church Street,” added Brady.
She told the Observer that KSAMC is ready to accommodate the homeless throughout the storm with an adequate supply of food and hygiene kits.
“We have everything for them. Based on past storms, you find that not more than 50 persons will come in. We have adequate space to take in [an additional] 50 persons and we created a temporary area at the Marie Atkins shelter just for them during the storm,” said Brady.
She pointed out that her team is prepared for resistance from some of the homeless and argued that it boils down to the approach.
“As trained human services professionals we know how to get them to cooperate. There are persons who may get boisterous. The municipal police is there and we have the support of the police. Generally, when we talk to the people in the shelter, they generally comply,” said Brady.
She appealed to people experiencing homelessness, and relatives of people who are homeless, to reach out to the shelter at 65 Hanover Street.
“Come in to us or you can call us at 876-922-6936-7. The assertive outreach team is ready to pick them up. We start doing pick-ups today [Thursday] because we honestly do not want any of them to undergo any bad weather experience,” Brady added.
BRADY… most persons are waiting on the actual rainfall before they decide to come
