A 105,000-euro donation to human rights non-governmental organisation Stand Up For Jamaica, whose main homeless facility was hard hit by Hurricane Melissa last October, is being described as a lifeline by founder and operator Carla Gulotta.

In an interview with the Jamaica Observer on Tuesday, Gulotta said the funding presented by Ambassador of the Federal Republic of Germany to Jamaica Jan Hendrik van Thiel is being divided between repairs to the shelter and two other projects led by the rights group.

The Portland Rehabilitation Management Homeless Shelter located in Port Antonio is dedicated to supporting homeless individuals and those struggling with mental illness. Currently, it provides shelter, clothing, and meals to more than 40 residents — and 36 others who come daily — while also offering rehabilitative services to homeless individuals across Jamaica.

It was, however, severely impaired during the passage of Hurricane Melissa as it marched south of the island before slamming into the south-western coast as a Category 5 hurricane on October 28, packing winds up to 185mph.

“The roof collapsed, one dorm was basically completely flooded. All that we were building to promote a little entrepreneurship — the chicken coops — there was quite an amount of damage,” Gulotta explained.

She said with the loss of power following the passage of the system, feeding the 40 residents plus finding resources for those dropping in became a dilemma which was solved by the generosity of the German mission.

“A generator was the first necessity. We have to feed the 40 residents, and if we don’t have the fridge, we can’t store the things. Then there is another set which are street people and they sleep on the road on a piece of cardboard. Those people, during Melissa, came up to the shelter. So every night we had additionally 20 or more who would come as soon as it was dark, and we didn’t have where to put them so we had to also buy mattresses and soap and try to find clothes, and they also wanted to have dinner, so every night it was additional meals,” she told the Observer.

“So it was very kind and strategic of the German Embassy to provide help. We got money to buy food, material, we got quite an amount of money to buy toiletries, and then we bought the generator and a deep freeze. In case something else happens we won’t go through the same tribulations. I want to express my gratitude to the ambassador,” Gulotta said.

In the meantime, Sandy Bank Primary School in Treasure Beach, St Elizabeth, which was ravaged by the hurricane is another project which will benefit from the donation.

“It was destroyed by Hurricane Melissa. Reconstruction is already underway, the idea is to reopen the school and to also use it as a multi-purpose centre. So there will be classrooms but also there will be space that if, for example, people are homeless they can stay overnight. In fact, we bought some mattresses and stuff and various materials. We bought a generator and a new stove to be able to provide meals not only to the children but also eventually to those who are still suffering from the hurricane’s damage,” Gullotta said.

She said the funds were also used to support the work of charity organisation Missionaries of the Poor.

“I admire the great job they are doing. I work with them now and then because they have quite an amount of shelters, with five in downtown Kingston. The ambassador and I went to visit them and we were impressed as to how well kept the homes are. So through the embassy we were able to distribute 290 care packages with food, toiletries, items which can help individuals,” Gulotta said.

She said the assistance from the embassy, given of their own free will, is an added boost to the survival of the rehabilitation centre in particular, which in 2024 had launched a GoFundMe account seeking to raise US$45,000 to expand and keep its operations going.

“They contacted us because we have been working with the embassy in 2025 on projects like gender-based violence and they felt we were reliable and they were looking for a partner. The GoFundMe was not raising a lot of money… the intervention of the German Embassy has been extremely important,” Gulotta stated.

Sandy Bay Primary School in Treasure Beach, St Elizabeth, following the passage of Hurricane Melissa on October 28 last year.

The collapsed roof of Sandy Bay Primary School in Treasure Beach, St Elizabeth following the passage of Hurricane Melissa on October 28 last year.