MONTEGO BAY, St James — Blind for 26 of his 64 years, Frederick Jackson has never owned a house. That changed last Thursday when he was announced as one of 25 beneficiaries under Montego Bay Mayor Richard Vernon’s Charity Fund Adopt-A-House programme.

“I give thanks to those who came to my rescue in Barrett Town so that I can get back a place to sleep. This is my first house and I thank God,” Jackson told the Jamaica Observer.

He has had it hard over the years, at the mercy of the elements and the less kind.

“Before the storm [last October’s Hurricane Melissa] came, I didn’t live anywhere and mi use to sleep a bush. Sometimes I sleep behind someone house, under some zinc, and them come around and run me,” Jackson recounted.

“I found a place and a lady rescue me… [but] she come back and take away my passport and my age paper and run me from the house,” he lamented.

Distraught and with hope almost gone, he turned to a higher power.

“I started to look to God now because he is the only refuge,” said Jackson who believes his new house is proof that his prayer was answered. The one-room dwelling, constructed of board with zinc roofing, is in the Saigon area of his original community.

“I pray for those who build my palace for me so mi can sleep. I don’t get my bed yet but I believe it is coming,” a grateful Jackson said.

“They were working [on the house] up to late last [Thursday] night,” he added.

He said his daughter will join him in his new house. It is one of eight constructed under the pilot phase of the Adopt-a-House programme.

“Through the generosity of our donors and the hard work of our partners and team at the Roads and Works Department [of the St James Municipal Corporation], 25 people now have a safe place to rest, including a person with a disability who had been sleeping under a tree and is here with us today,” Mayor Vernon told last Thursday’s monthly meeting of the corporation before Jackson was invited from the viewing gallery to the chamber.

“The expenditure for this pilot was to the tune of $3.5 million,” the mayor disclosed.

The programme largely focuses on providing relief for individuals and families impacted by the passage of Hurricane Melissa.

“We have completed the assessment to identify the strengths and areas for improvement of the programme,” Vernon said.

“Based on these assessments we will now push the application and donation platform across social media so donors and those in need can connect directly,” he added.

He pointed out that the programme will be supported by the Rotary Club of Montego Bay and their international partners, as well as the Community Dreams Foundation which assisted with the development of the platform.

“It will be expanded as they put more effort and provide more access to streamlined applications and make it easier for donors to support families in need,” said Vernon.

“I extend sincere thanks to every donor, volunteer, and partner who made this pilot a possibility,” he added.

The mayor anticipates that with the knowledge gained from the pilot they should be able to make significant progress as the programme continues. The eight houses in the pilot phase were either built from the ground up or underwent significant repairs to make them habitable.

Mayor of Montego Bay Richard Vernon is joined by CEO of the St James Municipal Corporation Naudia Crosskill as he provides an update on the Adopt-a-House initiative.

Frederick Jackson’s new, and first ever, house.