Young people living with disabilities in and around Linstead, St Catherine, depend on the Enos Barrett Centre for rehabilitation. But the facility is in such a dilapidated state that it is struggling meet its mandate.

The centre, which has been in operation for more than 30 years, is currently only able to accommodate five children from Monday to Thursday, due to a lack of equipment and necessities to facilitate a larger group.

A visit to the centre by the Jamaica Observer on Tuesday revealed a leaky roof, no running water in the bathroom and kitchen, and very little furniture and learning tools for children with disabilities.

Supervisor Mary Cobourne told the Observer that the facility would usually receive stipends from the Ministry of Education and Youth and donations from organisations, but the contributions are not enough to ensure efficient operation.

“We have five people right now. More should be there, but due to transportation to bring them in, it is difficult. Due to COVID-19, we asked their family members to bring them to the centre so that we can organise new learning activities for them to take home,” she said.

“We also have people who will come in [occasionally] for therapy for an hour,” Cobourne said, adding that the centre offered in-home care before the COVID-19 pandemic.

Cobourne said she hopes the centre will receive more assistance in the best interest of the children.

Recently the centre received a tank from Dinthill Technical High School Alumni Association, but the water has stopped running through the pipes in the facility.

“I think we need a plumber to do some work on the place. We [are] not getting any water in here. To accommodate more children, we need to have running water and when they come in the days we would want a microwave and refrigerator to store their food and heat it up,” she said.

Dinthill Technical High School Alumni Association President Joseph Small agreed, adding that it is critical that the centre gets a facelift.

“The centre, which was named after one of the school’s [late] prestigious principals, has been there for a while. We think it’s important to give some support to a centre like that in meeting the needs of the people in the community. It needs to be repainted and the roof needs to be repaired,” Small told the Observer on Monday.

Last Wednesday, the centre, in partnership with the alumni association, donated care packages to six families with children who have disabilities.

The families, three of whom are from Jericho District while the other three are from Rose Hall District in Linstead, received food items and toiletries which were funded by the school’s board members, past students and other organisations.