A team including ministers Priya Manickchand and Robeson Benn resettled 44 roving street dwellers at the La Penitence Night Shelter earlier this week.
A press release from the Government Information Agency (GINA) said the itinerant persons had been previously informed of the services provided at the Shelter as well as at the human services ministry. The ministers along with police ranks and other human service ministry officials relocated them to the new structure which can now accommodate about 250 persons. The new structure has additional bath and toilet facilities and will soon be completed. Also, additional fans and lights will soon be installed.
According to GINA on the first night the exercise was conducted in Leopold Street and near the La Penitence and Bourda markets. Manickchand said too the challenge is not finding persons willing to go to the facility but rather sustaining their desire to live there. She said the Shelter’s success will depend on collaborative efforts from all stakeholders. The minister said she hopes the services offered at the Shelter: three meals per day, a change of clothing, medical check-ups, free toiletries, clean beds and a secure environment, would motivate persons to stay off the streets. Beds were acquired with the help of Dr Shanti Singh, Programme Manager at the National AIDS Programme Secretariat.
GINA also said Dr Bhiro Harry, Senior Consultant, Psychiatric Department, Ministry of Health, was on hand with a team of medical personnel, offering psychiatric evaluations, blood pressure testing and making treatment recommendations. The ministry plans to separate persons with mental health conditions from the other occupants since cohabitation could prove problematic.
Administrator of the Shelter Harrydat Tilku said every Thursday a volunteer doctor conducts consultations and there will be periodic checks by the medical team. The Shelter currently houses 29 women and from 100 to 120 men. They are housed in separate quarters. It keeps a register to keep track of those persons utilizing the facility. Also, the Shelter will soon benefit from about 80 lockers for the storage of personal possessions. The shelter employs a registry system to keep track of those persons utilizing the facility and to have an idea of how many persons are recurrent and how many have reneged on their promise to keep off the streets.
Meanwhile, Cabinet Secretary Dr Roger Luncheon at a press briefing on Wednesday noted that the removal of the homeless persons will be matched by an aggressive campaign to enforce the laws against littering.