(Trinidad Newsday) Port of Spain mayor Joel Martinez, on Tuesday, called on citizens and members of the public to desist from feeding the homeless in the city.
Martinez said although the move-along policy plan for the socially displaced in the capital city is not in effect, measures are being put in place to deal with the issue.
He said the council is currently finishing building gates at Riverside Plaza and he hope they will be finished by next week.
“We want to start encouraging the homeless to come off the streets and start moving towards the homeless centre, where they can be fed. I am appealing to all the NGOs who are feeding people on the streets not to do so, especially when the homeless centre is up.
“Once the gates are completed the move-along policy would be implemented. I had a meeting with the police on Monday and I have asked them to formulate a plan for it to come into effect as soon as the gates are finished.
Martinez said the centre would be clean and the environment would be good to accommodate the homeless.
“Once the homeless move to the centre they would be registered, given a shower, a meal and a place to sleep.
“I am hoping to meet with officials from the Ministry of Social Development within this week to have more discussions. But we are working together to ensure the streets in the city are cleaned and the environment is a healthy one.
Martinez said the council is also working toward encouraging more people back into the city.
He said during the Christmas season, citizens and members of the public would also see a larger cadre of police officers in the city.
“They would ensure the city is safe for all our visitors. We also have a lot of cruise ships coming in at this time where we would have a lot of visitors in the country. We want to showcase our city in a much more cleaner and acceptable environment.
“I would not just like citizens and visitors move only on Frederick Street, but throughout the entire city,” Martinez said.
