Applicants to Be Shortlisted Under Gov’t’s Church Clean-up and Restoration Initiative

All 105 churches across St. Elizabeth that have applied for assistance under the Government’s Community Church Clean-Up and Restoration Initiative, have been visited and verified by officials from the Social Development Commission (SDC).

The initiative, announced recently by Prime Minister, Dr. the Most Hon. Andrew Holness, forms part of the post‑Hurricane Melissa National Clean‑Up Programme and provides $75 million in grant funding to support clean‑up activities and minor repair works.

It targets churches in the western parishes that were impacted by the passage of Hurricane Melissa on October 28. Eligible works include debris removal, replacement of roof sheeting, doors, windows, and guttering, basic waterproofing, and other small‑scale remedial repairs.

“As of today, all 105 churches that would have applied were visited and have been verified, and the applicants will be shortlisted as the application portal closed on February 6,” Community Liaison Officer at the SDC, Kaydian Taylor said.

Ms. Taylor was addressing the monthly meeting of the St. Elizabeth Municipal Corporation at Levon’s Plaza on Coke Drive in Santa Cruz, on Thursday (February 12).

She also informed that the SDC continues to work alongside the Ministry of Labour and Social Security (MLSS) with post-hurricane damage assessments.

Ms. Taylor said although the original deadline for assessments was January 31, an extension was granted to ensure that residents who were not yet assessed, could still be included.

“SDC has been tasked with doing follow-up telephone calls for over 1000 citizens in St. Elizabeth, who have been deemed as having level four damages to their housing. What that means is that the house has either been completely collapsed or is unable to be repaired and has to be rebuilt,” Ms. Taylor explained.

She added that the exercise is being carried out to gather additional information on land tenure and the status of affected citizens, which will allow the Government to explore providing further housing assistance to those in need.

Ms. Taylor also noted that civil society organisations have been severely hampered by the impact of the hurricane, as many schools and churches that usually host meetings were destroyed.

She however noted that despite these challenges, several groups have continued to meet virtually where possible, and that the Parish Development Committee has maintained consistent meetings with these entities since the hurricane, helping to coordinate recovery efforts across the parish.