Minister Commends Board of Supervision for Offering Hope and Support to the Vulnerable

Minister of Local Government and Community Development, Hon. Desmond McKenzie, has commended the Board of Supervision for remaining steadfast in its mission to offer hope and support to vulnerable citizens, particularly those experiencing homelessness.

Making his contribution to the 2024/2025 Sectoral Debate in the House of Representatives, on Tuesday (May 28), the Minister said the organisation has brought hope to the citizens in homeless circumstances.

“Two Night Shelters were built – one in Falmouth and one in Ocho Rios – at a cost of $42 million. The Clarendon Night Shelter was completed, and Phase 2 of the King Street Transitional Centre was completed at a cost of $40 million,” said Minister McKenzie.

He further informed that this year, a new homeless facility will be built in Port Antonio, Portland.

“I broke ground in Port Antonio about three weeks ago. A new facility will be built at a cost of over $50 million. This is in addition to the 14 shelters announced by the Most Hon. Prime Minister in his budget presentation,” said Mr. McKenzie.

He indicated that the National Housing Trust (NHT) has already started work to identify lands for the construction of these facilities.

Minister McKenzie also pointed out that through the work of the Board of Supervision, several homeless persons have been rehabilitated and reintegrated into their communities.

“They have become productive members of society. Some are employed within the private and public sectors, and a few have become entrepreneurs who, through the efforts of the Board of Supervision, were trained at HEART/NSTA Trust,” he said.

Minister McKenzie also highlighted that some 20 previously homeless persons were successfully reunited with family members who had earlier abandoned them.

Some of those individuals, he said, are now employed in a variety of places, while five of them are currently attending school, with two pursuing a Law degree and Software Programming degree, respectively.

“The ultimate objective of the Government’s intervention is to treat homelessness as temporary rather than permanent, to help the people who use these transitional facilities to find or rediscover their full potential, to help to reunite them with their families, so that everyone can enjoy a better life,” Minister McKenzie said.

The Board of Supervision is a statutory body under the Ministry of Local Government and Community Development.

It was established under the Poor Relief Act to supervise and monitor the delivery of poor-relief services through the Municipal Corporations.