Poor Relief Dept. Commended for Work with Homeless

Mayor of Montego Bay, Councillor Charles Sinclair has commended the Poor Relief Department of the St. James Parish Council for its outstanding success in a care and rehabilitation programme it implemented for the street people and homeless in the parish. He made special mention of Inspector of Poor for St. James, Jeremiah Dehaney, who spearheaded the programme.
Speaking at a recent Parish Council monthly meeting in Montego Bay, Mayor Sinclair noted that the programme, which was conceptualized and established after the forced removal of persons from the streets in July, 1999, is going exceptionally well and has so far transformed the lives of those less fortunate of the parish.
“I take the opportunity to commend Mr. Dehaney and the Poor Relief Department of the Parish Council, for the work being carried out with the street people and homeless of Montego Bay. This programme has already received high praises from national quarters coming out of the recently held National Conference on Homelessness in Jamaica and so deserves our commendation. I have watched Mr. Dehaney at work since I have come to this council and have been truly impressed. He does things that many would not do in order to achieve the best for these of unfortunate circumstances,” Mayor Sinclair said.
In an interview with JIS News, Mr. Dehaney expressed satisfaction on the positive impact the programme has been having on the homeless persons and street people of the parish.
“When I look at the Street People Programme in Montego Bay, it gives me great joy and the staff of the Poor Relief Department and the entire St. James Parish Council should be justly proud for what is taking place and what is being done. When I look at what was done and when I look from where we are coming from and where we are now, I can say that we have come thus far by faith and hard work and dedication, regardless of the challenges and problems. It shows that there is still hope for the hopeless,” he said.
He pointed out, however, that there was still scope for improvement, which would allow for greater effectiveness of the programme, as the present night shelter facilities were becoming overcrowded with 19 males and 11 females.
The Inspector of Poor had words of commendation for the tremendous support the programme has been receiving from the churches in and around the Montego Bay area.
“I am justly pleased for the support that is being given by the churches in Montego Bay.and the entire community. We have slots that we cannot manage and these churches have been playing a great role in partnering with us. Churches like Calvary Baptist, Faith Fellowship Ministries, Fresh Bread Ministries, Christ for the Nation, Youth with a Mission, the Anglican, the Methodist, the Seventh Day Adventist Churches and many more from a wide cross section of the parish, have been very helpful to the project,” Mr. Dehaney told JIS News.
“I continue to work on a few more things for the further expansion and upliftment of the programme to see if I can lift it to a higher level . before I demit office”, he added.