Mayor: Homeless 'move along', moving along

PORT of Spain Joel Martinez says plans are moving ahead to have police "move along" the socially displaced in the capital city. He yesterday recalled that at the last statutory meeting, the council looked at the issue of the homeless more objectively.

Martinez said there was a property in St James where Royal Bank was located and a number benches around the Queen's Park Savannah where the homeless sleep.

"We will take action to move street dwellers along. If they occupy an area for a certain time they leave it in an unsightly manner. We are getting a number of complaints from burgesses about the behaviour of some of the homeless. They are using the streets to drop faeces. It is very unsightly and very uncomfortable for users of the City of Port of Spain."

Martinez said the homeless will be moved along by the municipal police and he is hopeful there would also be help from the national police. "This is our capital city and it is not looking very well." Asked about the time line he said the motion was brought to the statutory meeting.

"We are now putting things in place to deal with it." Martinez also said there will be signs put at parks and squares instructing people they are not allowed to sleep on benches and loiter.

He reported he will be meeting with officials of the Social Development Ministry this week and urging them to speed up the process on establishing a home for the city's socially displaced "for us to come to point where have proper home for the homeless."

He previously the plan was renovate a building where the old Besson Street Police Station was housed and this will be used as a temporary shelter the start of construction of a new facility. Work was also scheduled to be done at the Riverside Plaza facility.

Martinez also reported a number of initiatives in the city for the rest of the year: work on Woodford Square fountain was ongoing to be followed by work on the Lord Harris fountain and Christopher Columbus fountain; replacing a number of benches, repairing the walk path, repainting the public facilities and landscaping at Woodford Square; development of Central Market; planned hop-on, hop-off bus service; installation of garbage bins throughout the city; and taking action against derelict buildings.