PoS mayor: Feed homeless at displaced centre

Port of Spain Mayor, Joel Martinez
Port of Spain Mayor, Joel Martinez

While there are plans for 2019 to build a centre for the homeless, Port of Spain mayor Joel Martinez said the city corporation, in conjunction with the Ministry of Social Development and Family Services, is working to make the stay at the displaced centre comfortable for residents.

Speaking to Newsday after the corporation’s last statutory meeting for 2018 at City Hall, PoS, Martinez called on those who wish to support the homeless to take all items to the displaced centre at Riverside Car Park rather than feeding them in the streets. He said in that way the homeless will know where to go on a daily basis if they are in need of food, clothes or shelter.

“A lot of people don’t understand the process of how the centre works. It is a homeless assessment centre which has been there for the past 25 years. It was structured to be a temporary event, as you know it is a car park, and it is not the best place to have the homeless at this time.

“However, it is what we have. It is an accommodation.

“We have a lot of plans in place to be able to provide a proper homeless centre for our deprived citizens and our citizens who are downtrodden.”

Martinez said there are a number of different types of homeless people, who include those who have come on hard times because of the downturn in the economy, those who have fallen prey to drugs, some who have been deported, and those who do not have any family support and find themselves in a difficult space.

He said the homeless are includedin the citizenry and the country is charged with their responsibility.

“The minute a country turns their back on them, we turn our backs on our country. A country grows when it takes care of its vulnerable citizens.

“We have plans for the development of a proper centre.” He said the plans were moving slwoly, and really fell under the Ministry of Social Development.

“I know the minister’s hands are filled, with the recent challenges of the flooding, so she might have taken her eyes off the project a bit, but I know that she means well and she will refocus on it very soon.”

Martinez said having a proper homeless centre would also provide an opportunity to collect data on different types of homeless people who traverse the city.

He said the corporation is working to have the ground floor of Riverside Car Park cleaned and better security measures put in place.

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