New boys' home to replace St Michael's

MINISTER of State in the Office of the Prime Minister (OPM) Ayanna Webster-Roy on Monday disclosed that the former St Michael's School for Boys in Diego Martin will be converted into a new "model home for boys."

She explained this is why money was allocated to St Michael's in 2019-2020 budget. According to the Draft Estimates of Recurrent Expenditure 2020, $5,777,860 was allocated to the home for fiscal 2020. This was an increase from the allocation of $4,947, 300 in fiscal 2019. A sum of $11,000,000 was allocated to the home in fiscal 2019. These figures were listed in the document under the OPM.

In a statement last May, the OPM said the school was closed because of the drastic reduction in the number of residents there.

During the lunch break in the House of Representatives, Webster-Roy told Newsday said St Michael's is being "re-branded and re-purposed into a model home for boys." She said the new facility will have a different name and house at least 70 boys. She was confident that at the new home, the boys will "get the best possible care."

The Anglican Church will remain the owner of the property. Webster-Roy said negotiations are under way with the church for a rental arrangement for the new home, explaining that because there has been investment by at St Michael's over the years, it made sense to pursue this kind of arrangement. Webster-Roysaid since 1889, when the Church of England established the home, there was a arrangement between the State and church for its operations and this relationship evolved over time.

The new home will be run by the reserves of the TT Defence Force, and Webster-Roy was hopeful that it would be open in the first quarter of fiscal 2020.

In its statement, the OPM said St Michael's had a capacity to accommodate 80 boys but had been accommodating an average of four per month since November 2017.

"The low population has led both the Government and the Anglican Church to review the services and the institutional arrangements in place at the school," the OPM said.

Webster-Roy also said the allocation will deal with salaries for contract staff and Statutory Authority Service Commission (SASC) employees at the home. In its statement, the OPM said the role of the SASC in providing staff is under the provisions of the Statutory Authorities Declaration Order.

The OPM also said Government has partnered with the church by providing an annual subvention for the school's management, operational, tactical (needs) and other requirements.