Junior boxer one step closer to having a home

THIRTEEN-year-old national junior boxer Shirley Wolfe and her family are one step closer to having a proper home.

Last week a team of field officers from the Housing Development Corporation (HDC) visited the family at their one-room galvanized shack along the Southern Main Road in Claxton Bay, to do an where an assessment.

Shirley's father, Christopher Wolfe said the officials at HDC took photocopies of all the necessary documents for himself and his family members.

“Now we just have to wait," he said.

"I really think our prayer has been answered and my daughter can finally get a chance to excel at boxing and continue representing the country. We are so happy and thankful to the authorities of HDC who intervened to help us.

"Shirley wants everyone to know that she is going to continue making her country proud.”

Last week Newsday published a story in which Wolfe made a plea on behalf of himself, his wife Angel Matthew, Shirley, and her two siblings, two-year-old Austin and four-year-old Diamond.

They have been living in the run-down shack on state land for ten years. Shirley’s mother and father are separated, and she sees her mother monthly.

On October 28 the family received an eviction notice from the Commissioner of State Lands saying they must vacate the land immediately because they have been occupying it illegally.

Wolfe said he did not have anywhere else to go, so he built a wood and galvanize structure ten years ago on an empty piece of state land. He was afraid his family would now end up living on the streets.

He said Shirley has been training for the last four years and is now one of the best junior boxers in TT.

In November 2019 she won the TT Boxing Association National Championship.

Shirley also won a silver medal for TT in August 2019 from the Caribbean School Girls and Boys Junior Boxing Tournament in Guyana. She has also won other boxing competitions and tournaments.

President of the TT Boxing Association Cecil Forde described Shirley as a talented and passionate boxer with a bright future.

The Social Welfare Department of the Ministry of Family and Social Services has arranged to give the family a food card.

Private citizens have visited the family and given them food hampers.

Wolfe said, "We are so grateful and extremely thankful for all the love and help from everyone. To even the people who called and spoke to Shirley and offered her words of encouragement to keep on going and following her boxing dreams."