The homeless in Jamaica will be engaging in several activities island wide, as the country joins with the rest of the world to commemorate World Homeless Day on October 10. Activities for the day are being organised through the country’s Poor Relief departments.
This year, World Homeless Day is being observed under the theme: “Changing the Lives of Persons Experiencing Homelessness Through Community Involvement and Career Development”.
Apart from the usual grooming and feeding of the homeless, Secretary of the Board of Supervision within the Ministry of Labour and Social Security, Treka Lewis, said several activities are being planned.
“What we’re doing this year is looking beyond the basics and trying to develop the potential that some homeless persons have. For example, this year we will be working closely with HEART/NSTA Trust to have literacy assessments for adult learners and to do certification for those who can be certified,” Lewis told JIS News.
“There will be a concert where they [will] showcase their talent [in St. Elizabeth, Trelawny, and St. Ann]. In Hanover, we will be having a display of the items that homeless persons would have made, and those will be on sale on the day as well. In St. James, we are having a sports day at Jarrett Park,” she noted.
“In Kingston, we are having career development activities and social intervention at the Desmond McKenzie Transitional Centre for the Homeless, and in St. Ann, we will be having a march from our drop-in centre to the town in Ocho Rios. We will be bringing awareness to the issue of homelessness and homeless persons will be a part of that march,” she said.
World Homeless Day is commemorated annually on October 10 to raise awareness of the needs of persons experiencing homelessness locally. It provides an opportunity for communities to get involved in responding to homelessness.
In Jamaica, government and non-governmental organisations are collaborating to make provisions for the homeless. This includes the Ministry of Health and Wellness, Ministry of Labour and Social Security, Registrar General’s Department, Electoral Office of Jamaica, Children First Agency, and Lions Clubs.
“Persons are welcome to assist, to volunteer their services, to come and fellowship or just interact with our service users and bring a little bit of light and joy,” Lewis said.
