KSAMC calls for greater compliance with homeless feeding programme

Persons and organisations that provide meals to homeless people in the Corporate Area are being urged to comply with the coordinated feeding programme of the Kingston and St Andrew Municipal Corporation (KSAMC), as it pushes to bring greater structure to such activities.

Acting Inspector of Poor at the KSAMC, Donna Gay Braidy, said compliance among those involved in feeding the homeless is not where she would want it to be and is calling for stakeholders to come on board.

She made the appeal during a World Homeless Day event hosted by the corporation at St William Grant Park in downtown Kingston last Friday.

“Well, I would say for the coordinated feeding programme, it is a 50-50. You have persons who are compliant, so you'll have persons coming in, but then you have another set of individuals who still refuse to adhere to the coordinated feeding programme. So I'm still imploring those persons to come in,” Braidy said.

She stressed that the KSAMC was not seeking to take credit away from individuals and groups that have been providing meals to homeless people, but wanted them to work alongside the corporation to improve coordination and maintain public order.

“I don't want them to believe that the KSAMC wants to take the spotlight from them feeding. I believe that they should just come in and be partners, utilise the space for coordination, for public order, because when you have public order and you have structure, then you will have better functionality in our society. So I'm just encouraging them to come in,” she said.

The coordinated feeding programme is intended to bring greater organisation to the provision of meals to homeless people, with the KSAMC seeking the cooperation of those who continue to operate independently.

Meanwhile, the corporation has started relocating homeless people from the Marie Atkins Night Shelter ahead of renovation work at the facility.

Deputy Mayor of Kingston and St Andrew Lorraine Dobson said the relocation is being carried out in phases, with some of those affected being moved to the Denham Town Golden Age Home and the Desmond McKenzie Drop-In Centre.

The planned renovations are expected to facilitate upgrades to the shelter as the corporation continues its efforts to address the needs of homeless people in the municipality.

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