Prime Minister Andrew Holness Officially Opens State-of-the-Art Transitional Centre for the Homeless in Kingston
The new facility will set an example of the high quality of care that our poor and vulnerable citizens deserve.
The Prime Minister says the new facility will set an example of the high quality of care that our poor and vulnerable citizens deserve.
Prime Minister Andrew Holness today (May 27), officially opened the new state-of-the-art Transitional Centre for the Homeless in downtown Kingston, named in honour of former Councillor and former Mayor of Kingston, now Minister of Local Government, the Hon. Desmond McKenzie.
Prime Minister Holness explained that the facility, based on Kings Street, was transformed from an abandoned dental office into a modern homeless centre.The Prime Minister further highlighted that the current capacity of the centre is 40, with plans in place to add another floor and increase the capacity to 100.
Noting that Kingston and St. Andrew have over 60% of the nation’s homeless population, Prime Minister Holness said, “We must view the problem of homelessness in Jamaica as solvable.” In keeping with this, the Prime Minister underscored that the new facility would extend the typical offerings of a drop-in centre to include services such as psychiatric care, social reintegration and rehabilitation.
Prime Minister Holness said: “Poor relief is not treated in a political way in Jamaica and that is a good thing for our country. This is an example of the high quality of care that our poor and vulnerable citizens deserve.”
In the meantime, Prime Minister Holness also described the facility as a personal passion project of the Hon. Desmond McKenzie, Minister of Local Government & Rural Development since his time as Mayor of Kingston. Therefore, with the approval of the Kingston & St. Andrew Municipal Cooperation (KSAMC), Prime Minister Holness said the building was named in honour of Minister McKenzie for his career-long and consistent advocacy for the poor and destitute.