Port of Spain Mayor Joel Martinez, along with the Ministry of Social Development and Family Services, has made a commitment to establish a permanent home for the socially displaced in Port of Spain.

“It's about time and we have been saying for too long, 'We can't do anything with the homeless.' But we can do something and we are making an effort,” Martinez told the media after receiving the keys to the temporary homeless shelter beneath the Riverside Carpark, South Quay, on Wednesday morning.

He said, “The city has been been working together with the minister and the NGOs to make this very possible and not just very possible, but very possible in the near future. We have the commitment from the police, we have the commitment from the ministry, we have the commitment from the Port of Spain corporation, we have the commitment from the NGOs, and so we are going to work tirelessly to get this done.”

After handing over the keys to the shelter, Social Development Minister Donna Cox said the target is to relocate the homeless to another facility by the end of 2021. The temporary facility was built by members of the Defence Force in April 2020, after the government imposed stay-at-home restrictions. In February the ministry announced its decision to close the facility.

Last Saturday the Prime Minister declared a state of emergency and curfew as part of attempts to quickly reduce the upsurge of covid19 cases and deaths.

Cox said she found it critical to reopen the space after hearing concerns about the homeless roaming the deserted streets on the first three nights of the curfew.

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