Amid growing public outrage over Tuesday’s demolition of homes in Coopers Pen, Trelawny, the government says several agencies have been deployed to assess the needs of residents and provide immediate assistance.
Social workers from the Ministry of Labour and Social Security were deployed to the community to conduct preliminary assessments and identify the welfare needs of affected households.
In a statement Wednesday, the Social Security Ministry said social workers from its Trelawny Parish office visited the community to conduct a preliminary assessment of affected households and identify immediate welfare needs.
It said that, based on the preliminary assessment, approximately 40 families have been affected, including households with children, senior citizens, persons with disabilities and other vulnerable individuals.
As a result, the ministry said it mobilised additional support, and working alongside the Office of Disaster Preparedness and Emergency Management and other stakeholders, returned to the community to provide immediate humanitarian assistance to affected residents.
According to the Social Security Ministry, the team worked beyond midnight to ensure that vulnerable residents were assessed and supported.
The Social Security Ministry added that the teams provided, among other things, food supplies, bottled water, toiletries, buckets, temporary shelter supplies, tents and lighting equipment.
It said its intervention is focused on assessing the immediate welfare needs of affected families, identifying vulnerable persons and connecting eligible residents with available social assistance and support services.
Labour and Social Security Minister Pearnel Charles Jr. said the ministry’s immediate concern is the welfare of the affected families, particularly children, older persons, persons with disabilities and others who may be vulnerable.
Additionally, the government said the Child Protection and Family Services Agency has also been dispatched to the community to assess the circumstances of affected children and families.
CPFSA officers remain in the field as the assessment continues and will determine what interventions may be required within the agency’s mandate.
Additionally, the Poor Relief Department of the Ministry of Local Government and Community Development, along with the Social Development Commission, is to undertake further assessments of affected residents and households and is expected to be provided through the applicable government programmes and support frameworks, with the Ministry of Local Government indicating that drop-in shelters will be available to meet the needs of residents.