Human Services and Social Security Minister Jenifer Webster said some 80 homeless persons have already been identified and evaluated by the ministry to take up residence at the recently-constructed Hugo Chávez Centre for Rehabilitation and Reintegration Centre at Onverwagt, West Coast Berbice.
In an invited comment on Monday, Webster told this newspaper that the ministry was in the process of recruiting more than 25 staff members to work at the institution, including a live-in administrator. There are also plans to establish a management oversight board for the centre.
The human services minister said the various rooms in the facility were recently furnished with the necessary furniture and appliances. She added that the Human Services Ministry is working along with the Health Ministry to evaluate other persons who may want to seek refuge at the institution.
Webster sought to clear up the popular misconception that every homeless person will be “picked up and taken to the homeless shelter”. That notion should be rejected, since the ministry will not be doing such.
The minister explained that the homeless shelter is intended for persons who are capable of taking care of themselves, but many homeless persons are mentally challenged and unable to do so.
Special training
Hence, her ministry’s collaboration with the Health Ministry to determine the mental condition of potential residents via a thorough examination. The home also will not house persons for extended periods, but they will receive special training so that they can reintegrate into society.
Construction on the Gy$402.8 million facility, a gift from the Venezuelan government to the people of Guyana, began in January 2010.
In August 2013, President Donald Ramotar and Venezuela’s Ambassador to Guyana Reina Margarita Arratia Diaz toured the facility after unveiling a plaque bearing the image of Venezuela’s late President Hugo Chávez whose name the centre bears.
Guyana shares a friendly relationship with its western neighbour at the bilateral level and through the Union of South American Nations (UNASUR). The two countries have built on good diplomatic relations, signing an agreement that paved the way for Guyana to export rice and paddy into the Venezuelan market.
Guyana is also a beneficiary of the PetroCaribe deal, conceptualised by the late President Chávez that allows signatory countries to access fuel at a subsidised cost.
Homeless persons from across Guyana will be housed at the centre, which has two dorms – one for males, the other for females; a kitchen; recreational, medical, training and dining facilities, and conference rooms.
The centre has the capacity to hold 200 males and 100 females and stands on 7.30 acres of land. Some of the land has been set aside for residents to engage in agriculture.
