Rhondor Dowlat
A parcel of land just in front the Riverside Plaza’s carpark in Port-of-Spain has been given to the Port-of-Spain City Corporation by the Government for the construction of a centre for homeless people.
This was yesterday disclosed by the city's mayor Joel Martinez after yesterday’s statutory meeting that took place at City Hall.
During the sitting, Martinez said discussions were ongoing with several parties including the Ministry of Social Development and the Downtown Owners Merchants Association regarding the construction of the centre. He said he will be approaching the business community to help in its construction.
Martinez later told the T&T Guardian that he was being assisted by assisting by a citizen who the homeless close to his heart and an institute based in Miami.
“The homeless have taken over the streets. The Prime Minister said the city streets were like an open sewer. The streets of Port-of-Spain were not a place of pride that is why I have embarked upon trying to find a solution knowing that previous mayors tried and encountered problems that led to injunctions and a court case that is still active,” Martinez said.
“We will be guided by the institute throughout the process. The Ministry has their ideas also so we all will be bringing together all the ideas to try to get everything done in a humane manner and properly,” he said.