Port-of-Spain mayor Joel Martinez says he is attempting to get funding to build a homeless shelter for homeless people in the capital.
Martinez made the comment following Hugh Bernard’s lawsuit which was dismissed in the High Court on Monday. Bernard the lawsuit claiming that his constitutional rights had been infringed after the Port-of-Spain City Corporation constructed a fence around the perimeter around Tamarind Square, nearly two years ago.
In an interview yesterday, Martinez said there were other accommodation for the homeless available.
“They will now have to find other accommodation after losing the lawsuit against the Port-of-Spain City Corporation in the Port-of-Spain High Court on Monday. The city will have to deliberate on it and we will make provision to reopen the square to the public,” he said.
Martinez said the squares in Port-of-Spain are usually closed around 7 pm every day.
“It was closed because we were attempting to secure the square and the homeless took position in the square. Around 7 pm we would close the square and we were debarred because of the court case. If it went the other way we would have had to make arrangements for public toilets in the square and accommodation for them in the square,” the mayor said.
He said the corporation has several locks to gates of the squares but now that the court has made a ruling, the corporation will now pen the gates for the public to traverse it.
“They took up residence in the square and one of the residents took us to court and the judge made a decision that he didn’t have the right to live in the square. We will return it to the people as soon as possible and we are currently deliberating it at council,” he said.
Martinez said there were places available and everyone has there reasons for where they live.
“Everybody have reasons where they going. If you are homeless the accommodation may not be the best but it is better than being on the street. I am trying my best to allocate a piece of land and I will ask NGOs, business companies and the Rotaries and the Chambers to assist us in a building or a homeless shelter that is adequate to house and assist,” he said.
Referring to the Christopher Columbus statue he said a letter was delivered to the Corporation and there will be a discussion on it.
“The statue was also defaced with red paint. The council has to meet on it and we haven’t deliberated or met with the First Peoples. I am against the fact people could go into the square and deface public property. I don’t know if the police did anything about it,” he added.