Maintenance of government buildings has to become a priority.

This was emphasised today by Minister of People Empowerment and Elder Affairs, Kirk Humphrey, as he addressed the re-opening of Lancaster House, a facility offering emergency transitional housing and support services for displaced members of the community.

Mr. Humphrey, while giving the assurance that the facility, located at Lancaster, St. James, would be a priority in this respect, explained the rationale behind its refurbishment.

He said: “When we came here… a number of the rooms were out of use. There was mould in the walls. I mean, the building was basically in a state of serious dilapidation and people were actually still in it. And in keeping with the mandate of the Ministry, we determined that persons should not have to live and/or work in those kinds of conditions.”

Pointing out that the facility, which falls under the National Assistance Board (NAB), would not be the only one refurbished, Mr. Humphrey said attention would be paid to all other buildings under the Ministry of People Empowerment.

“The Government committed just around three million dollars to the repairs of this building and the Vauxhall Senior Citizens Village, which we hope to open in December…. and you will see the amount of work that we too put into the Vauxhall Senior Citizens Village.

“And so, we’ve lifted the two main provisions of housing in the Ministry. There are a few more in the National Assistance Board …. The estimates reflect that we need to renovate those as well this year so to make sure that people live and work in conditions that are up to standard. And, the other thing that we made a commitment to do as a Government, and you would have heard the Prime Minister announce it, is in relation to building newer facilities,” he explained

He noted there would be collaborative efforts with the Barbados Association of Retired Persons and the Soroptimist International to build out a couple of these facilities and this would hopefully be undertaken next year and the year after, depending on the planning, among other things.

Minister Humphrey, acknowledging it was not just about building buildings, said the country had “to get back to the point where families are taking care of the elderly”.  

He added: “We also have to be aware that as we’re intentionally rebuilding families, we also have to build some facilities. And we made a point that we were going to work with BARP and Soroptimist to be able to do so. We would like to be able to build a small facility perhaps in every parish to allow persons to be able, as they get older, to get older in dignity and in grace.”

Meanwhile, Chairman of the NAB, Reverend Wayne Kirton, noted that Lancaster House was in the vanguard of the NAB reaching out and setting the example of what this society needs to return to.

“The days when we sought to reach out to those less fortunate within our communities, where as a people we were proud to make sure that our neighbours were fed, where we made sure that their needs were met.… People only went into homes when the care of them was beyond their families and beyond the community,” he remarked.

Adding that it was through facilities like the Lancaster House, the NAB must give of its best, he said it was important that it also recognise its duty to the people it serves. 

Explaining further, he said: We have to get away from where people believe that the only time you should care for the elderly is twice a month when checks are to be changed…. 

“We need to value our elderly… see the contribution that they would have made and we need to honour them and I believe this facility would give us the opportunity to make sure that they are well taken care of as we seek… to transition them back into society.” (PR/GIS)