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‘Half-way’ rehab centre to be closed temporarily
…Lacks management staff
The Infinity Ralph Turpin Transitional House, which seeks to rehabilitate drug abusers,
The counselor shows the lock on one of the bedrooms in which a few items were kept away from Mahase
will be closed temporarily because of the lack of management staff.
This is according to founder Karen Busby, who started the Mon Repos, East Coast Demerara centre two years ago as part of a personal dream to change the lives of addicts.
She refuted claims that recovering addicts at the half-way house, as the centre is mainly referred to, face harder times.
Ralph Turpin, a partner with Busby, served as the main counselor and manager. However, he died on September 15, 2011 during a confrontation outside Stabroek Market Square. Since then a new counselor, Leon Waithe, has been recruited.
One of the addicts, Richard Mahase, told Kaieteur News that Busby has been collecting their fees but that they have been neglected, and left without food in some instances.
This claim has been refuted by Busby. She told Kaieteur News that she has always provided three meals to each addict even though some of them failed to be up to date with their fees.
Busby as well as the counselor explained that at the time Kaieteur News visited the facility, there was indeed no grocery because the addicts had been stealing the items.
Waithe said that Mahase was taken to the facility by the counselor, since he, Waithe, believed a person deserves a chance to grow.
“I have no beef with Mahase. He is an addict; he did what he had to do.
“This is a half way house – there are rules. The addicts have to adhere to them; we can’t tie them down.
“This facility is more flexible, in that we find jobs for addicts; they get to come out,” the counselor stated.
He explained that he used to stay at the halfway house regularly but because of personal issues, he limited his time and started to visit once per day.
In the nights when the counselor was not there, a responsible addict was left in charge of the others.
“We have a curfew. In the night the guy would write down all who come in and then lock up the place,” Waithe said.
Busby explained that Mahase was not adhering to the ground rules and has been stealing her belongings and the other clients’ items and due to that they were forced to lock everything in a room.
She added that after they realized items such as the gas cylinder, blender, transformers and groceries, were going missing, they started to secure whatever items the Centre had.
Busby explained that things started to go “downhill” since she was receiving fees from only two persons but she still tried her utmost to provide the men with their meals and claims that she never left anyone to starve.
She added that after she was aware that Mahase was stealing her items she wanted to “throw” him out but the counselor kept him since he wanted to give him a chance to change.
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