Council seeks multi-stakeholder approach to help tackle vagrancy

Mar 01, 2018 News

Vagrancy is prevalent in the city

The Georgetown Mayor and City Council (M&CC) is taking steps to address the situation of street dwellers, citing health concerns for residents and commuters of Georgetown.
Mayor Patricia Chase-Green told the Council on Monday that the municipality will be taking a multi-stakeholder approach towards addressing the problem.
“It is a social issue that we cannot ignore. We cannot encourage them in their numbers around our markets. There are vendors who sell food in those areas,” the Mayor stated, adding that in some cases, commuters are afraid to even walk on the pavements because of the presence of vagrants.
According to the Mayor, the City has taken note of the effects that the presence of vagrants has on the environment. She noted that there have been a number of complaints about the odour and trails of garbage that these persons leave behind.
Councillor Ivelaw Henry pointed to a similar problem at Bourda Market. Henry noted that there have been numerous complaints about the vagrants that dwell on the pavements on Orange Walk and Bourda.
“People cannot walk on the pavement because of the social rejects. They lie down there, eat there, defecate there, smell up the place there and city constables are doing nothing about it.”
The Councillor suggested that the Council develop a policy to address the matter. In response, Town Clerk Royston King agreed that something must be done —a holistic approach needs to be taken.

Mayor Patricia Chase Green

“The city is ugly looking as a result of these persons dwelling on the streets. They contribute to the problem, especially as it relates to solid waste management. They (the street dwellers) constantly ravage the garbage receptacles (both private and public) when they are filled, leaving the litter everywhere they traverse.”
Meanwhile, the Mayor told the Council that the city administration is moving to make contact with a number of agencies that would aid the process of removing the street dwellers.
Towards the end of the meeting, the Mayor noted that plans are afoot for the council to engage other agencies on the matter.
“This is a big problem and we have attempted to address it before, but it will require a lot more manpower and resources than the Council has to offer. At the interim, we need to sit and determine how to clean it up, and how we can put our constables there to prevent them from just congregating there.”
The Georgetown M&CC has in the past collaborated with churches and other stakeholder agencies to address the issue of vagrancy in the City.
Last year, the Council joined with the Anglican Diocese of Guyana to provide assistance to street dwellers and vagrants.
Vagrancy is a prevalent issue in Guyana, particularly in the capital city. There are few organizations that lend their support to tackling vagrancy. Among them is a night shelter at Arapaima Street, East La Penitence, which takes in the homeless. The night shelter is run by the Social Protection Ministry. To gain admittance to that institution, a homeless person must provide proof that he/she is homeless and must submit to a medical examination and, in some cases, provide a police clearance.