The site of the old St Michael’s Home for Boys in Diego Martin, will now be the home of the St Jude’s Home for Girls.
Minister in the Office of the Prime Minister (OPM) with responsibility for Gender and Child Affairs, Ayanna Webster-Roy, in a GML report, stated that the girls and staff will soon be temporarily relocated to the compound.
The home for boys was closed in 2018 after 129 years of existence due to what the OPM described as a “drastic reduction in the number of residents.”
St Jude’s Belmont location has been deemed unfit due to the age of its infrastructure and it has already been determined that in its current state, the facility will not meet the requirements to be licensed by the new extended deadline.
It is expected that all children will be at the new facility by July 1st.
Marsha Bailey, Chair of the St Jude’s Home, is optimistic that the change in physical environment will be a major asset in unlocking the potential of the residents.
“It’s an excellent facility, the girls will now be given the opportunity to have a different type of programme because the spacing is different. I am happy with the work that has been done, we were limited and cramped for space in Belmont but at this facility, we can now look at more sporting activities and there’s a space for an audio-visual room.”
According to reports, the entire population of around 65 girls will be moved to the Diego Martin facility, including the children who are in need of supervision or CHINS.