‘A so them treat the elderly’

SPRING MOUNT, St James — Lezma Reid shows no fear as she walks across the floorboards of what remains of sections of her house in this rural community.

Despite her stooping gait, she moves across the structure daily, keeping watch over what remains of her possessions that she’d managed to push into a section of the house that was not destroyed during the onslaught of Hurricane Melissa last October.

In a voice still strong, she vented her frustration at the slow pace of government assistance in her time of need.

“A so them treat the elderly,” she said, as she gave a tour of the remaining sections of the two-bedroom house.

“Is 10 months now, and all now, nothing,” Reid lamented.

Most of the houses nearby were also damaged or destroyed by the Category 5 storm. Reid has been waiting for help through the Government’s shelter recovery programme, Restoration of Owner or Occupant Family Shelters (ROOFS). According to the latest update provided by the Ministry of Labour and Social Security (MLSS), ROOFS has done 118,365 assessments and disbursed almost $11 billion in materials or cash to 50,000 families. Now, it is moving into phase two.

In a recent JIS News release, Labour Minister Pearnel Charles Jr explained that lessons learnt during the first phase would be applied to this next stage. There will be greater emphasis placed on completing verifications and improving the efficiency of the process, he said.

“Most of the work is done, because we have identified the categories of issues and we have identified an approach to make sure that we can maintain the balance between efficiency and accountability,” the minister said.

According to the release, Government is revamping the programme to address the logistical challenges that delayed the initial distribution of benefits.

Reid told the Jamaica Observer that while a team from the labour ministry has helped her relocate, there has been little progress on providing the funds needed to repair her house. When the MLSS’s Montego Bay office was contacted, a worker who did not wish to be identified by name told the Sunday Observer that Reid had been provided financial assistance.

“We had a situation where we were spelling her name wrong, we were using an ‘S’ where it should be a ‘Z’, but I know they got her account information and money has been sent over,” the individual disclosed.

“I’m not certain how much she got, but I know something was provided,” he added.

However, Reid insists she has not received the funds.

“Last Friday mi check and I don’t see anything in the account. You want to see it?” she asked the Sunday Observer during a visit last Thursday.

She, however, praised the staff at the MLSS’s Montego Bay office who came to assess her situation and thanked her local political representative for the mattress on which she now sleeps.

However, for the 80-year-old, her greatest wish is to have her house back. She survived 1988’s Category 3 Hurricane Gilbert in it and she refuses to allow Melissa to take it from her.

She remains fiercely independent despite her age, and said the room that was rented on her behalf cannot accommodate all of her things. She also wants to have enough space for her family to be able to visit.

“I alone live there, but I am not lonely. When my sister who is in England come, she stays there because she don’t like hotels,” Reid explained.

A GoFundMe page has been launched by private individuals trying to help her rebuild her home.

Reid’s situation came to light in July after neighbours raised concerns about her living in her badly damaged house. Angela Sawyers, a Jamaican living in Canada, felt compelled to help even though she did not know the senior citizen.

“My own mother, who’s 94 and lives in Trelawny, could easily have found herself in a similar situation. This realisation motivated me to take action and help this woman find a safe and secure place to live,” Sawyers said.

“A year has almost passed since the devastating hurricane in Jamaica, yet an elderly woman remains without a home, waiting for help that’s taking far too long to arrive. It’s heartbreaking to think she’s struggling to access fundamental needs,” she stated.

She is hoping to raise awareness that will spur action desperately needed by Reid and other elderly Jamaicans.

“The goal is that by shedding light on this situation, government agencies will be motivated to move forward with Ms Lezma’s ROOFS application and explore other forms of assistance that can help her obtain a safe and comfortable living space. No senior citizen should have to endure the subpar living conditions that Ms Lezma is currently facing,” Sawyer said.