The government of St. Vincent and the Grenadines will soon take action to address the issue of vagrants in Kingstown, the capital city. The announcement was made by Prime Minister Ralph Gonsalves on Sunday’s Issues at Hand programme.
“We must deal with vagrants people in the capital. Several of them can be found in the British-American building. Just last week, I was discussing with the Minister of Social Development and issuing directives for the identification of housing for vagrants. Several of them face health difficulties”.
“One of the problems with some of the vagrants that I’ve observed is that they’re persons who have mental challenges, and they come from all over the country.” They are not a danger to many other people, and they are not cared for in their families or community. “Unfortunately, family today is not what it was yesterday, and so many of them leave the rural communities and come into the city.”
The problems with COVID, the volcanic eruptions, and Hurricane Elsa, according to Gonsalves, have made it more difficult to assist the homeless.
Climate change, alternating droughts, heavy rain, and landslides, as well as the pressures from the Ukraine war and the effects of inflation, he stated, are all problems that must be addressed concurrently with the available resources.
