The Grotto Home for the Homeless and the Wisdom to Know Home may be one of the solutions to a vagrancy issue plaguing Roseau as the country gets set to welcome the new tourist season.
Addressing a press briefing this week Assistant Superintendent of Police, Ainsworth Irish, who is also the President of the Grotto Home said the institution will be housing some of the vagrants in their effort to assist in the problem.
“Recently we had some discussions with the various stakeholders and of course I can tell you from the Grotto standpoint we have decided to take in some of the vagrants during this tourist season to ensure that we can have them give them a warm meal and entertain them at the Grotto,” He said.
Irish said discussions have been held with the Mayor of Roseau to assist with the organizational aspect of the matter.
“Also the Ministry had some discussion with the mayor of the city of Roseau to ensure that something is done to have some sort of organized situation where we can take the vagrants off the streets,” he said. “Because that is a concern and certainly as we create that ambience, that safety net, we want to ensure that the tourists are not unduly interfered with when they come to this nature island.”
Meantime Executive Director of Wisdom to Know home Bonty Liverpool told DNO that vagrants will be arriving at the insitution on October 24th.
“They will be fed and housed during the day but if they desire to overnight that will be fine,” he noted.
He mentioned that the arrangement is only in “proposal mode” and a document on the matter has been submitted it to Cabinet for final approval.
He also lamented that the home is assisting about 10 recovering drug addicts and indoor space is a problem. He is hoping that funds will be made available for the construction of a more comfortable home when the time comes.
Liverpool said the men will be housed at the Wisdom to Know Home which is old Scout’s headquarters behind the Saint Mary’s Primary School. The women will be housed at the Grotto Home.
The tourist season officially opens on October 24th with 201 cruise ship calls expected to the island.
This situation should bring about jobs, a better educated society, a cleaner environment, happier homeless people and a government that cares… moving forward… The cries of the people.
。A rehabitation center…proving construction jobs…
。Educate 30 people to take care of them physically and spritually.. …more job opportunities
。more votes for the gorvenment because they care;
。Happier society….clean evironment for tourism…increase on everyside……halllelulia……
Proud dominican
Rehabilitation…..providing..
correction..
well drugs is all over the world,and who bringing drugs in dominica trinidad right next to venezula okay they fly drop it off saint lusia bringing drugs there mashing up the country,what they need to do step up the patrol on the sea,and get rid of crooked police,and it’s getting worst,crack aint no joke u can go sounth america buy a brick for 30 dollores sell it in ec for 75,000 dollors ,sad but its true and placeing them in a house tourist they need some one to talk to help them of drugs,but u cant help ur self off drugs unless u help ur self,any way it’s sad reading these comments,my jah jah be with all of us because we in our last days
I am pleased to know that something will be done about the vagrants during the tourist season. We do hope it will be permanent.
which will captivate their mind. Also music.
Keeping them out of the streets will be a challenge. Ensure there is security personnel within reach.
I am certain that they will not only be well-fed and clothed but they will be kept busy. In between give them some fruits to eat and juice to drink.
Have some games ready for them that hopefully they will enjoy playing. Maybe a little TV viewing
Who knows? They may enjoy their stay to the extent that they will not want to return to the streets or if they do, they will return to the home. Would this not be wonderful?
I do wish you well with this new initiative. If it is successful know that the Lord will appreciate you helping his vulnerable children. Blessings and graces will abound from him.
Having stated the word “successful”, I recall Blessed (Mother) Teresa of Calcutta’s words: “God will not ask you if you succeeded. He will ask you if you tried.” I am confident that you will do your utmost to assist them and in the future.
God bless you!
That’s just another sign of bad leadership in that Country. Won’t be surprised if they put them in chains too.
So long WTK(wisdom to know) begging for a place to permanently house there participants Govt doing like they none existent now they want come and bring vagrant there as a scape goat!! I would say NAF!
What about the woman call yellow? she is a pain in the gludeusemaximus in roseau.
@ Anonymous, I don’t hear yellow was your woman nuh!
then after tourist season we no longer care? I hope you all keep it up and keep housing them even though season over.
I was thinking the same thing, what happens to them after the tourist season? will they be thrown out to the streets again?..lets find permanent housing for these people
Ain’t them vagrants have family and relatives?Are they not the best people to take care of them?Something is being done to assist the situation,yet some of you have so many negative questions and comments to write about.They walking the streets is a problem.House them and keep them away from roaming the streets,comments of taking away their freedom are made.Neglect them is another talk.
We keep, hearing that argument about their famillies having to take care of them as long as I can remember. Obviously it is not working. So, instead of talking, the authorities have to take measures with the help of charitable institutions. I only hope they do not take them of the streets only when a cruise ship is in town but at all other times also. If it is problem for the tourists it is even more so for the residents of Dominica.
At this home they could be monitored and supervised. It is a good place for them.
You must be new to DA. People here have a lot of family rifts and divisions. In general they won’t take care of family relations. As well, some of the vagrants prefer to wander and live their own life style.
That action reminds me of the 60s, 70, and 80s when people would say “clean the house clean the yard a stranger is coming here tomorrow” and I would ask myself “a clean house and yard is good only for the strangers and not for the residence of the house?” good action but it should not only be for the tourist season.
Neg I could not have said it better.
very good I was about to ask what happens to the natives after the tourist have left don’t we need a relief to from the folks who just will not take no I do not have a dollar, and move on, they are people in need yes but some by choice others not, they can be too disgusting and need to be put away every day.
The permanent solution – it’s you all family members- HELP THEM.
It’s your duty to assist them. Everything is on the government. What about your duty as a human being?
the same reason you want not help them, that could be the same reason the government is hvaing difficulties helping them.
think – they all have family who should be held accoutnable and responsible for them, but alas… they end up on the street and we EXPECT that someone else should be responsible.
sure is our society – expect, expect, expect.
Some family members have to work. They are not always able to be with them and to take care of them.
It is high time that something be done about the rehabilitation of these young able-bodied men. It’s a crying shame that because it’s the “Tourist Season” they will be housed.
What I take from this is that the vagrants should not harass the tourist, but they can harass me the local. Shame on the authorities!
I guess we locals do not matter. We are harassed day and night by these homeless people. This is not the solution. It reminds me of back then, the way we rushed to fix the potholes if a member of the Royal family or some other ‘big official’ was visiting.
The tourists have more homeless people in their cities than the population of Roseau, so they know homeless people exist. NY is full of them and they have many shelters. They may well have to be ‘drugged’ to stay inside, so I guess we will be giving them what they want. At least I do not expect any ‘paro’ to be digging in my garbage at midnight during the tourist season.
Most of the people on the streets have a drug problem. Lack of food and shelter is not the main reason why they are doing what they are doing. Other than acting as a day care centre for those persons, how do Bonty and the Grotto plan to deal with the drug issues, and the addiction? Will they be offered some sort of rehabilitation? Or is it a matter of keeping them hidden from the tourists in the day and they are free to roam at nights?
Leave it up to them who are presently discussing the issue. I would not bother about it if I were you for you are not the authority of the home. This is their responsibility. They will find a way.
The problem may not be the absence of housing space but the desire of the vagrants to roam the streets. Most vagrants already have a hole to retire to. However, they freely admit that hustling in teh streets is more attractive than remaining in an enclosed four-walled facility because they get much more from the public (money, food, cigarettes, etc).
So, i hope that the ongoing discussion considers the probability that the solution may not be simply one of housing.
I share your concerns Bogoroy,what you said I’ve seen in other places. Individuals were given homes,not just a bed for the night,and they abandoned , them just to be back on the street.Some of them are very disruptive in the shelters,seeking an excuse to the turf out back on the streets. Its a difficult task. Apparently Aruba has a workable solution to vagrancy.
Poor and visionless mentality…..
for tourist sake; cant believe someone really said and wrote this statement. 
Dissapointed…not because they care about the vagrant but because of tourism..shame on you guys…what about the local people who are tormented daily by the vagrants…PM. plz build a center and train people to take care of them. They are humans too. I guess when tourism is over to hell with them, right? Smh..
Some of you are always negative; always finding faults. Would it not be a relief to walk the streets in peace for a change and not having them bother you? You never know, something permanent may come out of this.
just an observation why is it only during tourist season that help to get these people out of the street and a place to stay, why cant it be a regular thing to take care of our people.
Everyone asks that. Does anyone have a solution to keep them permanently off the streets?
Why do you not offer the authorities some suggestions to keep them off the streets at all times?
Isn’t the ‘old Scout’s headquarters’ right next to the Girl Guides Association and directly behind the Saint Marys Primary School?
Housing male ‘vagrants’ in an area frequented by young girls and boys may not be the most prudent solution.
all i can say is hum.
I like that!! we coming full circle. Make room for the same people who kept us “housed” for 400 years.
Dummy Dominican and American History is different. Slavery did not last in Dominica. While black Americans were still enslaved Black Dominicans were running Dominica’s internal affairs.
kyak kyak kyak…. smh…. UDOHREADYET… u serious.. sure is not haitians you referring to… they were the first free black nation… not dominicans… when slaves gain freedom in U.S.A… we were still enslaved, in fact even after slavery abolishment, it’s fair to say based on work conditions, our grand to great grand parents were still like slaves to the plantation owners… to the L. Rose’s etc etc
anonymous you need to at least read a decent history book because in the Us slavery was abolished after the civil war with president Abraham lincohn
Anonymus when last you pick up a history books dominica started to colonise in the 18th century plus the fact that we did not have as many slaves as the other islands and slavery was ended in the bwi (british west indies cause apparently you seem to not know your history) in 1834 to be exact slavery ended in america 1865 . I just got my undergrad degree in history and I can be boastful about the 2 I earned in cxc in history so yoi cant kyak kyak kyak at me youdoereadyet it quite right about their statement cause dominica was one of the first islands to have coloured / black representatives smh learn your damnn history before you go and give people wrong information please.
Who did? I wasn’t!
Where are they going to be housed? at Stockfarm?
Nonsense how comes is only now these people need a home for tourists sake, so wat about they does harass to. So after the season all you going to let them go to harass D/cans. Thinkthink think
Some of you must put on your thinking cap. Do you have one? This has been discussed for a while.
You should know, if they are not kept off the streets and away from the tourists, Dominica may lose some tourists’ visits, if not all and the tourism industry will suffer. They are fed-up while vacationing and walking the streets and harassed by vagrants.
Do you recall sometime ago a woman visited Dominica and met with Minister Douglas? Who knows? She may have discussed this issue with him.
Very sad to see only in the tourist season you all can help the vagrants they need it all year. They are humans and they need the a basic quality of life, but good effort.
Maybe you should try helping them at other times of the year. Any suggestions to begin doing so?
what stupidity you trying to bring into our forum. I hope you a are not a bimbo or blonde. We are not helping the vagrants we are hiding them away so tourist can feel free to spend their money without the option of running bac onto the ship to get away from the vagrants
This is a very short-sigheted approach. Firstly, they should be concerned about housing them permanently. However, and more importantly, they should provide assistance to get these people the mental health and drug rehab services plus training to get them to fend for themselves so that they become net contributors to society.
It would be a big mistake for them to look at this as a temporary issue of looking after “vagrants” during the tourist season. Secondly they should also not be looking to make social assistance a permanent solution to the problem. I have seen too many well-meaning individuals make an industry out of housing homeless people who never seem to get out of the cycle of homlessness.
Help them to get back on their feet to look after themselves.
I am in support of your proposed approach. We need to develop protocols to deal with this problem, taking into account the human rights of these people
This is an intelligent comment.
dem people does not want to be locked up or stay indoors. they love the streets and unless alyou planning on keeping them locked up they will still go back to the streets.
armed guards with SLR and Ak-47 skerro does use to prevent march, boycott and now is that for these vagrants
What happens if someone doesn’t want to be “housed?” Will they be held against their will?
good question. they have rights, too.
One wonders what the CCJ will have to say about any force detention.
Its very much interesting that a temporary solution is being made around the tourism season -what nonsense is this? I do hope that something more permanent will be done. It really annoys me that my country is reactive rather than proactive. the season is open so lets run and hide the vagrants- so the world cant see our short comings – so we can keep you the illusion that things are so clean, so peaceful, so rich and booming! Classic
It is troubling to know that “DURING THE TOURIST season” the vagrants in Roseau will be housed. I place emphasis on DURING THE TOURIST season as this speaks volumes about how these officials prey on these helpless people to inflate their pockets. Ostensibly, they are being helped ONLY because it is financially convenient to the “helpers”.
I take it after the tourist season they will be “unleashed” like dogs on the streets?
Perhaps I am misinformed so I am opened for correction.
So much land we have unused….lets build a facility to house these people somewhat permanently. At least until they are well enough to be out on their own. Those people are also resources we can let them help pay for boarding by employing them as custodial help at national and or public areas
Smh just to keep up appearances huh?
Can you guys please stop referring to them as vagrants?
@ Alas…thank you very much. Somehow that word makes them sound like useless disposable trash.
And what happens at the close of the tourist season? What permanent solutions are being discussed to address this issue? what about the local populace? How will they be protected between the months of May and October/November?
The politicians blue and red need to come up with funding for a permanent solution. They can go begging for all sorts of needless things so surely something as humane as building a home for a not so large homeless population can be done
So all of a sudden is the “old” Scout Headquarters? I cannot believe the both the Scout and Guide Associations have allowed Bonty to take over the place like that. I am not saying I am against helping others in need, but that is the height of non-sense now. It’s things like this that have “old-boys” like me staying away from that association non-sense. I’ll contribute what I can to 4th D/ca instead (maybe they should break away from that national association).
Although a nice gesture for the Grotto Home and Wisdom To Know Home, that is really lame. For tourist season only and it starts the same day the first cruise ship arrives and ends when tourist season is over???? Shame, shame, shame on the lame Government of the Commonwealth of Dominica!!!!!!! I hiding my face from this country!!!
what all u going to do? tie them up in the grotto home? u think they wudnt come out there and go inside town behind tourist?how are u going to make sure that they stay there????????????? huh.they will still leave the grotto home and go in town.so the issue of housing them don’t make any sence!
If it means having guards then that’s what it is. For the greater good of a society certain decisions and steps have to be taken. Sometimes those decisions are not liked by everybody but they are necessary. Dominica is looking to progress and progress comes with rules
So are they going to hold people against their will?