Kingston fire victims still hoping for proper shelter

After losing their homes to firebombs from thugs 10 days before the start of the school year, parents of schoolchildren in Rosemary Lane and Rum Lane, central Kingston, have still been able to send the youngsters out to get an education.

However, they still crave a long-term solution to their housing issue as many are either sleeping outdoors or having to 'kotch' with friends and relatives. THE STAR spotted Sandra Shepherd, who is the matriarch of one of the affected families on Rosemary Lane, lying down on a mattress under a tarpaulin tied to a section of her daughter's dwelling. A refrigerator also serves as a makeshift dresser, as she tries to make the best of her situation.

"We were told that we were going to get help to start rebuilding but we haven't heard anything. Nobody nuh come back but we still nah give up. Getting back the house is the main thing, other things can come after. It don't make sense that we get things and we don't have anywhere to put them," Shepherd said.

"The sleeping problem is serious because we have to be sleeping in an open land like this in a community where people burned down our house. They [the perpetrators] are still walking freely and we don't know what next they have in store. At night time, we can't even sleep good, worse when the breeze a blow and the tarpaulin start move. You don't know what's coming behind it, every minute mi haffi a jump up," Shepherd said as she pointed at the demolished walls that used to be her home.

"And we can't afford to leave here because everywhere it's the same thing. We are just trying to live. This is not a good look for us as parents who are trying to give our children a future. They're at school every day because their parents are out and working right now to make sure of it," said the 53-year-old. Shepherd, who worked at the Holy Family Primary and Infant School for more than 30 years.

Shepherd, who disclosed that she serves God wholeheartedly, said thaat she does not deserve to live this way. As a past member of staff of the nearby Holy Family Primary and Infant School, she recalled that she has taken care of many children, most of them from the community, for more than 30 years.

The living conditions for families in Rum Lane have also been significantly disrupted. Families have been dispersed as different members are staying with friends or neighbours who are willing to accommodate them.

Sonia Broomfield stated, "It nuh easy but we have to live on. We have five kids in the yard going to school and we got a lot of help from all over, so they were able to start school yesterday [Monday]. We got help from the church, pastors, MPs, and the school."

A dwelling on Rum Lane which was firebombed does not resemble a place where three families lived only weeks ago. Staying with a friend across from where her home once stood, Broomfield explained, "Well they clean out over there so we are waiting on them to see what they are doing. We really need a roof over our heads. Without that we feel as if we are not trying. Getting the material to start is the most important thing." While appreciative of her current accommodation, she admitted it was not ideal.

"You know you can't express or do what you want to do because you get somebody to give you a kotch. What you want to do for yourself you can't do at people yard; you need your own place to do what you want to do," she said.