The Chinese Consul-General, Mr. Zhang Weixin on behalf of the Consulate-General of the People’s Republic of China in Willemstad, donated 105,000 USD to the Government of Sint Maarten which was earmarked for temporary housing. As we are now in a different phase of recovery, this money was utilized with the Consulate-General’s approval for start-up and monthly costs associated with the Hurricane Irma Reintegration Program Shelter, which is located in Sucker Garden. To this Minister Lee, expressed “I would like to thank Consul-General Weixin for supporting the reallocation of their donation to assist some of the neediest in our community. Their contribution helps our people to live in a safe, decent, nurturing and supportive environment, where they can recover and restructure their lives and to reintegrate back into our community.”
The Hurricane Irma Reintegration Program Shelter (HIRPS) aims to help homeless people reintegrate themselves back into society after being displaced as a result of the devastation suffered by Hurricane Irma in 2017. The Consul-General with his staff toured the facility with the head of Department of Foreign Relations, Mrs. Khalilah Peters and the Manager of the facility, the Dr. J Foundation during a visit to the island, after which he expressed his “satisfaction with the project and wished the island a smooth reconstruction and a better future.”
On March 30, 2018, a total of forty-three (43) persons were transferred to Hurricane Irma Re-Integrated Program Shelter (HIRPS) in Sucker Garden. Since then Twenty (20) persons have rotated out of the shelter and several others have been admitted. Several of the persons that have rotated out have found permanent lodging or their roofs have been repaired, either through insurances, various repair programs or own savings. As the various roof repair programs continue several persons whose roofs are being repaired are expected to rotate into the HIRPS for temporary housing.
There are Three (3) Social Workers (SW) active at the shelter, whose tasks include; counseling, assisting with resumes and job coaching, assisting with find apartments for rent, assisting the seniors in addition to several other tasks. The shelter is monitored by security 24 hours a day to enforce the rules and regulations of the shelter, and ensure the safety of the residents and premises at all times.
In order to assess eligibility for admittance to the HIRPS, please contact Dr. Judith Arndell at 721-520-4747 or generalmail@drj-foundation.com
Or the Social Workers at the Department of Social Services at the Government Building 721-5425694
