Tailor among 4,700 W’land residents receiving $787m in ROOFS grants

WESTERN BUREAU:

Seventy-three-year-old tailor Chensie Allen of Hudson Street in Savanna-la-Mar, Westmoreland, says the $500,000 he received under the Government’s ROOFS programme could not have come at a better time.

“I really appreciate it a lot. This is a great help to me right now,” Allen told The Gleaner after the presentation ceremony at the Sean Lavery Faith Hall in Savanna-la-Mar on Thursday.

Allen said he stayed inside his house during Hurricane Melissa last October to protect his sewing machines, the tools of his trade.

“The storm blew down some houses around me before it took my roof. I was hoping to ride it out and escape it, so I stayed in the house because I was protecting the machines,” he said.

After the roof was torn off, he sought shelter in a nearby concrete dwelling but described the stay as uncomfortable.

“The rain came, and I couldn’t wait on any carpenter because everybody was busy, so I tried a thing – pick up some zinc and nail them on the roof to ease the pressure over my head,” he added.

With the Ministry of Labour and Social Security’s (MLSS) ROOFS severe-damage grant in hand, Allen plans to rebuild stronger.

“This time, I would like to build concrete instead of board and zinc,” he said.

Allen is among 4,741 Westmoreland residents benefiting from the ROOFS initiative, part of the Shelter Recovery Programme being rolled out by the Ministry of Labour and Social Security.

Addressing the ceremony, Pearnell Charles Jr, minister of MLSS announced that approximately $787.5 million will be disbursed across the parish.

Under the programme, 827 residents assessed with severe damage will receive $500,000 each; 1,844 with major damage will collect $200,000; and 70 with minor damage will receive $75,000.

Charles contrasted the Government’s response to Hurricane Melissa with previous disaster recovery efforts, noting that the ministry has significantly increased its assessment capacity and efficiency.

“We have learned lessons, improved, upgraded, and become more effective in how we deploy our services,” he said.

PAYMENT METHODS

He explained that grants for major and severe damage are being delivered through secure QR codes or text messages sent to verified phone numbers, while minor-damage recipients will receive prepaid cards. The system, he noted, is designed to reduce fraud and speed up access.

These messages, the minister said, will be sent from WePay Jamaica, an online technology solutions company that simplifies e-commerce for micro, small, medium and large enterprises. This payment gateway was formally launched and adopted in the Jamaican market in 2020 to support online and mobile commerce as cashless solutions became more essential.

“There is no fee. Anybody asking you for money in order to receive your benefit is not legitimate,” Charles cautioned, urging residents not to share personal or banking information.

The ROOFS programme forms part of a six-pronged Shelter Recovery Strategy, which also includes government-led roof repairs, partner-led repairs through organisations such as grants through the , containerize housing solutions, and relocation support for informal settlers.

The minister stressed that only one housing benefit will be granted per household to ensure fairness and transparency.

albert.ferguson@gleanerjm.com