SXMElections.com

MARIGOT--The 72-hour deadline to prevent a protest action over the homeless situation at the Marina Royale car park was extended by District Five Wednesday to give First Vice-President Guillaume Arnell a chance to discuss the situation with Préfète Anne Laubies and get back to the district with answers.

Arnell was at the district headquarters Wednesday attending a presentation of their projects, unrelated to the marina car park problem, but nevertheless was questioned on what the Collectivité is doing, or can do, about the homeless situation and other matters related to the car park. There were still no firm answers or solutions, however.

District Five Representative Paul Whit clarified Monday’s 72 hours notice pertained more to the one homeless man whose photo appeared in the papers slumped on the ground against a shop shutter and who is unknown to the district whereas the other homeless characters are already known to the district.

Whit said there is concern about whether this person, who is still in the area, carries any kind of disease, as no one knows anything about him.

Arnell indicated Vice-President Ramona Connor in charge of Social Affairs addressed the homeless situation on Tuesday at an Executive Council meeting, however, the outcome of that meeting was not yet known.

Préfète Anne Laubies also sent someone from the Préfecture to the marina car park on Tuesday to see the situation.

“This is a human problem and you cannot just pick up people and move them,” Arnell said. That’s impossible. We have to find a human way of doing things. There has to be a common process. Today we can pick up the beds and mattresses, but tomorrow they will be back. It’s only a temporary solution. I agree we cannot continue to see the entrance to Marigot degraded like this which has repercussions on business and tourism.

“I will see with the Préfète to see what can legally be done. If it’s not satisfactory we’ll have to come up with something else.”

With no rehab centre or available social housing some kind of facility for the homeless is needed, he said. One possibility could be to acquire the former Gendarmerie in Concordia and use it for the homeless and other services but this would not happen overnight, he added.

Asked about the families of homeless people Arnell said when a child becomes an adult he cannot be forced to do this or that by his family.

“If family members could have done something already they would have done it. Or maybe the family themselves were helpless. So the Government is ultimately responsible.”

Whit stated while the Collectivité has done a partial cleaning up of the car park there is still much more cleaning up to do before the car park can be managed properly. One concern is land filling that has been going on the shore side at the back of the car park which risks blocking evacuation pipes.