For Immediate Release
Contact: Nicole Daniels
Phone: 616-260-6097


Trelawney, Jamaica (March 8, 2010) –  The Association of Gospel Rescue Missions (AGRM) facilitated a national meeting Feb. 16 for the leaders of Jamaica’s key non-governmental organizations (NGOs) that serve the island nation’s homeless and needy.

Organizers expected about 25 participants at the meeting, held east of Montego Bay at Breezes Resort; 47 attended, representing all of Jamaica’s 14 parishes. Other participants included government agents, police, the ministerial alliance, and reporters from The Western Mirror and The Gleaner, the country’s leading newspaper.

“Jamaica has never had a greater need for a collective voice speaking for all of the country’s charities than it does today,” said Selena Hayle, AGRM expansion coordinator. “With the rising costs of food, clothing and shelter brought on by the weak economy and the continued devaluation of the Jamaican dollar, the number of homeless on Jamaica’s streets is growing. Additionally, a decline in donations has forced NGOs to come up with more effective ways to provide even more services than before with fewer resources.”

By the end of the day, the group had outlined a 15-step plan to create an association, elected a steering committee, and thanked AGRM for its leadership and support for Jamaica’s homeless program. During a steering committee meeting April 16, the group will formulate steps for the future and establish association parameters.

A national association speaking to the government and other funding agencies on behalf of the country’s charities will not only save the organizations time and energy but also give them more clout than they have had individually, Hayle said. Additionally, the group will offer the NGOs greater bargaining and buying power, reducing their food bills, and a means of distributing available resources to reduce waste.

“The emphasis of the proposed association is outspokenly Christian,” said AGRM President John Ashmen. “This group is putting forth an outstanding effort that will radically change Jamaica—a country where mental illness is still considered punishment for parental sins, and homelessness is an epidemic that, until recently, has largely been ignored.”

Jamaica’s response to the homeless problem on the island has come a long way since a lawsuit was filed September 1999 on behalf of 32 homeless people rounded up from the city streets, loaded onto a truck, and forcibly removed from the resort town of Montego Bay. They were taken 50 miles to the outskirts of Santa Cruz in southwestern Jamaica and unloaded in a deserted area called Dump Land.

As a result of the lawsuit, a commission of enquiry demanded the return of the homeless people to Montego Bay. It also ruled that a fund be established to pay each of them a monthly allowance for the rest of their lives, and that a homeless program be established to prevent a similar situation from recurring in Jamaica. The St. James Parish Council was charged with implementing and managing the homeless program in Montego Bay.

In July 2009, Jamaica’s first gospel rescue mission was established. In November, the Open Heart Charitable Mission took over the Refuge of Hope Night Shelter and the Care Center, which the St. James Parish Council had operated. A Memorandum of Understanding, which the Montego Bay mayor and the mission’s CEO signed, outlined the terms of this historic partnership between government and NGOs in caring for Jamaica’s homeless and needy.

Jamaica’s population is approaching 3 million; the number of hungry, homeless, abused and addicted is estimated to be between 100,000 and 200,000. Open Heart Charitable Mission, which has facilities to house 110 men and women in separate living quarters, has served more than 5,000 meals since November 2009. Currently, 30 people are enrolled in its 12- to 15-month rehabilitation program designed to prepare them for productive life. The other NGOs combined provide services to about 3,000 homeless people.

Founded in 1913, AGRM represents about 275 rescue missions in major metropolitan areas in the United States, Canada, Mexico and the Caribbean. AGRM exists to proclaim the passion of Jesus toward the hungry, homeless, abused and addicted; and to accelerate quality and effectiveness in member missions. More information about AGRM is available at www.agrm.org.