New housing still uncertain for ‘punishing’ residents of run-down indigent home

The four elderly women living at the run-down Chase’s Indigent Home continue to endure the squalid conditions, while awaiting word on alternative housing.

According to Beryl Austin, 92, who has been a resident of the home for the past 20 years, the owners of the home have indicated that they want the women out of the building. Stabroek News was unable to make contact with any of the owners for comment.

Austin said that a group from the St Pius Catholic Church was meeting to discuss getting them into alternative accommodation and she was informed that they were considering a cottage in Kitty. But Fr James Gonsalves of the Cathedral of Immaculate Conception told Stabroek News that he was unaware of any such plans. He indicated that there was a group set up for the elderly but members were not aware of any plans to find alternative housing for the four women.

Stabroek News also tried to make contact with officials at the Human Services Ministry on several occasions for a comment on the conditions in which the women are living but was unsuccessful.

Austin is one of four elderly women living in the dilapidated home on Robb Street, where the windows are broken and the walls are falling apart. The women have to fetch water from a pipe surrounded by faeces to bathe and flush a dirty out-of-order toilet.

Their rickety windows overlook the brick wall of a newly-constructed retail store and styrofoam boxes floating in gutter water, where vagrants also defecate.

“We are punishing now. We are old women; it’s not like we could do something for ourselves. Some of us ain’t even able cook our own food,” Austin said.

She added that the market vendors’ stalls that were lining the inside of building were removed by the Town Council a few weeks ago after complaints were made.

“This place isn’t healthy for us. I’m getting old and I can’t do for myself like I used to. It’s hard to cook and clean,” she stated.

At one time, there were over 15 senior women living in the home, which was a place for indigent elderly women. However, now it is barely sheltering the four women from the rain. “All we are getting is promises and promises. Yes, people are coming and helping us by bringing drinking water or food but we need to get out of here,” Austin lamented.