Family desperate to leave rundown house

Burnside Valley, St Andrew resident Stephine Whyte and her family are yearning to leave the dilapidated one-bedroom dwelling they call home.

They have been faced with tough times and due to a lack of resources, the thought of improving the living conditions seems far-fetched. Upon reaching the dwelling, THE STAR team noticed doors barely hanging from their hinges and caved-in board walls.

"See it deh, the place not even good, and me nuh have no money fi fix it up," said Whyte. "Right now me just need a little house with a bathroom and so on it, because a outside we have to bathe and stuff like that. We nuh have nowhere to bathe or cook. A wood fire me use right now."

The small house is home to Whyte, 43, her son Demar Senior, 26, her daughter Shantell Senior, 28, and Shantell's three children.

"All a we have to be in this room because we nuh have anywhere else to go. Me a tell you it hard, because me and me grandchildren and me daughter sleep pon one bed and me son sleep pon the other one, but right now fi him bed a mash up," she said as she showed the rickety bed.

Never a bed of roses

Whyte's life was never a bed of roses, but she was hoping things would be different for her children. That hasn't happened.

"I drop out a school about 13 and have me first child, and [at] 15 me get the second one. Me just siddung home because we never really did have it, and it was my mother alone. From deh so, me just a try help me self by a work with people to take care of the kids, but things never really work out," she said

Shantell is currently unemployed and the family mostly depends on Demar to make ends meet. Whyte's occasional jobs have also lessened since the COVID-19 pandemic.

"Me use to do one and two day's work, like to clean up people house or just wash some clothes. But things really slow down since COVID. If me work this week, me nuh get back no call until like a next month again. A just me son that work on a site will bring in a little food," she explained. "A nuff time we go a we bed hungry, or we just affi drink likkle water and just wait until me get likkle food."

Whyte said they would also love to get on the PATH programme, or would gladly take a job as a caregiver.

"We nuh deh pon no PATH programme or nothing at all, but we need the help. All of us need clothes and food, because sometimes we really don't have nothing to put on. Right now a barefoot me a walk because me just nuh have no money to buy a slippers," she said. "Me would a even want a nice likkle work fi take care a old people because me good at that, or if me can get help to buy some things, to sell bag juice and chips."

Shantell also expressed concern about the state of the home and hope things would change soon.

"When rain fall the whole a the place leak and the young baby in here and bare breeze a come in, so him get sick," she said. "Me in a one partner now, a see if me can try fix some of it because any little me babyfather gimme, me try fi save. But we still need help."

P ersons willing to assist may contact Shantell Senior at 876-700-5526.