ST. PETERS--Residents of St. Peters were urged to avoid long lines and travelling to Philipsburg and make optimal use of the Community Helpdesk officially opened in their district on Monday evening.
The Helpdesk was the first to open officially in St. Maarten. One is already providing some services in Dutch Quarter and another is expected to open in Cole Bay in the near future.
The ribbon to the Helpdesk, an office located in Rupert I. Maynard Youth Community Centre on St. Peters Road, was cut by Health, Labour and Social Development Minister Cornelius de Weever, Prime Minister Sarah Wescot-Williams and Strawberry Road resident Esther Kivelier.
De Weever, who had spoken about this initiative at a recent Parliament meeting, told attendees at the ceremony that the idea of the Helpdesk was to bring social services closer to the people. He said the opening of the Helpdesk meant residents no longer had to travel to Philipsburg and wait in long lines to obtain information on certain services or to access these services.
He said too that the intention was to reach out to persons in the community who might not be able to go out to access the services. "The residents should be very happy and make full use of the services," De Weever said. He also urged them to inform him if the services "fall short" of their expectations, as he would be around.
Health, Labour and Social Development Ministry Secretary-General Jorien Wuite said the service was meant to be an "outreach" for residents where support was given. She said while it was an initiative of the Health, Labour and Social Development Ministry, the intention was to include as many organisations as possible so that the services offered could be as comprehensive as possible.
"I hope the residents will come out and be outspoken about what you expect," she said.
Wescot-Williams said the opening of the Helpdesk had been long in the making. Thanking those involved in bringing it to fruition, she said all ministries had a role to play in this initiative. "I am extremely contented," said Wescot-Williams.
The Community Helpdesk is part of the new Integrated Neighbourhood Development Programme (INDP). A number of district surveys were carried out over the past months, followed by a workshop on team building for several departments that would be involved with providing services at the community helpdesk. Some of the findings of the survey conducted in St. Peters were released at Monday night's function.
The Helpdesks will cater to the elderly, youths, parents, single mothers, teenage mothers, drug addicts, chronically ill patients, the mentally ill and persons living below the minimum wage or the poverty level.
There will be community and district staff members from the Department of Community Development at each helpdesk on a daily basis. A social worker will also be present one day a week at each location. The Department of Social Services and the Department of Labour each will have a person at each desk four hours per week. The CPS will give information sessions at each desk and will carry out baby clinic services in Dutch Quarter starting in 2012.
The Community Helpdesk will be collaborating with various other agencies for future empowerment programmes.
The INDP project is responsible for the improvement of the neighbourhoods. It is a proactive process of integrating social, cultural, economic and environmental planning to build community commitment and capacity. An holistic approach has been developed to provide assistance to communities in need.
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