Former Minister of Labour and Social Development Dion Foulkes cried shame on the government for housing people impacted by the recent fire at the New Providence Landfill in the Kendal Isaacs National Gymnasium rather than in hotels. However, Minister of Social Services Melanie Griffin said Foulkes is the one who should be ashamed as only one family stayed in the gym for a night, while 180 people were placed in commercial lodgings.
As a result of last weekend's inferno, many residents of the Jubilee Gardens area were evacuated from their homes to safety.
"The PLP (Progressive Liberal Party) Government's decision to house the victims of the recent fire at the city dump in the Kendal Isaacs Gymnasium is an absolute disgrace," Foulkes said in a press statement.
"All previous FNM (Free National Movement) administrations have always sheltered the victims of fire, flooding and evictions in hotels and motels located in proximity to their homes.
"Hurricane shelters were used exclusively for the home owners who suffered as a result of hurricanes."
He added, "The Department of Social Services has accounts at approved hotels and motels precisely for this purpose.
"To house the residents of Jubilee Gardens at the gymnasium was unnecessary."
He also said, "Hurricane victims are housed in shelters for obvious reasons mainly because the entire Island is affected by Hurricanes including hotels."
Griffin begged to differ, she said, "Dion Foulkes should be ashamed of himself.
"As a former minister he should know what the procedures are."
Griffin added, "First of all, residents were housed, they were provided accommodations, in motels from day one.
"However, in cases of emergency, not knowing the number of persons that we would be required to assist, we open a shelter.
"Shelters are a natural process in catastrophe or in emergencies."
Griffin said the gym was used as a clearing house, in which people were processed by social workers who were on site, and later sent to motels where arrangements were previously made.
"I could tell you, throughout this whole period, one family, only one family stayed in the gym," she said.
"That particular family stayed until morning and then they left.
"My update from my social workers today is that we had over 180 persons in motels around New Providence."
Griffin asserted that nothing is wrong with the gym being used as a shelter, as it is, and has been a part of emergency procedures for years.
"If we had a large volume of people that we could not find accommodations for, then we would have tried to make them comfortable in a shelter, which was the gym," Griffin said.
"If you would recall, using a gym as a shelter is nothing new.
"All through natural catastrophes in the United States, persons are housed in gyms."
She said whether the department schools, churches or the gym, there is nothing unusual about using shelters.

Click here to read more at The Nassau Guardian