McKenzie Adds $50 Million to Church Cleanup Fund and Defends Social Development Commission

Local Government Minister Desmond McKenzie has pledged an additional $50 million to assist churches still clearing up damage from Hurricane Melissa, as he rejected opposition claims that the Social Development Commission lacks the capacity to run the programme effectively.

The new allocation builds on the $75 million Community Church Cleanup and Restoration Initiative the Government introduced earlier this year to support places of worship that need financial help after the storm. The SDC is managing the effort. McKenzie stressed that the funding targets cleanup and limited repairs rather than full reconstruction of every affected building.

"What we are giving is not to rebuild churches because we will never be able to rebuild all the churches. We are assisting in clean up. If you want to put on back a little roof, once it meets the criteria, it will be done," he said.

Officials estimate that roughly 6,000 churches were hit when Melissa struck in October. In Trelawny, Pastor Adrian Luton of the Church of God of Prophecy in Deeside said his building remains largely as it was right after the hurricane, with roof damage, bathroom problems, and harm to an on-site tuck shop. He said many members also lost homes and roofing.

Morlett Schloss, president of the Trelawny Parish Development Committee and a member of Hope Tabernacle in Wakefield, described similar conditions at her church. A large tarpaulin donated by a pastor from another congregation still covers the roof, and rainfall last Sunday left standing water that worshippers had to mop before service.

McKenzie also responded to criticism of the SDC during debate in the House of Representatives last Wednesday. Opposition spokesperson on local government Natalie Neita Garvey said the agency is not fulfilling its mandate to reorganize communities, build local leadership, strengthen civic participation, and serve as a bridge between citizens and the state.

"The SDC really isn't doing what the SDC was mandated to do," she said. "In principle, it should be one of Jamaica's most important institutions for grassroots democracy and community development. Instead, it has become an organization which needs a facelift."

McKenzie defended the commission, citing a shift in its work over the past decade and praising the executive director and staff nationwide. He said critics who work closely with the agency often acknowledge its value, and noted that the current administration has provided close to $10 billion in support to the SDC over recent years.