Residents In Parottee to Benefit from JPS Community Connect Pop-Up on May 7

Residents of Parottee in St. Elizabeth are being encouraged to take advantage of the JPS Community Connect Pop-Up on Thursday, May 7, at the Parottee Primary School from 10:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m.

The initiative, being spearheaded by the Jamaica Public Service Company (JPS), will bring together several government agencies and partners to deliver services directly to residents.

The Jamaica Social Investment Fund (JSIF) is among the agencies participating in the event and will be on location to assist households impacted by Hurricane Melissa, particularly those without electricity or with damaged wiring.

Project Manager for the JSIF Electrification Programme, Dane Mclean, told JIS News that the electrification support is being provided under a Government-funded initiative implemented by JSIF through its electrification portfolio, which includes the Community Electrification Programme and the National Electrification Poverty Reduction Project (NEPRP).

“In Parottee, we will afford homeowners in that space to come out and be able to sign up for the programme. JSIF will support them in getting the infrastructure in place and to enable them, once JPS is able, to connect them to the grid and to get their homes electrified,” said Mr. Mclean.

He indicated that residents are to walk with a valid identification and their Tax Registration Number (TRN) to access services and begin the process of getting their homes connected to electricity.

“All support being provided to beneficiaries are at no cost [to them],” said Mr. Mclean.

He further pointed out that the event in Parottee is the fourth sign-up session for St. Elizabeth since the passage of Hurricane Melissa last October.

“We normally look to support approximately 200 households on a given day,” said Mr. Mclean, adding that more than 1,000 affected houses in St. Elizabeth have already been wired.

For her part, Manager for Community Renewal at JPS, Marilyn MacDonald, said the Community Connect Pop-Up is designed as a mini resource fair to support residents still recovering from the hurricane.

“We realised that persons within communities have been affected by Hurricane Melissa and they have also been without electricity supply for some time. So, what we are doing is going around to communities that have been without electricity for some time to see if we can try and improve their lives by carrying in some basic social services to them,” she said.

She noted that in addition to electrification support, residents will be able to access a range of services, including assistance with replacing lost documents such as birth certificates and TRNs, through collaboration with key government agencies.

Ms. McDonald added that care packages will also be distributed, and efforts are being made to create a welcoming and supportive environment for residents.

Both agencies are encouraging residents to come out early and take full advantage of the services being offered.

“Come out and make use of the services. JPS is not only about electricity supply, but we also care about the persons within the community, and we want to see how best we can assist them to have regular lives,” said Ms. McDonald.

Mr. Mclean echoed the call, noting that the initiative is aimed at improving the quality of life for residents.

“Come out, we want to hear your issues. As best as possible, we will look to support as many households as we possibly can, to ensure that at the end of the process, you are able to access safe, legal, and regularised electricity as you require,” he said.