Desperate for a home - Woman living in car now has to shelter her daughters

While some Jamaicans are trimming and lighting their Christmas trees and planning holiday feasts, the sound of jingle bells are distant for a mother who currently resides in a car with her twin daughters and partner.

The sound of brokenness and frustration was evident in Ann-Marie Warren's voice when THE STAR spoke with her yesterday. The news team first spoke to Warren last month as she sat in a car on the compound of the Salem Primary School in Beeston Spring, Westmoreland. After the category 5 Hurricane Melissa destroyed their house on October 28, Warren and her partner had resorted to living in their car. Her seven-year-old twin girls were being cared for by their father, but Warren said that last Friday, she had to take the children back although her living conditions are far from comfortable.

"My babyfather had to go back to work so him have to carry back the children. Mi understand his situation because is not dem alone him have. Mi really understand because him try. It did uncomfortable when it was just the two of us, but now that the kids are in it with mi, mi feel depressed, because while dem happy to be around mi, mi know say the situation not ideal. Mi nuh like the idea of it," she said.

Last month, Prime Minister Dr Andrew Holness announced that the National Housing Trust will procure 5,000 pre-built container homes for rapid deployment across the island, in order to address urgent housing needs following Hurricane Melissa. However, the units will not be available in Jamaica until late January, and although the time period is literally just weeks away, for persons like Warren, the wait feels like a lifetime.

"Mi greatest wish in the entire world is to get a house, even if it is a one room. Mi a pray that mi on that list because at least we would have a place to rest our heads. I just want a roof over our heads so that I can make my children happy again," Warren said.

Currently the car is parked at the residence of a good Samaritan, Fabian Reid, in New Works in the parish. Reid has opened up his doors to more than a dozen other displaced persons, and although he does not have the room to accommodate Warren and her family, he tries his best to offer support whenever he can.

"We parked behind Mr Reid house and that is where we bathe. At nights, sometimes mi daughter want to use the bathroom and mi have to put something over dem head because mi nuh want dem get sick. Mosquitoes are very nuff here and sometimes the children ask mi for water to drink and I can't find it. Mi barely have enough to do laundry and to bathe. We have to pray for the rain to fall and set drum. Mi don't even have a bath pan so mi have to cut off a drum and bathe in it. It hard bad because not even wipes we don't have sometimes when we use the restroom," she said.

"Mi nuh have nuh Christmas because mi homeless and mi can't even give mi kids dem a proper meal. Normally I would buy dem presents and cook a nice Christmas meal and drink our sorrel juice. On Christmas Eve, we would go for walks but that not gonna happen. I don't have a start right now," Warren added