Homeless man yearning for a place to call his own

The impact of St Vincent and the Grenadines (SVG) and the other Windward Islands losing preferential treatment for bananas over 20 years ago adversely affected many farmers and other workers in the industry, among them Basil “Chipper” Wilkinson.

Wilkinson lives on White Chapel Road, Kingstown, and is basically homeless, sleeping in a walkway between two buildings, one of them being the former Lyric Cinema, located opposite His Majesty’s Prison (HMP).

Wilkinson who is employed as a car park attendant and watchman by a local businessman, said on Wednesday, August 14, 2024, that he was a banana farmer, and when the crop “went down”, he had to look for odd jobs around the island as he could not afford to farm any longer.

Originally from Park Hill, Wilkinson said his search for work took him around the island and he would sometimes do gardening and other odd jobs for persons living in Arnos Vale.

He said a domestic dispute over the Park Hill family home, and his lack of proper income eventually rendered him homeless and at some point, he can’t quite recall when, a friend who had the job he now solely holds, asked him if he wanted a job helping out at the car park.

Wilkinson took the job helping his friend. He said the friend later died and he replaced him.

The 59-year old said he has been living in squalor for more than five years now and would like a place to call home, as living on the streets of Kingstown is not easy, and not for the faint of heart.

“Basically, I had a friend use to work here for a businessman dealing with the parking lot. He died so I take over. I get paid something by the week…

“When rain come down me does just safeguard me self. It have a little part upstairs (in the Lyric Building) me does go sometimes, but most of the time I lime down here,” Wilkinson explained, pointing to what seems to be a popular hangout spot for some of the shunned persons that frequent the streets of the capital.

Wilkinson said he was in the walkway where he sleeps during the passage of Hurricane Beryl on July 1, and also during the eruption of La Soufriere in April 2001.

“I was there (pointing) when Beryl come. I saw the high wind, at one point one come from up and one come from down and they meet up…

“A barrel cover blow off and the cover hit me on my hand….

“I was here during Soufriere and looking at all the ash. “All inna Soufriere me dey yah siddung ah watch thing ah drop and all bady ah run and me nah even move. People come and take pictures of me… me still give God praise and thanks,” Wilkinson commented.

He said that over the years living on White Chapel Road, he has been the victim of thieves on many occasions.

“One take me radio, sometimes them take me money. I hide stuff and wake up and them gone. Sometimes I know who, two are in prison now…

“It’s kinda bad, it bad in a kinda way, but I have plenty company. If it’s up to me, I won’t live here, I would like to get somewhere to live but not too far from Kingstown,” Wilkinson told SEARCHLIGHT.

“It’s rough living on the streets. I don’t really walk up and down, I just work. When all the vehicle them gone, I bathe and cook in the alley,” he said, pointing to an old car rim that serves as a coal pot.

“It rough…I was a farmer doing banana, but after the banana gone down work come like it was scarce so I use to walk out and look for work….” The elderly man said he has a bad leg having been hit by a Sports Utility Vehicle (SUV) when he was young, “that mash up my left side” ,and the leg has gotten worse over the years.

The father of one said there is land he could work, but he is not strong enough.

“I never went to prison, I try my best to keep out of trouble. I glad because these days, nobody don’t interfere with me so. The police give me a mattress I still have and sleep on…

“If I can get somewhere to live it would be better, somewhere flat, no hill where I have to walk come down…” Wilkinson lamented.