DEMPSHIRE PEN (Shelter Rock)
Community Profile
| Community Area | 0.237 km2(23.7 ha) |
| Community Population | 2,772 ( 2001 census ) |
| Residential density | 116 persons per ha |
| Community Liaison Officer(s) | Lorna Hemmings-Thaw |
| Constituency | South Central St. Catherine |
Community Liaison Officer
 |
||
|
Lorna Hemmings-Thaw Liaison Officer |
The area known as Dempshire Pen (Shelter Rock) is located in the Parish of St. Catherine, south of Greendale and northeast of the Rio Cobre. The topography of Shelter Rock is hilly and the underlying ground is predominantly rock. The total area of the Shelter Rock Community is 23.7 ha with a population of 2,772 (STATIN Population Census 2001) giving a residential density of 116 persons per ha.
The community with the exception of Jones Avenue is informal in construction and the street pattern is made up of unsurfaced roads and footpaths. The housing typology is mixed but of predominantly poor housing built with temporary materials.Shelter Rock is for local residents the name of one of the four areas covered by the ICBSP. The others are Dempshire Pen, a subsection called Backland and Jones Avenue. Border divisions are acute, this has led to a long standing gang tension and political tribalism within the Shelter Rock area.
Mediation and reconciliation are immediate priorities that are needed to help create stability.
A Shelter Rock Citizens’ Association, formed in 2000, is a strong CBO which supports community activities within Shelter Rock.