Bermudians are more likely to point the finger at poverty-stricken families rather than work together to ease their suffering.This is the view of Senator Kathy Michelmore who yesterday expressed her concerns about the lack of progress in tackling Bermuda’s worsening poverty.The Shadow Health Minister said too many people were “being judgmental and attributing blame” towards those who had fallen upon hard times. Senator Michelmore is now calling for “practical solutions with immediate results” to help those struggling to make ends meet.She had earlier moved a motion for the Senate to “take note of an increasing problem of poverty in Bermuda, and the need for solutions to reduce the impact of poverty on our community”.She said even though Bermuda is considered a wealthy island, there were “visible income disparities within the affluent society”. Sen Michelmore said: “There is undoubtedly a sector that’s disadvantaged.“More families are struggling. We have a growing population who cannot afford rent, food and healthcare. Children are growing up in poverty.”The 2007 Government Credit Study found 13 percent, or 3,600 people, living in households bringing in less than $41,132 a year. The 2010 Census data remains unknown but Sen Michelmore said: “In current circumstances these figures are probably likely to be a lot worse.”Sen Michelmore highlighted the increasing number of people who were struggling to pay their electricity bills.From January to May this year, Belco disconnected 2,164 of its customers compared to 1,565 customers for the same period last year.Sen Michelmore said many families were also caught up in a “vicious cycle of debt” where owing a few dollars soon spiralled into tens of thousands of dollars. She said other individuals relied so heavily on financial assistance that they were trapped in a “cycle of dependence”.Charities were “experiencing a much greater need than ever before” as more and more families were turning to them for food and basic needs, she added.The knock-on effects of poverty were said to include teenagers leaving school without a high school certificate, young women having early and unplanned pregnancies, high alcohol and drug dependency, multi-institutionalised racism, and sexual and verbal abuse.Sen Michelmore also spoke of a “general underinvestment” in mental health services and the high level of absentee fathers leaving children without positive role models and at risk of joining gangs. She said: “In my experience we are distracted by these things and it stops us from moving on and how to fix the problem. People will always be judgmental and will be quick to point the finger and blame others, but that doesn’t help the individuals who are in a state of poverty and trying to get out.”The senator said she agreed with many of the practical solutions offered in the film ‘Poverty in Paradise: The Price We Pay’, commissioned by the Coalition for the Protection of Children.She told the Senate she wanted to see more affordable housing; namely low-income rental properties without down payments and rent geared to income.Sen Michelmore also suggested more emergency housing stock and a clearer criteria for financial assistance, which is linked to educational training.She also highlighted the need for a better coordination of social services as many people were frustrated by having to visit different locations. She said this would also avoid confusion and a duplication of services.And she called for an expansion of the Mental Health Plan and a review of debt legislation so, like in the UK, people were not sent to prison if they weren’t able to pay their debts.She said: “These are very practical things that will have an immediate impact on those who are suffering.”Independent Senator Walwyn Hughes agreed that there was “definitely poverty in wealthy Bermuda”. He said it was relative to the high cost of living but there were “people at the bottom who are suffering”.Sen Hughes said: “There is no good time to be poor, but there is a worse time to be poor. Right now is a difficult time.“The economic conditions are such that the very support systems that people rely on are struggling themselves. Government doesn’t have the resources to do as much as it’d like.“You can’t just say get three jobs to get yourselves out of trouble as the jobs just aren’t there. It’s a serious challenge.”Government Senator Jonathan Smith started by saying that the notion of poverty was also one of tragedy as it held countries back.He added that the very people in poverty were those who were rarely heard.“Government is a voice for them,” he said, adding that the PLP had its roots in representing “the underclass”.Sen Smith said comparing the latest statistics to the 1994 Newman Report showed that poverty rates were falling.He said: “Poverty is not just something that has appeared overnight. The history and the legacy, that’s why we are where we are today.“Progress is being made. There are less people in poverty, people are moving up and out.“I recognise there are people in pain who are hurting but it’s just not the Government’s problem. We cannot be expected to fix it all on our own.”He hit out at the previous United Bermuda Party Government for not focusing enough on families and education, saying: “The reasons we are here today is because of policies in the past.”One Bermuda Alliance Senate leader Michael Dunkley spoke of the importance of education, saying young graduates from Bermuda’s public schools are ill-equipped to meet the challenges of the modern world.Senator Dunkley said he was aghast to hear struggling first and second year students are not held back a year so they can improve their education.Sen Dunkley also spoke of the failing construction industry, noting its comparative success in years gone by; unemployed construction workers need to retrain so they can take up alternative careers, he said.He said a number of helping agencies are doing their best, but without a co-ordinated approach they are not effective enough.Sen Dunkley also said a better way needs to be found to assist people deal with personal debt, suggesting some debt repayments could be taken directly from their pay packets.Government Senator David Burt said there are numerous success stories from Financial Assistance, with many people bouncing back from personal lows.Sen Burt said educational opportunities are out there with organisations such as the National Training Board.“Individuals are going to need to retrain, but I know Government will provide assistance to be able to do that,” he said.He said the Progressive Labour Party Government has a good record on housing and is trying to help Bermudians into jobs through initiatives such as moratoriums.Economic cycles are inevitable, said Sen Burt, and he predicted Bermuda will eventually become stronger than before.“We must remember the lessons of this,” he said, adding that many young people have never experienced recession before and will now understand the value of saving money when the going is good.Government Senate Leader Kim Wilson said people need to encourage young women not to have children until they’ve completed their education.“We are seeing circumstances where parents are having children too early,” said Senator Wilson, who pointed out this meant they are now having to rely on Financial Assistance.She added: “We all have to take personal responsibility to make sure people stay in school and defer child bearing until they are academically and emotionally mature and financially secure.”Senate President Carol Ann Bassett said the debate echoed a similar discussion from about five years ago, indicating that “nothing has changed”.Senator Bassett said she is confident programmes are in place to address the needs of people in temporary poverty through redundancy.But she said the community needs to do more to help families who have been very poor for generations and now have a poverty mentality.