When Jevon goes to school and is asked for his homework, he tells his teachers he forgot to do it.

But the truth is he did not forget - his family is sharing an apartment with another family and there is nowhere quiet where he can do his work in the overcrowded conditions.

And because his mother must work in the evenings, 12-year-old Jevon (not his real name) also has to look after his younger sisters.

Jevon's case is typical of many children who are either homeless or living in sub-standard housing, based on interviews conducted by The Royal Gazette in the last week.

Jevon said his family have been living with another family for several months and although he can get a bath, he just wants a place with his mother and sisters.

“When I try to do my homework it is difficult to do it in the living room because that's where everyone watches TV,” said Jevon.

“So when my teacher wants my homework, I just say sorry and that I forgot to do it.

“The children we live with are really loud and they play fight a lot and their mother screams at them all the time.

“I want everything to be the same, as it was before my daddy left.

“My mother works all the time - I am the eldest and I take care of my sisters in the evenings.”

For 16-year-old Bill, the prospect of a crowded apartment may seem like a luxury. He sleeps in a car with his mother every night and gets up at 6 a.m. to go to school so no one will see him getting out of the car.

Usually Bill (who is not the same teenager featured two weeks ago in The Royal Gazette with the homeless woman) attends school without a bath, with dirty un-ironed clothes and is often too tired to pay attention to his teachers.

“I just can't wait until we get a house again,” he said. “I haven't told my friends that we don't have a house to live in and, so far, no one knows.

“I just wish that things were different and that I could come home, do my homework, watch TV, talk on the phone, get something to eat and have my friends over. Just do normal stuff.

“At the moment I make believe that everything is okay, but it's not.

“My mother works, but she doesn't make enough for us to rent a place, so I work in the evenings, but it's hard.”

Tina, 13, is living in a shelter with her mother and younger brother. They have been homeless for several months and she doesn't like the shelter, as it is far away from everything and no one can visit.

“There is no real privacy for us and there are so many children,” said Tina, “I just want to live in a real house with just my mother and my brother.”

She said she does not do her homework any more because she can not concentrate on anything.

Sheelagh Cooper, chairman of the Coalition for the Protection of Children, said that if the homeless or sub-standard living conditions of children were not dealt with now, Bermuda would be dealing with them later on the back end with correctional facilities and or mental health institutions.

“If we are trying to stop this cycle of poverty, we have to basically make sure that these children have adequate personal space with adequate food,” said Mrs. Cooper.

“High rents are crippling at least 20 percent of families and the many children.

“When sitting down and doing homework with your son or daughter becomes a luxury - you are setting the foundation for an unstable community in critical proportions.

“We can fix this now without it getting expensive.

“Either we deal with it now or we will deal with it on the back end with correctional facilities and mental health.”

She added that last year the Coalition served over 1,400 breakfasts to children arriving at school without food.

“It's about nutrition and it about parenting issues,” said Mrs. Cooper

The Department of Education's senior education officer, Joeann Smith, said poor living conditions can affect student learning.

“For many of these students, schools are their safe haven, the place where there is structure and the routines are predictable and, perhaps as importantly, there are adults who care about them and their welfare,” said Ms Smith. “For this reason and others, this Ministry and our school administrators understand the importance of ensuring that the climate in schools is welcoming and safe.

“A successful experience in school, particularly for students who live in less than ideal settings, can be the difference between becoming contributing citizens who, in the future, provide a stable and stimulated home environment for their children; and citizens who fail and continue to rely on society to support their needs.

“Perhaps the crux of the matter is how do we create a Bermuda where homelessness is not an issue?”

She said the Department of Education could not solve the problem alone. It would require Government, schools, businesses and community members to do that.

“It truly will take the village,”said Ms Smith.