From homelessness to a career, Alex’s path to life off the streets
Ten years ago, at the age of 20, Alex found himself on the street. He had lost his job, there were problems in his household and he was asked to leave home.
Alex [not his real name] has since turned his life around and is an example of what can happen, given some help and encouragement.
He has a job, has found somewhere to live and is hoping to start a career — a far cry from when he lived in the Salvation Army shelter or on the street.
“I lost my job, and because I lost my job, it just led to some issues within my household. So I was asked to leave. I ended up at the Salvation Army shelter, which at the time was pretty derelict,” Alex said.
That was his life for the next three years.
He had a high school diploma but after that, he admits, “there wasn’t a whole lot of qualifications”.
Alex applied for financial aid but said that at the time people had to show they had applied for 20 different jobs to qualify.
He explained: “That becomes a bit of a heavy burden because you go in and you apply for a job and you could be dressed fine but as soon as you pull out that paper to sign, they are less likely to hire you. That’s just the reality of the situation.”
Alex added: “Either I was underqualified or I didn't have the right look because I was on the street. I couldn't show up in, like, a suit for an interview.”
The Royal Gazette in conjunction with stakeholders including Home has launched its Ending Homelessness campaign to remind the community that the homeless matter.
Home, and others, want to end homelessness. So do we. We want your support. We want you to change your perception of the homeless. We want you to help lobby for simple changes. We want you to show compassion.
Homeless people want to work so that they may be self-sufficient. They did not choose to be homeless, and in many cases their plight was brought about by systemic failings in this country.
Home has produced a report, Plan to End Homelessness, which is out for consultation and points to issues and solutions to the homelessness problem in Bermuda. It can be seen in Related Media.
His mother, a US citizen, lived in America and “came and got me”. He moved with the intention of emigrating and getting US citizenship.
It did not work out. However, Alex did get a lot of experience doing things such as volunteer work. He was able to land a job in Bermuda but he had no place to live.
At that point, he said, Home, the homelessness charity, stepped in. “They said, ‘don’t worry about it. We’re going to help you’.”
He added: “Home gives people hope. It is a solid foundation. It is dignified. They will work with you every step of the way, from helping you find proper accommodation to helping you to find a proper job.
In 2010, the Bermuda Census identified 82 people experiencing homelessness. By 2016, that number had risen to 138.
According to Home, the Department of Statistics developed those estimates based on counting rough sleepers and the population housed in the Salvation Army emergency shelter.
As of December 31, 2022, Home had recorded more than 650 people experiencing homelessness.
“Home allowed me to stay in one of the apartments that they have for emergency situations. I was there for about three months, paid rent, had a fridge, a room, everything, all of the comforts of independent living.
“Then, luckily, I was able to secure my own accommodation and it was onwards and upwards from there.”
Looking back on his time on the streets, he said: “When you’ve lived rough for so long, it changes the way you think about things.
“Something as simple as a burger and fries — when you’re living rough, you have to sort of allocate it because you don’t know when you’re going to get more food.
“You're like, ‘OK, I’m going to eat half the burger for lunch. I’m going to eat the other half for dinner, and then maybe I’ll eat the fries in the morning’.”
Alex remembers the way people can behave towards members of the homeless population. “When I was living rough, there were people that treated you as if you didn’t exist, you know?
“It’s horrendous. It’s dehumanising in a way because if people treat you like an animal for long enough, sooner or a later, you’re not going to be able to tell the difference any more.
“If people treat you like you can’t do anything better, eventually, psychologically speaking, if you don't have a support system, you're going to start feeling that you can’t do any better.”
“I have a job and I’m trying to transfer out of having just a job to moving forward in a career,” he said, when asked where he saw his future.
“I’m right on the cusp of moving on to a career, which I will say is nameless until I get it.
“I know that without Home, I would not have had the opportunities to pursue that.
“At best, I would’ve just been working a job. At worst, I would’ve been right back where I left the island seven years previously.”
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