Minister: there is a vision to end homelessness
Bermuda has a robust and resourceful community that can come together to support homeless people, a government minister said.
Tinée Furbert, the Minister of Youth, Social Development and Seniors, has been one of the driving forces behind the draft Plan to End Homelessness, in conjunction with the charity Home.
She said: “Homelessness is a concern for many so we were thankful that Home came about in 2021.
“We said, ‘we’re going to make this a priority’.
“As a ministry, we have supported the initiative to end homelessness and the Government has invested in a social structure, a social safety net and housing.
“There is a vision to end homelessness. We want to shoot high with this vision for our country because if we don’t, then what are we actually aiming for?”
The Royal Gazette, in conjunction with stakeholders including Home, has launched its Ending Homelessness campaign to remind the community that people affected by homelessness matter.
Home, and others, want to end homelessness. So do we. We want your support. We want you to change your perception of members of the unsheltered population. We want you to help lobby for simple changes. We want you to show compassion.
Homeless people want to work so that they can 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.
Recently the minister and Home’s executive director, Denise Carey, met representatives from Pallet’s PathForward, a US-based homeless advisory service working to end unsheltered homelessness, to discuss the Plan to End Homelessness.
Ms Furbert noted: “We gave them the opportunity to look through the plan and they reported back to us that this was one of the most thorough plans that they had seen.
“That was very promising and a boost for us because I know that a lot of work has gone into that plan.”
Although it is officially a draft, she said it was intended to be a working document.
The minister added: “I don’t think there’s going to be a point where we say ‘this is the plan and we’re done’.
“We have identified the priorities and we will be constantly reassessing where we are and how we can improve and move forward.
“It’s critical that we be absolutely clear — we’ve been able to develop this plan based on the feedback we’ve received thus far, but there are many hidden homeless who have yet to share their stories and their needs.”
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, 2023, Home recorded Bermuda’s homeless population as 811.
Both Ms Furbert and Ms Carey believed that no single organisation could solve the issue of homelessness.
“We are a very robust and resourceful community. It wasn’t that long ago that our communities came together to help build houses,” said the minister.
“I have full confidence that with support from the Government, our third sector, our private organisations, our private donors, and the general community, we have the resources in place to ultimately prevent homelessness.
“We are in a different place than we were five years ago, or ten years ago, in regards to the awareness and understanding of homelessness in Bermuda.”
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