Conference to sharpen spotlight on homelessness
Stakeholders including donors, professionals and the Government will meet next week at a conference to shine a light on homelessness.
The Ending Homelessness Together conference on October 11 is open to the public and will offer an opportunity for residents to learn more about the social issue.
Tinée Furbert, the Minister of Youth, Social Development and Seniors, is to attend the forum, which will be co-hosted by the charity Home.
It takes place at the Bermuda Industrial Union headquarters in Hamilton on the day after World Homeless Day.
It will run from 10am until 3.30pm and several organisations including Solstice Bermuda and Bermuda is Love will take part.
Ms Furbert said the ministry, in collaboration with non-profit organisations, has been working to make further headway in capacity-building so that people can gain a better understanding of homelessness in Bermuda.
She said: “This has been an ongoing campaign — it hasn’t stopped.”
She said Home has been “very instrumental” in building awareness in the community, adding: “This is not just Government’s problem, it’s not just the community’s problem, it’s everyone’s issue and that we can hope to have some resolution and progress towards.”
In a statement, Home said it has identified 811 people experiencing homelessness in Bermuda at the end of 2023, or more than 1 per cent of the island’s population.
At next week’s conference, Puisne Judge Juan Wolffe will speak about the duty of care.
Home said a central element of its Plan to End Homelessness was the duty of care across service providers, to work together in the interests of an individual for as long as needed.
The charity said Leslie Grant, executive director of Focus Counselling Services, who is also an addiction counsellor and clinical supervisor at the non-profit, will speak about the importance of providing supportive housing for those living with addiction.
In addition, Carolyn Armstrong, executive director and founder of the charity Star, will then speak about housing people living with HIV/Aids.
A panel discussion on ending homelessness will follow the presentations, and Denise Carey, the executive director of Home, will recognise a group of “emerging leaders” at the event’s closing.
Ms Carey said: “Homelessness is a broad-ranging issue that encompasses many of Bermuda’s greatest social challenges.”
She said the event, as the first conference of its kind in Bermuda, will “promote a better understanding of some of those issues and bring together policymakers, services providers and members of the public with a common interest in ensuring everyone in Bermuda has a place to call home”.
Ms Carey thanked the BIU for providing the venue, along with specialist presenters and panellists for taking part.
She said the union’s willingness to take part exemplified the cross-community support needed to address and prevent homelessness.
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.
Through its Housing-First programme at Black Circle, Home has provided shelter and support to 11 cohorts of eight homeless individuals.
The charity said it helps the individuals to acquire the tools needed to work towards sustainable independent living. It will welcome the twelfth cohort this month.
At next Friday’s conference, Solstice Bermuda will give a presentation on hoarding.
Hoarding is defined as the act of engaging in excessive acquisition of items that are not needed or for which no space is available.
Ms Carey said there are different degrees of hoarding based on Preston’s curve on life expectancy.
It can be based on trauma, anxiety and the fear of being put out of one’s home and losing one’s belongings.
Ms Carey said it can lead to a breakdown in relationships and create tenant/landlord issues.
She said Solstice will provide more information on hoarding and its existence in Bermuda.
To register for next week’s conference, send an e-mail to Home.bm
Meanwhile, the Government is working to implement a range of initiatives to assist families.
Ms Furbert said: “These initiatives will help strengthen the social fabric of the Bermuda community and reflect the Government’s unwavering commitment to improving the quality of life for Bermudians.”
Initiatives to be funded by the Ministry of Youth, Social Development and Seniors include:
• Enhanced mental health services, limited to four sessions per client annually, to be increased to allow more sessions as needed for children and adults on financial assistance
• Funding for personal home care to address the rising demand of seniors preferring to be cared for at home with family
• The Department of Financial Assistance will provide a $100 monthly personal care allowance to its clients in rest and nursing homes for toiletries and personal care products
• The Eliza DoLittle Society will receive a grant to help provide nutritious food to individuals and families in need
• The Office of Ageing and Disability Services will receive additional funds to assist seniors facing financial hardship and who do not have any family support
• The K Margaret Carter Centre, which serves people with disabilities, will receive funding to extend its service hours
• The Office of Youth Affairs will receive additional funding for its community enrichment programmes as well as its daycare programmes
It will also receive funding to support its before, after and post-schools support for primary school parents.
Under a $25m social services package announced by David Burt, the Premier, a $3.26 million allocation will be spent on several initiatives, including three programmes that fall under the Department of Child and Family Services.
Ms Furbert said one of the programmes included support, through vouchers, for families in crisis.
The support will zoom in on families facing sudden financial hardship, such as the immediate need for food, electricity or medications.
She said the DCFS will reintroduce the Cross Ministry Intervention Team model to support an Intensive Family Preservation programme.
It is geared at improving family functioning, avoiding incidents of child maltreatment and reducing foster care placements.
She said: “This programme will provide intensive home intervention services, which are based on best practice, directly to our high-risk families.”
In addition, the DCFS will issue a request for information to organisations in Bermuda which offer Domestic Abuse Perpetrator Programmes.
These organisations will then be invited to submit proposals for delivering such services.
She said the initiative is aimed at developing a comprehensive Perpetrator Response Model for Bermuda, including specialist treatment services.
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