Report reveals more 1,100 homeless in Bermuda
There were 1,101 people experiencing homelessness in Bermuda at the end of last year, the charity Home has documented in its 2024 annual report.
That is 290 more people than the previous year despite Home “preventing or sustainably ending” homelessness for 85 people.
It equates to just under 2 per cent of Bermuda’s population experiencing homelessness compared with estimates of 0.2 per cent in the United States and 0.6 per cent in Britain.
Home finalised its Plan to End Homelessness last year after engaging with related agencies in conjunction with the Ministry of Youth, Social Development and Seniors.
The plan details a national strategy to tackle the problem, complete with evidence-based recommended actions.
The charity said that part of the reason for the increase is a “greater acceptance of self-identification by the ”hidden homeless’” — those who may not be captured in official data including “sofa surfers” and those living in inadequate conditions.
Denise Carey, the chief executive of Home, said it also pointed the finger at the cost of living, not least of housing.
She added: “Bermuda’s acute lack of affordable housing is a major driver of homelessness.
“It’s also the biggest impediment to helping our clients move out of homelessness.
“We marvel at the resilience, courage and determination of our clients as they strive to get their lives on track, and the absence of affordable housing options is heartbreaking for them and us.
“Every day, we hear stories of young people sleeping in parks, seniors desperate to find a single room, our vulnerable populations struggling to navigate mental health and addiction services without a clear path to affordable housing, low-paid workers unable to afford a place to live, and people eligible for parole who are unable to leave prison because they have no place to go.
“Sometimes a person is just one crisis away from homelessness. The need for new beds is a national emergency.
“Home welcomes the Bermuda Government’s decision to create a new Ministry of Housing [and Municipalities], and we hope this signals an urgent intent to gather meaningful housing data and act with urgency to add the hundreds of new units the island desperately needs.
“I am proud of the positive impact our small and dedicated team at Home has had on the lives of some of Bermuda’s most vulnerable people.”
An Ending Homelessness microsite, set for launch in the first half of the year, will house the Plan to End Homelessness and monitor its implementation to support public accountability on progress.
Among its achievements during 2024, Home:
• Took on 306 new clients and provided intensive case management to 47
• Worked with the Bermuda Housing Corporation and private landlords to find settled housing for 49 people
• Prevented or sustainably ended homelessness for 85 people
• Continued the Housing-First programme at Home’s Black Circle property, where 12 cohorts of eight individuals experiencing homeless, 96 people in all, have made huge strides towards independent living
• Launched an integrated case-management system for adoption by all service providers
• Opened Home for Families for housing-insecure women and their dependent children
• Gathered detailed data from 279 people experiencing homelessness
• Employed ten Bermudians and worked with 22 contractors and more than 400 volunteers
• Developed relationships with 39 new strategic donors
Last year, Home launched the Renting Ready initiative, which prepares and trains tenants and landlords to be “better and more responsible”.
It also led to the first Ending Homelessness Together forum to mark World Homeless Day, which included a series of panel discussions and presentations by Tinée Furbert, the Minister of Youth, Social Development and Seniors, and Juan Wolffe, a Supreme Court judge.
A campaign run in partnership with The Royal Gazette shared previously untold stories of the vulnerable while raising awareness and support for action to address homelessness.
One client stated: “I’ve been to every programme on this island. I could teach all the classes myself by now. But Home does things different. It’s not just a roof or a programme — they help fix your life.”
• Helping homeless individuals and families receive shelter, health and social services
• Preventing episodes of homelessness
• Nurturing a whole-system approach to end homelessness
• Charting a course for, and tracking progress in, preventing, reducing and ending homelessness
• Designing and operating a leading third-sector organisation
Arthur Wightman, founder and non-executive chairman of Home, added: “The crisis-management response to homelessness that Bermuda has traditionally adopted costs taxpayers dearly, for example, in expenditure on police intervention, emergency medical care, incarceration, emergency shelters and $1,000-a-day extended hospital stays for long-term care patients who are fit to be discharged, but have no social-care options available.
“In the long run, it is less expensive for taxpayers and healthier for society to invest public resources in tackling the root causes of homelessness than to tolerate homelessness and attempt to manage the symptoms.
“This year, Home’s board will increasingly focus on applying its leadership towards advocating for more taxpayer funds to be diverted to housing and social services.
“With 1,101 people identified as experiencing homelessness and over 220 applicants on the waiting list for Bermuda Housing Corporation homes, quite clearly there is an immediate need for the Government to allocate greater funding towards new housing affordable to those on no or low incomes.”
• To learn more about Home or to donate, visitwww.home.bm
• To read Home’s report in full, see Related Media
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