A new charity has been launched, aimed at uniting the community through the empowerment of the Island’s men.

Urging the public to support his organisation HOUSE (House of Unity and Self-Empowerment), founder Antoine Bean said he was determined to partner with like-minded agencies to reverse the plight of males in Bermuda.

The organisation has secured a property that it hopes to convert into a men’s emergency shelter, and also aims to provide a 24-hour emergency hotline.

Local men were afflicted by “anger and frustration at being unemployed, and in many cases having the lack of the necessary education and life skills to be employed,” Mr Bean said.

Along with homelessness, abuse and violence, and recidivism, he said there was a dearth of “substantial programmes in place to provide the necessary support many men require”.

HOUSE will start off with a family fun day and fundraiser at Dockyard’s Bermuda Fun Golf on Saturday, September 27.

The initiative is not religious but Mr Bean said he had felt spiritually driven to begin it, adding that he had faith in Bermuda’s support.

“When I first identified areas of my own life that I was not happy with I became fixated with finding solutions for the many challenges that Bermuda’s males face,” Mr Bean said at an announcement in the Bermuda Chamber of Commerce.

He was flanked by Anglican Bishop of Bermuda Nick Dill, Shadow Minister of Community and Cultural Affairs Michael Weeks, Junior Environment Minister Alexis Swan, Women’s Resource Centre head Patrice Frith Hayward and Department of Youth and Sport property manager Jamal Hart, as well as the group’s new volunteer coordinator Sherrie Outerbridge.

HOUSE is still negotiating its partnerships with other agencies, Mr Bean said, both Government and private.

Asked if he felt optimistic at the charity’s ability to secure funding, Mr Bean said: “To be totally honest, that’s up to Bermuda — the funding has to come from our community. These are our sons and nephews; I stand here as a father, a nephew, a grandson. I can see certain choices in my life that I wish I’d done differently.

“I stand in a different place because of that self reflection. Even though I’m not a religious man, I serve.”

The family fun day will be held from 10am to 5pm, with music by DJ Siid James, a magic show by Mr Slick, mini golf at a reduced fee of $10 per person, and a bike display by the Bermuda Long Riders Motorcycle Club as well as the Bermuda Classic Bike Club.

Added Mr Bean: “HOUSE is off to a great start. We’ve got programmes to launch that will all take funding, so I’m very encouraged by the amount of people who will donate their time to ensure that the HOUSE family fun day will be a great success.

“They all want to contribute to help restore our men. I urge everyone, especially men, to bring their families and friends to play a round of mini-golf and enjoy great food and lots of different types of entertainment. Also launched on the day will be our raffle to run until the month of November.”