300 homeless in Bermuda, says Christian help group

Ms. Wade, of the Hands of Love Ministry, says Government has no facts or figures about the homeless: She keeps statistics herself, and they show that while 50 people were homeless in 1991, by 1999, some 325 people were living on the streets.

The biggest jump was between 1998 and 1999, when there was an increase of 125 people. The figures, provided by Hands of Love, were used recently by the Bermuda Housing Corporation when it approached international businesses for funding to develop 100 new low cost houses.

Ms. Wade stresses that that there are two types of homeless people: Those who are homeless by choice and those who had no choice. Roughly 75 per cent of the homeless ÷ or nearly 250 people ÷ do not live on the streets by choice. And about 20 per cent are women, some with children.

ãWe find some women who are working in offices during the day, but live out of public toilets. Others live in their cars with their children and no one knows about it,ä said Ms. Wade.

And the homeless, she says, come in all ages and from all backgrounds.

Ms. Wade proposes a facility where anyone can go for a meal, a shower and education in the basics, including hygiene, reading, job applications and so on. ãGovernment has to realize that as well as dealing with issues like crime and education, the homeless are people, too. We need to look at this before we get ourselves into a situation that is out of control and that we canât handle.ä

Hands of Love takes to the streets on Mondays, providing food for, on average, 110 people. ãWe go throughout the city and find them in the parks, washing cars, in the street ÷ they are everywhere.ä Hands of Love, a Christian organization, also provides the homeless with clothes.

Shelters

Ms. Wade says aside from Hands of Love and the Salvation Army, the only place a homeless person can look for help is to God.

ãThis needs to be addressed... Minister [Nelson] Bascome assures me they are working on it. But it is very difficult because I know they are doing a lot for other people, but we really need more shelters here.ä

While Ms. Wade does not expect homeless people to be given money by government, she does believe they should be given the chance to get accommodation, even at a cut rate. The ultimate responsibility, she adds, lies in the hands of Government.

ãI have seen people using buckets as toilets and hotplates as stoves ÷ in affluent Bermuda there are serious problems.ä

Ms. Wade predicts that with the high cost of living, matters can only get worse: ãAll it takes for some people is one or two missed paychecks,ä she said.

ãMany people are having a hard time coping, there are not many of the menial jobs around and there are also a lot of people who depend on substances. Drugs take over peopleâs lives; they lose jobs, family, home and before they know it they are out on the streets.ä

The community, she said, makes it difficult for the homeless to come back into society. ãThe community is not educated in accepting people for the way they are. We just keep throwing these people out because they are not one of us. It is discrimination ÷ it may not be racial, but it is discrimination.ä

In response to calls for the removal of beggars from Hamiltonâs streets, Ms. Wade said that would simply sweep the problems elsewhere.

ãThere are beggars all over the world ÷ it is only obvious here because Bermuda is so small. What we need to do is to address the problem.

ãIt is only natural to beg if you have nothing. So why donât we give them something to do, give them a little something for picking up the garbage from the streets. That is what they do in other places.ä

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