We will tackle the problem of homelessness as a priority

FRIDAY, NOV. 2: As our economic troubles continue, and more and more people find themselves out of work, we expect that the problem of homeless people in Bermuda will worsen.

This is one of the most serious and stubborn blots on Bermuda’s record – that we cannot seem to find a way to properly house the homeless. They are part of who we are, not outlaws.  At the moment, we cannot find a way even of giving them a safe and comfortable place to sleep and wash.

The Salvation Army shelter next to the Transport Control Department’s grand new headquarters is in a far less than adequate state, filled every night, but only just coping with seriously substandard facilities.  The Salvation Army does what it can with limited resources and they should be commended.  It is however ironic that it is next door to the new TCD building.  The cost overrun there could have paid many times over for an upgrade for the shelter.

The Government promised to deal with this issue years ago.  Despite  people like Dale Butler and Nelson Bascome, when he was alive, chipping away at the issue from the inside, nothing meaningful has been done.  Earlier this year, Mr Butler lamented the lack of action and said, “It was the direction we were hoping to take when I joined the PLP back then. I firmly believe, if we don’t act, the problem will get worse and we will get more of the same.”

In its ongoing investigation of homelessness, the One Bermuda Alliance recently found an area away from public view, where several like-minded people are living in tents.  We used it in a television advertisement recently, using the tag line, “No Bermudian Should Live This Way”.  We are also aware that there are other tent dwellers in encampments across the Island.

This is a very Bermudian problem, in that our homeless problem is almost completely related to social problems, such as mental illness, addiction and joblessness.  We cannot, therefore, just import a one-size-fits-all solution from elsewhere.

Not a lifestyle choice

None of our homeless adopt homelessness as a lifestyle, as they do in the United States.  Many Bermudians know those who are homeless, and try to help them by giving them money.

The OBA knows that this is a problem that has to be cut off at the knees now. Quite apart from the damage it is doing to the homeless if it is left unsolved, many are saying that it is beginning to impact what little tourism we have left.

A proper facility for the homeless is one part of the solution, but on its own, even the fanciest shelter is just a band-aid.  It offers the homeless a safe place to stay, yes, but some will decline and continue to live on the street for any one of a variety of reasons.

Those homeless people need to be helped by integrating all our health and social services to aid in addressing the problem.  Those who need help to get over their issues must be given help.  We need to close the “front door” to homelessness by implementing successful prevention strategies to make sure, as best we can, that there is no longer any reason to become homeless.

Most of all, we need to create the political will to attack this difficult problem, and attract wholehearted support from helping agencies. We can no longer rely on the police and the courts to make these people just disappear for a time — an exercise in futility if ever there was one. 

And we need the help of the community, perhaps especially the entrepreneurial community, to create ways the homeless can get involved in the workforce, to allow the jobless to work their way back into the mainstream of society. 

The homeless problem is something we cannot ignore. If we measure society based on how we treat the most vulnerable then we have failed — we cannot continue to fail. 

The One Bermuda Alliance will consider this a priority if it wins the next election. We will enlist the help of all those who are committed to solving the problem, even if they happen to be members of Her Majesty’s Loyal Opposition at the time!  And together, we will solve this problem.

• Gaylynne Cannonier is One Bermuda Alliance candidate in Constituency 3, St David’s.