Local News Homeless shelter ‘by October’, says BVHS by Barbados Today 03/07/2019 written by Barbados Today 03/07/2019 2 min read A+A- Reset Share FacebookTwitterLinkedinWhatsappEmail 229 A new shelter for the homeless – the first for the Barbados Vagrants and Homeless Society (BVHS) – is to open its doors possibly by October when the charity marks a decade of lobbying for the homeless, its president Kemar Saffrey has revealed. Saffrey, who for many years has been asking the private and public sector to assist with financing the project, told Barbados TODAY that efforts were now being made to prepare a building in The City to provide 80 beds for women, children and men. “This is something we have been championing for years. This is a major achievement. We have been talking about it for a while now. “But we can definitely say comfortably right now that work has already started to make the building what it needs to be, and any and every assistance from the general public and corporate Barbados to making it a success is appreciated,” he said While the building is currently being retrofitted for the shelter, Saffrey expressed the hope that as the BVHS celebrates its tenth anniversary on October 19, the shelter’s doors would also be opening. He told Barbados TODAY: “We have beds coming in from overseas for the shelter. Our children would be in a protected environment. We would be able to treat them and provide free services and would be a hygiene hub for bathing, changing clothes. You Might Be Interested In Crystal Beckles-Holder, 2nd runner up in regional competition GUYANA: Body of child found after gold mine collapses Barbadians asked to help with return tickets for Haitians “They can use the shelter as an address that they can put down to receive mail. The shelter is the key to really and truly bring persons off the streets in a safe and secured environment and keeping them in programmes that would see them going back into mainstream society.” Saffrey said BVHS was ready to welcome potential donors to tour the facility. Other charities, including the Maria Holder Memorial Trust, are partnering with BVHS to bring the project to fruition, he disclosed. He said: “But we also ask that for continuation of this particular project that Government would look at it as something that they too, along with their different departments can play a critical role in assisting. We have gotten a lot of setbacks as it relates to making it possible. “We did not get a lot of support as it relates to making it possible, especially on the previous administration side, and we do hope that this new administration headed by Prime Minister Mia Amor Mottley would see this as something that is serious and tangible to helping people transition from one level to another. “We are seeking to own this building within three years. But more information on that would definitely come to hand when we hold a press conference. But this is a heavy burden off the shoulders of the organisation.” Barbados Today Stay informed and engaged with our digital news platform. The leading online multimedia news resource in Barbados for news you can trust. You may also like CARICOM urged to address ‘education crisis’ amid World Bank report 19/02/2025 Electoral commission to take over birth, death registrations – AG 19/02/2025 BBA raises concerns over Debt Settlement Act 19/02/2025