Uncaring families were today blamed for a rising number of homeless people on the nation’s streets, as Minister of People Empowerment and Elder Affairs Cynthia Forde did not mince words as she addressed the issue Tuesday night on the 2020/2021 Estimates.
Forde said: “One of our biggest challenges would be housing those persons who are homeless. That is a big problem.
“I believe that we need housing, especially now that the numbers are spiraling with the elderly, and some families just do not care.”
Declaring that homelessness is not necessarily an indicator of mental illness, Forde said she wanted Barbadians to know that being homeless does not mean they are “losing it”.
She pointed to several factors leading to people becoming homeless – among them eviction, land slippage and house fires.
The Minister said: “If we could get housing to facilitate those who have been evicted, and that is a new thing that’s happening in Barbados – every day somebody is evicted and especially with children.
“Or when it comes to those who lose their property because of land slippage; or to make it even worse, house fire.
“So, if we could find housing for them, to be able to make sure that they get the necessary medication, the meals, the attention they require.
“Those are some of the biggest problems and I believe over time, as we work with the Ministry of Housing and Lands and the private sector, I believe that we will be able to come up with some solutions.”
Forde said that Lancaster House caters to some families in what was meant to be a revolving process. But she said “if people can’t get out, then they remain there for months and for years and it then pts a halt to the other individuals we want to assist”.
She added: “We’ve got the Clive Gollop Centre that is filled to the maximum now. All of the residents there are not aged or elderly but there are some persons who too are homeless, or because of whatever falling out there is with the family, they are put out and it is filled to capacity,” She praised the centre’s staff for “doing a fantastic job”.
Forde said funds are needed to support the work of the ministry to address homelessness.
She told the House: “I would want to make a call for the private sector to come on board and assist us in this fight to be able to find adequate shelter for those elderly in particular, or those displaced men, women and children who really need a shelter over their heads.
“The welfare department does assist with paying some of the rentals but they cannot do it all because of some landlords who determine ‘I do not want any person in my house with children.’
“Now, if I have five children and my house gets burnt or I get evicted, I have to live somewhere, I can’t live on the streets with them because the children suffer more than anybody else.
“But then there are landlords who say because of the destruction that children bring with them, to destroy the furniture, break out the windows or the knobs off the cupboard so that it is a challenge. Then you would appreciate that it is not always that welfare is able to get the tranches drawn down on time to be able to put the money in the hands of the landlords at the end of every month.”
The Minister highlighted president of the Barbados Alliance to End Homelessness, Kemar Saffrey, who she said “has been doing an excellent job”.
The alliance opened The City’s first purpose-built homeless shelter on Spry Street.
The shelter is equipped to accommodate 90 people per night.
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It is clear that Ms Forde has never lived with an ungrateful and unappreative persons whose intent is to just take and have no intention of contributing. They eat all you buy use your utilities and find it very easy to curse you in-between
Clearly Ms Forde has never rented to someone who has children that they cannot control
Whom the parents have given up on
No discipline no respect for your property
All rent received during that time has to be used to repair the place
Why is Ms Forde not saying that those unemployed persons who get to live at home for free should help by cleaning the house, sweeping the yard etc to show appreciation of the “free” roof that they have over their heads
Why not say, homeless people with children, teach your children how to respect the property of others
Society has taken the responsibility from the perpertrator and has somehow turned them into a victim
The world is lost
There was a time when women played a significant role in looking after their parents. These days, those women of that age group who looked after their parents in a by gone era now are preoccupied with other things…Wicking, cougaring and partying. I’ll await some schmuck question: and what about men.