Homelessness still growing

Despite the rebound seen in the economy after COVID-19 shutdowns, the level of homelessness on the island continues to rise.
This revelation comes from President and Founder of the Barbados Vagrants and Homeless Society (BVHS), Kemar Saffrey, who told Barbados TODAY that though Barbadians may see the economy doing well again after the height of the pandemic, the improved economic condition of the country has not substantially changed the current situation for the homeless and those who may be on the verge for being homeless.
“There has not been a decline in any sense. There has been a rise in the homeless. In the month of September or October we would have seen a [new] homeless person a day, literally a day. In some cases you may see one or two a day.
“We are seeing increases in women and children especially. We are seeing increases in men especially the younger persons and obviously the increases in the elderly as well. People not taking good care of their elderly, so there is an increase,” he explained.
Saffrey insisted that though the government had created a number of initiatives at the height of the pandemic in order to cushion the blow of the economic slowdown, a number of them have come to an end and people would be left to look elsewhere for assistance.
“When you look at the matrix that we have, in the middle of the pandemic a lot of persons started to lose their jobs and we saw the economic downturn. Obviously the government would have buffered in some way, but now you are going to see between now and the end of March, people being laid off from the ash cleaning programme and all of the other programmes. It will have an effect on us.”
He added: “There are people here who are also seeking shelter in advance, coming to us two weeks ahead, and asking if we are going to have beds and space for them and their families. Remember, we are not only dealing with the homeless on the street, but we are dealing with the homeless coming onto the street. So our job is becoming increasingly challenging at this time.”
The National Task Force on Homelessness which includes BVHS, the Ministry of People Empowerment and Elder Affairs and other key stakeholders, has been in talks since the start of 2023, to develop, within six months, a new policy paper on the island’s homeless situation to be presented to Government for consideration.
(SB)