Call for law to remove homeless from streets during hurricanes

The head of the Barbados Alliance to End Homelessness has called for urgent legislation to empower authorities to remove homeless people—particularly those with mental illness, disabilities, or age-related vulnerabilities—from the streets during hurricanes, warning that voluntary compliance is no longer enough to protect the island’s most at-risk citizens.

Kemar Saffrey said Barbados can no longer rely solely on voluntary compliance when it comes to protecting its most vulnerable citizens during major weather events. He believes that legal provisions are needed to allow authorities to intervene—particularly when individuals refuse shelter or are unable to access help due to mental conditions.

He told Barbados TODAY: “I believe that once the country is going through a hurricane of any category, once it reaches hurricane capacity and it can strengthen, I believe that we should look to implement laws and regulations around having persons removed from the streets and placed into a safe environment,” he said. “Whether they need assistance or placement at the psyche, we’re looking at our elderly and people with disabilities. I don’t believe that during a hurricane and a fully formed hurricane, that persons should be on the streets of Barbados, especially when you’re going up in categories.”

Citing practices from other countries where governments take action to remove homeless people during freezing weather, Saffrey argued for similar protections in Barbados.

He said: “I know there are other countries and other states that look at implementing laws when they have below [freezing temperatures] they look to move these person on the street with the assistance of the police and different state agencies.”

Currently, Saffrey said, authorities are too limited in what they can do for individuals who refuse shelter.

“We need to look at where we put some sort of law that sees a collective of agencies [being involved]. It is looking at those that do not want to come into the shelter, but can’t also come into the shelter because of their mental issues, their travel-related issues. We need to have, a look at that and, and say okay, if these persons have mental health issues and we have enough time in warning, let’s then try to work with the agencies and move them and put them into an environment whether it could be mental health nurses [or] drug treatment.”

He noted that while the BAEH is ready and willing to assist during emergencies, it cannot carry the burden alone.

Saffrey said his organisation was already preparing for the hurricane season, stating that the BAEH has a strong record of responding during crises—from the COVID-19 pandemic to recent storm events. But without legal authority and stronger inter-agency collaboration, he warned, vulnerable people will continue to fall through the cracks. (SB)