‘Youth homelessness driving surge in crime’

A growing number of young men with no place to call home are turning to crime simply to survive, the head of a men’s support organisation said on Tuesday, warning that the island faces a deepening crisis unless targeted interventions are made.

Following a Criminal Justice Research and Planning Unit study linking the rise in violent offending among young men to absent fathers and the weaponisation of child visitation disputes, the executive director of the Men Empowerment Network Support (MENS), Fabian Sargeant, suggested youth homelessness is a major, often overlooked contributor to the problem.

Sargeant told Barbados TODAY that while the facts of the study have long been understood anecdotally, a significantly under-reported area fuelling these increases in crime is the growing number of homeless young men, many of whom are still teenagers.

He said: “I continue to say we need help to get a transitional facility where we can bring these boys and not just focus on their bad behaviour, but understand the causes of these behaviours and provide mentorship. Some of these boys are homeless or moving from house to house, and it’s something that is not highlighted.”

He revealed that MENS sees a steady flow of young men seeking help, some as young as 16. “There’s a large degree of homelessness among young men in Barbados, on the block, because they are poor people. They don’t want anybody to know. I have homeless boys coming to my organisation almost on a daily basis—young men between 16 and 25 who have nowhere to go.”

What is needed is not a shelter, he insisted, but a facility to support their transformation.

“We don’t need a shelter because a shelter is just a place for people to put their heads when they come. We need a facility. We are all professionals who can help these young men navigate their challenges, empower them to be better men for this society, and transition them from where they are angry, unqualified, uncertain…to a point where they understand who they are and can access opportunities for training, employment, or entrepreneurship.”

Sargeant noted that the absence of fathers remains a major factor affecting young people. “For a long time, we’ve known that fathers being absent from the home leaves a void in the lives of young people, not only young men but young girls as well. But because the crime situation is as bad as it is, we understand the need for men to be more present in the home.”

He added that parental disputes often make matters worse. “From my practice, I’ve seen mothers who, during custody disputes, keep the children away in many instances. But when these boys reach 13 or 14 and start asserting themselves, they become challenging for the mothers, and that’s when fathers need to be present.”

At the same time, he called out men who neglect their parental duties: “There’s also a set of fathers who purposefully neglect their fathering duties. I would like these men to understand that it’s not only about you. You are part of another life. If you’re experiencing challenges personally, I want to encourage you to seek help.”

Issuing a plea to the wider community, Sargeant said: “Our society is going down a road that is not healthy for any of us. This is a plea to all men to really step up to the plate. In instances where fathers are absent, whether due to incarceration or death, all other men must create that community, that village, for our young men and boys.

“You have a responsibility to encourage these young boys to do better, to provide mentorship. The church, sporting organisations, schools, teachers, and families. It could be an uncle or grandfather…all must play a role.”

(SB)