Homelessness in Bermuda is a deeply complex issue that is often interwoven with mental health challenges.
For many people experiencing homelessness, mental health struggles are not only a contributing factor to their situation, but also an ongoing battle that worsens with time spent without stable housing.
HOME, a charity working to end homelessness, estimates that more than 1,100 people are homelessness in Bermuda – not necessarily living on the streets, but people who are couch-surfing, living in tents or cars or who have insecure accommodation.
The charity’s executive director, Denise Carey, said mental health issues could be observed in every aspect of homelessness.
“You will have persons who are rough sleeping, who have not been successful with navigating their mental health,” she said.
“We have persons who are living in the emergency shelter, which on occasion becomes the default answer for those who are being discharged from the Mid-Atlantic Wellness Institute and there is no secure housing available for them.
“We have young people who are aging out of systems, who have struggled in mainstream education and with their families and who sometimes, if they have not had the necessary support, may move out and end up living outside.
“We have persons who are being discharged from the Department of Corrections who do not have secure housing, who are struggling with their mental health.”
Guilt and depression
Ms Carey said that once people experience homelessness, their mental health issues can increase.
“There are individuals who, through extended periods of homelessness, their mental health declines with every year that they are outside,” she said.
“And there is a lot of guilt. We see periods of depression for the older gentlemen who have not been able to be the father that they had hoped to be the father that they wanted to be.
“When, say, their daughter’s birthdays come up or their grandchildren’s or even theirs and no one picks up the phone to call them, that is when we are seeing this heightened sense of depression.”
There is no easy fix, Ms Carey said, but HOME helps the homeless improve how they manage their engagement with other people, their relationships and their mental health.
“We make sure that there is opportunity for persons who are navigating mental health to be able to move into a place to live,” she said.
“We provide support for individuals who are living rough. We go out, we check to see if they need medical support, if they are open and amenable to mental health support, and if they are, then we will collect them, take them to get a shower, change their clothes and escort them to appointments for as long as they want it.”
Help your community
Ms Carey said that people might need support for the rest of their lives and “that starts with supportive housing”.
She explained: “Housing that provides some round-the-clock supervision and support with developing people’s life skills, support with managing their mental health, supporting persons with developing their academics.”
She said it is vital for the community to help bring families together and support loved ones who are dealing with mental health issues.
“As a community, we need to continue to educate ourselves so that we can support individuals who are living in our community, who are struggling with their mental health,” she said.
“We need to make sure that there are resources available, that people can access those resources and that they can access them when they need them.
“That does not mean Monday through Friday, nine to five. That means 24 hours a day.”
