Government Outlines Plan To End Homelessness
On World Homeless Day, the Government highlighted its Plan to End Homelessness and National Homelessness Action Plan 2025–2028, outlining measures to prevent homelessness, expand housing support and help ensure everyone in Bermuda has access to a safe and secure home.
A Government spokesperson said, “World Homeless Day is observed internationally on 10 October each year. It provides an opportunity to recognise and celebrate good work, assess progress, and advocate for improved policies and funding to prevent and end homelessness.
“In Bermuda, the Government recently tabled in the House of Assembly the Plan to End Homelessness in Bermuda – Ending Homelessness Together and the National Homelessness Action Plan 2025–2028. Together, these documents deliver a clear message about our present circumstances, a sobering reminder of our collective responsibility, and an achievable vision for the future: a Bermuda where homelessness is rare, brief and non-recurrent.
“Bermuda stands on the shoulders of those who first sounded the alarm in 1988, those who documented the reality of homelessness in 2000 and 2002, and the service providers who have continued their work year after year, often with limited resources. The launch of the Plan to End Homelessness is therefore not the beginning of Bermuda’s response. It is the next chapter in a story that has been unfolding for nearly four decades. It marks an important shift from understanding and documenting homelessness to taking coordinated, systematic action to end it.
“The development of the Plan to End Homelessness was informed by engagement with more than 400 people experiencing or at risk of homelessness, alongside several hundred hours of consultation with stakeholders, service providers, policy experts, researchers, third-sector organisations, donors and philanthropic partners. This engagement helped ensure that the plan reflects the realities of those directly affected, as well as the expertise and experience of those working to address homelessness across our community.
“The National Homelessness Action Plan translates this vision into action for the period 2025–2028. Its approach prioritises prevention, is trauma-informed, person-centred, rights-based, collaborative and data-driven. Crucially, it recognises that people with lived experience must not simply be the subjects of policy; they must also help shape its design, implementation and evaluation.
“The Ministry of Youth, Social Development and Seniors will oversee the programme, working in partnership with the Ministries responsible for housing and municipalities, public works, and health, as well as statutory bodies, non-governmental organisations, and private-sector partners. Implementation will be supported by centralised case management, data sharing, clearly defined roles and responsibilities, annual reporting to Cabinet, and key performance indicators aligned with prevention, rapid rehousing, housing supply, service integration and policy reform.
“This work is already moving from principle to practice.
“Several initiatives demonstrate the Government’s commitment to strengthening support for people experiencing homelessness and helping those at risk maintain stable housing.
- “Strengthening Salvation Army facilities: In April 2020, a $1 million grant was allocated in the 2020/21 Budget towards upgrades to Salvation Army shelter facilities. Despite significant pandemic-related delays and substantial increases in global material costs, the Government ultimately committed approximately $1.82 million over three years to complete the works. The opening of these two new facilities represents an important part of the broader effort to strengthen Bermuda’s response to homelessness. Their development reflects the importance of sustained investment and collaboration in expanding the support available to people in need.
- “Supporting successful transitions through HOME: The Government has partnered with the charity HOME, with an important milestone being the successful launch of Astor House, a nine-bed transitional facility. Astor House provides accommodation and structured support for people rebuilding their lives following incarceration, helping them work towards greater stability and successful reintegration into the community.
- “Preventing homelessness through rental assistance: The Rental Support Services [Emergency Subsidy] Programme, introduced in 2024 through the Hardship Fund, recognises that preventing homelessness requires early intervention. Support must be available before a family loses its home, before a financial crisis becomes entrenched, and before vulnerability escalates into homelessness. Helping people maintain their housing is essential to a comprehensive approach to ending homelessness.
“On World Homeless Day, I wish to express my sincere gratitude to the service providers, community organisations and volunteers who work tirelessly to support people who are hungry, experiencing homelessness or living on the edge of crisis.
“Organisations such as The Salvation Army, The Eliza DoLittle Society, Meals on Wheels, HOME, Christ Church Warwick and Hamilton Seventh-day Adventist Church, together with other churches, charities, community groups, volunteers, donors and compassionate residents, play an invaluable role in supporting those in need. Through their efforts to prepare and distribute meals, provide grocery bags, redirect surplus food and offer practical assistance, they help ensure that vulnerable members of our community are not forgotten.
“On this World Homeless Day, let us renew our commitment to a Bermuda where everyone has access to a safe and secure home, where people at risk receive support before they reach crisis point, and where those experiencing homelessness are treated with dignity, respect and compassion.
“To review the Plan visit here.”
