Every night hundreds of Bermudians, instead of going home, find shelter in our bus stops, public parks and sometimes the doorways of businesses in Hamilton. A few find themselves in our Emergency Housing Complex on Parsons Road looking for shelter and dignity.

The divide between the haves and the have-nots is widening. The Progressive Labour Party understands that an ever-increasing socioeconomic divide only fosters despair and rejection, particularly for the poor and struggling among us. We can do better. More importantly, we must do better. We have to find a way to provide better services and shelter for our homeless, and in doing so, restore a sense of dignity, as well as a creating a pathway back to a productive life for those who genuinely desire it.

Former United States President Barack Obama wisely said: “Now, as a nation, we don’t promise equal outcomes, but we were founded on the idea everybody should have an equal opportunity to succeed. No matter who you are, what you look like, where you come from, you can make it. That’s an essential promise of America. Where you start should not determine where you end up.”

Bermuda is ready to make this same promise to its citizens.

This issue is not just a government issue; it is also a community issue, an issue that we must all face and own if we are to make a difference in the lives of those who feel forgotten and left out. As a government and as a community, we must be more responsive and put action to our responsibility to provide real help to those who need it the most. In my humble opinion, the recession is not over until the poorest among us feels relief. Again, our economy has not fully recovered until a job with a livable wage is available to anyone who is willing to work.

During my long tenure in the Department of Human Services, it is quite clear to me, and to many of my colleagues, that the plight of the homeless has been largely ignored or forgotten. While Bermuda basks in the limelight of the America’s Cup and the prospects of a new airport development, and the massive infrastructure cost required, it is a shame that we continue to house our poor in deplorable and inhumane conditions.

The next Progressive Labour Party government believes in lifting the quality of life for all Bermudians, especially the poorest among us. To tackle this issue, the PLP understands the best solution to homelessness is to prevent it before it occurs. The PLP also understands poverty and homelessness is a multifaceted issue, encompassing problems such as affordable housing, unemployment and, in some cases, other issues like drug dependency or mental illness. Our Vision 2025 addresses these concerns in a way that is socially conscious and fiscally responsible.

Jesus is quoted saying: “The poor you will always have with you.”

I do not believe this is a prophetic word about the poor, but rather an indictment against those who have the power and opportunity to do something about it, but choose not to.

Unless we attack the root cause of homelessness, we will face the prospect of displacing more Bermudians in the future. A good start would include building a purpose-built homeless shelter that is properly funded and staffed. Another good start would be to reinstate the Transitional Living Centre at Westgate Correctional Facility for long-term inmates who need transitional housing before release.

Why? Because the first step out of homelessness is housing. If we do not tackle the housing issue, we are guaranteed to end up where we started. We also need a “livable wage” and affordable healthcare. The PLP believes the tools to reverse this trend exist, and the next PLP government plans to work with the relevant stakeholders to restore hope and dignity to struggling Bermudians by giving these issues the attention and acuity they deserve.

My colleague, Michael Weeks, addressed the House of Parliament in November 2015 about a plea to create a national strategy regarding the Survey of Substance Use Among the Homeless in Bermuda, published by the Department for National Drug Control. During his address, he reminded his fellow parliamentarians that official estimates of our homeless population do not capture those individuals who are “virtually homeless”.

MP Weeks went on to explain that there are many Bermudians who are sleeping on the couch of friends and family temporarily, or in their car because that is only “a roof over their head”. There are many Bermudians who can be classified as the “working poor”; many of them are virtually homeless because they have no fixed abode of their own.

I am encouraging all registered voters to vote because our upcoming election is not just about the future of those whose economy is thriving; the election on July 18, 2017 is also about the economy of those who have been left behind.

Ernest Peets Jr, DMin, a family therapist and addiction counsellor, is the Progressive Labour Party candidate for Smith’s North (Constituency 10) in the upcoming General Election