Government funding related to addressing homelessness is not yet sufficient, the Minister of Social Development and Seniors has said.

Tinée Furbert made the claim while speaking with The Royal Gazette after a press conference yesterday morning reminding the public of yesterday’s deadline to complete an island-wide survey about perceptions surrounding homelessness in Bermuda.

The survey was opened on October 3 by the Ministry of Social Development and Seniors in partnership with the Advisory Panel on Homelessness and the Steering Committee on Homelessness.

Ms Furbert did highlight the millions of dollars already spent by Government and that homelessness is a community-wide issue that will require outside funding.

She said: “I would not say that government funding is sufficient, but I do believe that Government has invested millions in helping the issue, and it will also be impacted on us being current in our data and research in getting a better estimation of what is needed.

“Government has invested millions and millions of dollars through safety nets, such as financial assistance as well as the commitment recently put towards the Bermuda Housing Corporation, and renovating homes for persons to rent. The Government is also committed to supporting the third-sector organisations in providing grants to them.

“The collaborative approach is most important, not only between Government being responsible but the community and the non-profit community coming together to support the issue.”

Ms Furbert was accompanied at the press conference by members of the panel and steering committee.

She said that the Community Perceptions Survey on Homelessness in Bermuda is a critical initiative in a comprehensive strategic plan to end homelessness on the island. She said yesterday morning that 125 people had completed the survey and that details of the strategy would be released sometime in December.

Denise Carey, the chief executive of the charity Home, emphasised the need for a collaborative approach, adding: “The strength of the plan is the collaboration, not only with identifying what solutions we need to put in place to address homelessness but how we as a community are going to support it financially.

“The plan does not lean and focus on what Government is going to do or can do — we have looked at Government, yes, but we have also looked at the private sector, international business, members of the community … When you look at jurisdictions around the world, the most successful have been the ones where there is a collaborative effort.

“We met with 400 people with experience of homelessness, we met with our community stakeholders who provide services, we had discussions with financial donors about what they would like to see, and we have looked at jurisdictions around the world.

“We are now putting all of that information into a neat and tidy package so that we can introduce a plan to end homelessness in Bermuda. There will be an opportunity for that to be reviewed and receive additional feedback, then we can start talking about what this is going to cost us, and we can prioritise.”

Efforts have been made over the years to address homelessness, including a study in 2000, the creation of a committee in 2007 and a transitional housing think-tank in 2018. Ms Furbert has said previously that despite these efforts, there remains no sustainable strategy in place.

Home, in its first report issued last year, identified 650 homeless people living in Bermuda. The report said the plan was to operate a housing-first programme offering “a home, care and triage centre for cohorts of eight high-risk homeless individuals every ten weeks”.

It said: “Develop a pilot rapid-rehousing framework and develop and pilot supplemental preventions and pathways for high-risk groups.”

Bermuda Is Love, a community group that joined Home on a panel this month and offered recommendations to the Government, called for the appointment of a national director overseeing the housing-first programme.

Asked yesterday if a director had been or would be appointed, Ms Furbert said: “Once we go through the information that has been shared as far as solutions, we will make that assessment.”

Ms Furbert added: “We believe that understanding the perceptions of our community is essential to creating effective solutions.

“This survey isn’t just about ticking boxes or filling out forms. It’s about our collective commitment to building a Bermuda where everyone has a safe and secure place to call home.”

• The survey, which takes about 30 minutes to complete, can be filled out online at forum.gov.bm