New scheme aims to help break cycle of homelessness
A new programme has been launched aimed at preventing the cycle of homelessness by helping people get ready for independent living.
Renting Ready is run by the charity Home and is targeted at first time tenants, tenants who need support managing their rental units and tenants who are in jeopardy of being evicted.
In the long-term, it is hoped the scheme can be expanded into Bermuda’s schools to better prepare young people by helping pupils learn more about being self-sufficient before they go to college or enter the job market.
“We want to avoid conflict, unhealthy behaviours, to get people to look after their space, to pay rent on time and to understand their rights,” said Oral Barnett, Home’s Renting Ready co-ordinator.
The course, launched last month, covers understanding tenancies, financial management, including debt, and tenant responsibilities.
It is also designed to help people think about what kind of tenant a landlord is looking for, making sure an apartment or room rental is suitable for their needs, how to read a bill, how to manage an apartment and the importance of assessment numbers.
Mr Barnett said the overall aim of Renting Ready was for landlords to be comfortable renting their apartment to tenants who understand lease agreements, are able to pay the agreed rent on time, and tenants who can effectively keep the rental space in good condition.
“This training will help tenants avoid situations that could lead to them being evicted and becoming homeless,” he added.
“There’s also a stigma attached to being homeless, so this course also helps boost confidence.
“Some people have maybe never signed a lease before, or had their name on a lease, or read through a lease or had their name on a Belco bill.
“We go through leases, we go through Belco bills, we go through how to set it up, we go through energy use, grocery shopping … it gives them confidence so they can say, ‘I could do this’.
“This gives them a second or third chance, because we’re helping them break a cycle as some of our clients have been homeless for years.”
Mr Barnett has contacted some parent-teacher associations and youth groups about offering the course to young people, although he said the idea was still very much in its early stages.
He explained: “It would help prepare them for college, or after college.
“Understanding things like the lease, or what’s the landlord’s responsibility, those things will be very beneficial to the high school student transitioning to college.”
The Royal Gazette, in conjunction with stakeholders including Home, has launched its Ending Homelessness campaign to remind the community that people affected by homelessness matter.
Home, and others, want to end homelessness. So do we. We want your support. We want you to change your perception of members of the unsheltered population. We want you to help lobby for simple changes. We want you to show compassion.
Homeless people want to work so that they can be self-sufficient. They did not choose to be homeless, and in many cases their plight was brought about by systemic failings in this country.
In 2010, the Bermuda Census identified 82 people experiencing homelessness. By 2016, that number had risen to 138.
According to Home, the Department of Statistics developed those estimates based on counting rough sleepers and the population housed in the Salvation Army emergency shelter.
As of December 31, 2023, Home recorded Bermuda’s homeless population as 811.
Denise Carey, Home’s executive director, said that 25 people, across a range of organisations including a realtor, charitable organisations and government departments, such as corrections, court services and financial assistance, had been trained in the Renting Ready programme.
“We really cast the net wide,” said Ms Carey. “So no matter where you are living, you should have someone who’s trained to teach people how to manage their space.
“What we want is early identification of a problem as well as being able to provide very tangible information and skills for people to do better.
“Our goal is to find living spaces for people to thrive and the only way to ensure homelessness is sustainably ended is by strengthening our ability to be good tenants.
“Now landlords have the opportunity to encourage their tenant to participate in a Renting Ready training to correct issues that ordinarily might lead to a breakdown in the landlord/tenant relationship and court.”
• To learn more about Renting Ready or if you would like to participate in upcoming training, e-mail oral@home.bm or call 599-9967
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