NOT all of Bermuda's homeless are penniless ? some are holding down regular jobs and even running their own businesses.

And many of those are ready to pay four-figure monthly rents for any kind of accommodation they can find, but landlords are not prepared to give them a chance.

Those were some of the findings that Salvation Army community services worker Lionel Cann has made while compiling a database on the homeless.

In his ongoing project, Mr. Cann has so far tracked down 60 people without homes, most of whom are "sleeping rough". But he believes there are many more.

"That's just the tip of the iceberg, I'm sure of that," Mr. Cann said yesterday. "I am finding people through word of mouth, but there are many who will not come forward and whom I will not be able to find.

"There are also many who are sleeping on somebody's couch and moving from place to place."

Most of the people Mr. Cann found had fallen into homelessness through the debilitating effects of alcoholism or substance abuse, he said.

He knew of very few homeless people suffering from mental problems, and most of them were in a secure environment, such as the Salvation Army shelter.

Since starting his project in January, he has heard of many heart-rending situations.

"Some are more open with me than others," Mr. Cann said. "Some are looking for a place to stay and are prepared to pay $1,000 or $1,200 a month for a studio, a one-bedroom apartment, or anything they can find.

"There are even some families out there. I found one homeless family living in an abandoned building, two daughters and a father.

"The older daughter was in her 30s and running her own business and the father had a job. The younger daughter was of high school age and preparing to go to college. They just couldn't find anywhere.

"I also know of at least three couples looking for homes who are prepared to pay upwards of $1,000 a month and who would take almost anything to get off the street.

"Another man had two jobs but lost one of them when a company was sold. He then became homeless. He has not been able to find anywhere else and is now paying $900 a week to stay in a guest house!

"It shows how serious the housing crisis has become."

Recent estimates have put the number of people sleeping rough in Bermuda at around 200.

Mr. Cann said it had been very difficult to assist these people in finding a home, as landlords were reluctant to take a chance on them as tenants.

"In Hamilton alone, I know of at least six people who sleep outside, under trees, in parks, or in the doorways of businesses," Mr. Cann said. "You could walk past them and not even notice them.

"I know one old man, who must be about 75 years old. He sleeps under a cardboard box in Hamilton. I often go out to find him at night and give him food."

The Salvation Army's shelter for the homeless is full, accommodating around 60 people.

Mr. Cann has been saddened by what he has found.

"It's a shame that people will cut themselves off from their families for want of a substance," Mr. Cann said. "And families are then turning their backs on homeless relatives.

"Most of these people just need a helping hand. It's not only Government that can help them. It needs to be a community effort.

"We seem to be abandoning a lot of people. We don't seem to have the compassion we used to have.

"God didn't intend for these people to be junk. They all have a soul to save and that's what is pushing me."

Mr. Cann will continue seeking out the homeless and gathering data from them. The Salvation Army intends to publish the findings in future.