The Tribune

By JADE RUSSELL

Tribune Staff Reporter

jrussell@tribunemedia.net

GREAT Commission Ministries claims it is serving about 600 cooked meals a day to people in need as its president warns that homelessness is worsening in The Bahamas and calls on the Davis administration to conduct a national survey to determine the scale of the problem.

Bishop Walter Hanchell said more Bahamians are living on the streets, in abandoned buildings and derelict vehicles, while the country faces what he described as an affordable housing crisis and a shortage of rental units.

He said many homeless people are unable to obtain government assistance and are instead being referred elsewhere for help, including people who may have previously been accommodated for extended periods but are now unemployed.

Bishop Hanchell called on Prime Minister Philip “Brave” Davis to address the needs of homeless people, saying something is “radically wrong” when vulnerable people are suffering amid what he characterised as national prosperity.

“We are also appealing for a survey on homelessness to be conducted by the government of the Bahamas,” he said. “Homeless people, street people and our unemployed should never be suffering at this level when we boast of so much prosperity and a tourism and financial boom.”

His comments come after Social Services Minister Barbara Cartwright identified rising homelessness in June as one of the most pressing issues facing her ministry.

While Bishop Hanchell acknowledged that the Department of Social Services has assisted many homeless people over the years, he argued that too little funding is allocated to vulnerable people and that substantially more could be done.

He said homelessness has become so commonplace that society has grown accustomed to seeing people living on the streets, including people who are dishevelled or partially clothed and others who struggle with mental health or drug addiction.

“The population of street people with no place of abode continue to rise,” Bishop Hanchell said in a statement. “These persons live on the streets like animals and they are being ignored and rejected by both the government and the church.”

Great Commission Ministries has spent more than 35 years attempting unsuccessfully to secure land to provide housing for homeless people and vulnerable families, according to Bishop Hanchell.

He said the organisation has assisted homeless people for years, including mothers who have been evicted from apartments and are living with their children in cars or abandoned vehicles.

After failing to secure land through its previous efforts, Bishop Hanchell said the ministry has decided to pursue what it calls “Plan B”, seeking to acquire 20 acres through a private donation for its proposed Hope City Homeless Shelter project.

In the meantime, he said Great Commission Ministries will continue assisting people referred by the Department of Social Services and other agencies to the extent its resources allow.

“We serve approximately 600 hot freshly cooked meals daily,” Bishop Hanchell said, “and provide grocery and clothing to needy families all free of charge.”

He said Great Commission Ministries is also the only non-government organisation in The Bahamas providing housing accommodation for homeless men, women and children.

Bishop Hanchell argued that successive administrations have done too little for poor and homeless people since 1973 and accused governments of favouring political supporters.

“There is so much injustice and unfairness in the way we are governed,” he said. “Government supporters and croonies at all levels are well taken care of by both administrations while persons who are outspoken, non-partisan or perceived to be opposition face victimization and discrimination.”

He also challenged churches and civil society to do more to assist people in need and criticised what he described as hypocrisy among religious leaders whose willingness to speak publicly changes depending on which political party holds office.

Bishop Hanchell said Great Commission Ministries would continue its work with vulnerable people, but maintained that the scale of homelessness requires greater action from the Davis administration, churches and other parts of society.