HAMILTON, Bermuda – Bermuda has announced a new initiative aimed at ending homelessness in the British Overseas Territory (BOT).
Minister of Youth, Social Development and Seniors, Tinée S. FurbertMinister of Youth, Social Development and Seniors, Tinée S. Furbert, said that the initiative represents a significant milestone in the David Burt government’s ongoing commitment to addressing homelessness in Bermuda in a coordinated, unified, evidence-based, and humane manner.
She said that the idea is to have everyone having a safe, stable and sustainable place to live and that wherever possible, new cases of homelessness are prevented.
“Recognising that no model will eliminate the risk of homelessness, should homelessness occur, systems are in place to ensure that it is rare, brief and non-recurrent. Please be aware that homelessness is not only a housing plan, but also a step toward reconnection as homelessness for some is seen as a form of escape, freedom or can be due to complex personal circumstances.”
Furbert said the plan has taken approximately two and a half years to develop due to the commitment to gain data and insight from over 400 Bermudians experiencing homelessness, hundreds of hours of collaborative input from community experts and partners, both government and non-government and evidence-based research into solutions from over 40 y countries around the world.
She said that the public was consulted through structured engagement initiatives, including town hall meetings and the government’s Bermuda Citizens Forum and that subsequently, a Homelessness Advisory Panel was established, comprising representatives from the public, private, and non-profit sectors, with a mandate to strengthen and refine that work.
“The resulting Plan to End Homelessness is framed around seven core areas of action, including the rapid reduction of rough sleeping, improved data and monitoring, expanded access to affordable housing, coordinated service delivery, public policy reform, and public awareness. These priorities reflect a future where homelessness is rare, brief, and non-recurring.”
Furbert said the plan incorporates evidence-based solutions and international best practices, carefully adapted to Bermuda’s unique social and economic context.
Among its key features, the Plan to End Homelessness establishes a comprehensive definition of homelessness for Bermuda. It is grounded in the European Typology on Homelessness and Housing Exclusion (ETHOS), which recognizes that a “home” has physical, social and legal dimensions.
She said that the plan defines 13 operational categories that refine the circumstances faced by people experiencing homelessness.
“In practical terms…it ensures that we understand and always reference the states of homelessness as those who are roofless, houseless, are in insecure housing or inadequate housing,” she said, making it clear that the plan includes “point in time” data as at 31 December 2025 using administrative information gathered through HOME.
“That data recorded persons who throughout the year were roofless, including 170 people living rough and 99 staying in a night shelter; persons who were houseless, including 217 in accommodation for the homeless, 33 in a women’s shelter, 24 in accommodation for immigrants, and 113 who were due to be released from institutions with no housing in place; persons in insecure housing, including 188 living in insecure accommodation, 130 under threat of eviction, and 15 under threat of violence; and persons in inadequate housing, including 89 living in temporary or non-conventional structures.
“This data relates to specific individuals and is not statistically extrapolated, and the plan notes it is likely to understate overall prevalence. By way of wider context, the National Homelessness Action Plan also references Census-based figures of 82 persons experiencing homelessness in 2010 and 138 in 2016,” she added.
The Minister said that the plan adopts a prevention-focused approach, with early intervention and rapid rehousing as the default model, and it calls for systemic reforms across data collection, service delivery, housing supply, welfare entitlements, and statutory protections.
She said the plan also includes the rapid reduction of rough sleeping, improvements to homelessness data systems, the expansion of affordable housing options, and enhanced public education and awareness.
Furbert said building on this strategic foundation, the Ministry of Youth, Social Development and Seniors has included a four-year National Homelessness Action Plan covering the period 2025 to 2028.
“This action plan translates vision into action. It will establish government’s clear priorities and provide a structured, phased framework to guide implementation, while optimizing the use of existing programmes and resources.
“The action plan is underpinned by prevention-first, trauma-informed, person-centred, and rights-based principles. It emphasizes collaboration across ministries and agencies, meaningful inclusion of persons with lived experience, and the use of reliable data to guide decision-making and measure progress."
