A registered nurse and domestic violence survivor is pushing for policy changes to extend government-funded shelter stays for high-risk victims, sharing a harrowing account of assault that occurred just one week after she was forced to exit the temporary housing due to a strict three-month occupancy cap.
Pamela McKenzie, a mother of three, opened up about her years trapped in an abusive marriage, saying her decision to seek official help came after her husband’s brother reportedly pointed a gun at her and her young son. She first reported the incident to local police, but relentless intimidation and threats from her in-laws left her fearing for their safety, prompting her to drop legal proceedings and turn to the country’s Department of Social Services for support. Social Services officials placed McKenzie and her son in a government-contracted domestic violence shelter, where she first witnessed the harsh consequences of the three-month stay limit firsthand.
McKenzie recalled one elderly shelter resident who was literally left on the side of the road with all her belongings in plastic bags after her time expired. Two weeks before she spoke to reporters, McKenzie and her son hit their own three-month cap and were required to leave. Though she acknowledged shelter staff informed her of the time limit when she first checked in, she argued the arbitrary cutoff fails to account for individual circumstances: she was still processing severe trauma from her abuse and had not been able to secure stable employment, despite her qualification as a registered nurse. She also made unsubstantiated allegations as of press time that some residents, including foreign nationals, had been granted extensions to stay beyond the official limit, claims the Tribune could not independently verify.
After being evicted from the shelter, McKenzie and her son couch-surfed with a friend, where she slept on the floor for weeks. She has since landed a job as a live-in caretaker, and her son has moved to Exuma to enroll in a job training program – a lucky outcome McKenzie says many other survivors do not get. She noted that other victims she has connected to through her experience have ended up homeless, living out of their vehicles or in flimsy, unsafe makeshift shelters. What disappoints her most, she added, is the complete lack of follow-up support from Social Services after she exited the shelter.
In response to growing calls for reform, Social Services Minister Myles Laroda addressed the issue in December 2025, acknowledging the system is strained by soaring demand. Laroda explained that the government currently leases roughly 150 rooms from private providers for domestic violence shelter accommodation, not counting rooms at the dedicated Poinciana Inn Shelter, and every single room is currently occupied. Officials are currently in negotiations to lease two additional properties to expand capacity as demand for emergency shelter continues to climb, he confirmed.
Laroda noted that the ministry does grant extensions for survivors whose situations have not stabilized enough for independent living. But he emphasized that shelter accommodation is intentionally designed as a short-term safety net, not a long-term housing solution. “We are telling individuals that, look, this is a temporary fix,” Laroda said. “We’ll try to assist you. We’ll try to assist you with finances and other stuff, to put you in a position to be on your own. Because, unlike the government housing programme, shelter assistance is supposed to be temporary.”
For McKenzie, however, the current one-size-fits-all time limit puts survivors’ lives at unnecessary risk. She is urging the government to revise its policy to allow longer stays for survivors who remain unemployed or face ongoing threats of abuse, arguing the current system is failing the very people it is meant to protect.