分类： society

As large-scale infrastructure and development projects continue to reshape the Barbadian capital of Bridgetown, a leading homelessness advocacy organization is sounding the alarm that current revitalization efforts are at serious risk of sidelining unhoused residents – particularly those living with untreated mental health conditions.

Kemar Saffrey, chief executive of the Barbados Alliance to End Homelessness (BAEH), raised the urgent call to action Thursday during a national homelessness consultation the group organized at Bridgetown’s Radisson Aquatica Resort. The forum was convened in direct response to a growing tide of public complaints about unhoused people sleeping in high-traffic public spaces across the capital, including Independence Square, Heroes Square, Jubilee Gardens, and Golden Square.

Saffrey emphasized that as Bridgetown undergoes its ongoing transformation, addressing homelessness cannot fall solely to BAEH. A coordinated, cross-stakeholder response is required to prevent the crisis from escalating amid major new development. He told attendees that the organization brought all key local stakeholders to the table specifically because every sector has a shared responsibility to tackle the issue, not just the nonprofit advocacy group.

The urgency of the conversation is amplified by the wave of major upcoming developments set to change the face of the capital, including the construction of the new regional headquarters for the African Export-Import Bank (Afreximbank), along with multiple large projects along Wharf Road and surrounding areas. Saffrey warned that without immediate intervention, the growing visibility and unaddressed needs of unhoused residents will impact both local residents and the critical tourism sector, which forms the backbone of Barbados’ economy. Rather than waiting for a public incident to force reactive changes, he argued, policymakers must take proactive steps now.

One of the most pressing unaddressed issues Saffrey highlighted is the lack of consistent mental health care for unhoused residents. Many people living on Bridgetown’s streets have not accessed psychiatric treatment or medication for years, he said, and their unmanaged conditions can lead to behavior that alarms the public and erodes perceptions of the capital as a safe, welcoming space. Saffrey referenced multiple on-the-ground cases he has responded to where unmedicated unhoused people experienced public crises that could have been prevented with consistent care.

Saffrey also acknowledged limitations within BAEH’s own 140-bed shelter facility. The organization is required to enforce rules prohibiting residents from staying under the influence of drugs or alcohol, and requires people with mental health diagnoses to maintain their prescribed medication regimens to protect the safety and well-being of all people staying at the shelter. These rules mean that some of the highest-need unhoused people cannot be accommodated at the shelter, leaving them on the streets.

To close these gaps, Saffrey is calling for far more robust, coordinated partnerships between BAEH and local government agencies, particularly increasing access to trained health and social service professionals to support unhoused residents with complex needs. He also noted that homelessness is no longer confined to central Bridgetown, with rising complaints of unhoused people in suburban and regional hubs including Dover, Oistins, and Speightstown.

Saffrey stressed that meaningful solutions will not be flashy or politically popular, but they are necessary to protect both unhoused residents and the broader community. He warned that waiting for a violent or high-profile incident to force action is irresponsible, and that the country cannot allow unhoused people with untreated mental health conditions to remain without support on public streets. The country needs a proactive national approach to homelessness, he said, and it needs it immediately.

A resident of Hothersal Turning has been ordered to be held at Dodds Prison ahead of his sentencing, after he pleaded guilty to indecently assaulting an out-of-country visitor in Bridgetown. In court proceedings, Jeffrey David Yearwood acknowledged the incident, which unfolded while he was impaired by a combination of illicit drugs and alcohol, as a serious mistake.

The case was heard before Acting Chief Magistrate Douglas Frederick at the No. 1 District ‘A’ Magistrates’ Court, where the details of the attack last Friday were laid out. According to official testimony, the female tourist, a Canadian national visiting Barbados, had stopped for a drink on Fairchild Street before making her way to Freedom Park, the location where Yearwood approached and attacked her.

The victim immediately resisted Yearwood, pushing him away and calling out for assistance. Witnesses at the scene noted Yearwood appeared heavily intoxicated, with heavily slurred speech that confirmed his impaired state. Bystanders stepped in to detain Yearwood until the victim could contact local law enforcement to take him into custody.

Prosecuting Sergeant Reginald Blackman told the court that during a formal interview with police following his arrest, Yearwood admitted he had consumed both marijuana and cocaine in addition to alcohol before the incident. When given the opportunity to address the court, Yearwood pleaded for leniency, framing the attack as an out-of-character mistake driven by his intoxication. He described himself as a family man with school-aged children who need supplies for the upcoming term, saying he did not want to let his family down. Yearwood requested he be released on personal bail or receive a fine rather than pre-sentencing detention, noting he held no passport and could not be considered a flight risk.

However, Magistrate Frederick rejected these arguments, making clear that intoxication is never a legal defense for violent, violating acts against another person. “It is no defence for a man to get drunk and do these types of things,” Frederick told the defendant. The magistrate emphasized that sexual and indecent assault are extremely serious offenses; only recently were such cases reclassified to allow magistrate’s courts to hear them, he noted, as historically they were reserved exclusively for High Court proceedings due to their severity.

Frederick acknowledged that while intoxication can be considered as a minor mitigating factor during sentencing, it does not excuse the harm done to the victim. “You have also said that it was not you, in the sense that you were intoxicated or under the influence of drugs or whatever, but let me tell you for your knowledge that intoxication is really not a defense to these types of matters. [Being] under the influence of drugs or drink is no defense,” he added.

The magistrate also noted that Yearwood has a prior assault conviction dating back to 2021, reinforcing that he poses a current threat to public safety. After ordering a full presentence report to inform his final sentencing decision, Frederick ruled Yearwood must be held in pre-sentencing custody to protect the general public. “It seems as though there is a need for a type of intervention, because you are obviously a clear and present danger to the society to be walking about doing these things,” he said.

Yearwood will remain at Dodds Prison until his next scheduled court date on September 10, when his sentencing will be finalized.

As the Atlantic hurricane season progresses, a senior Barbadian community emergency management official has sounded a stark alarm over widespread public complacency, warning that this dangerous lack of urgency could significantly weaken the island nation’s overall ability to withstand and recover from major storm events. Speaking Thursday, Selwyn Brooks — liaison officer for the country’s Community Resilience Programme, which works hand-in-hand with local district emergency organisations (DEOs) across the island — emphasized that building robust national disaster resilience must start with individual action and local community engagement, rather than relying exclusively on government-led initiatives.

“There is still an unacceptably high level of complacency among the public,” Brooks cautioned. “National resilience does not originate at the government level. It grows from the ground up, starting with individual preparation and local community capability. When more community members master key emergency skills and build preparedness habits, that collective effort is what strengthens the entire country’s ability to bounce back from disaster.”

Brooks’ call to action comes as emergency management teams across Barbados have ramped up training and outreach efforts in recent months, aimed at equipping both first responders and ordinary residents with the practical skills needed to respond immediately after a severe weather event. These sessions have focused on high-priority, life-saving capabilities including basic first aid, emergency tarpaulin installation for damaged roofs, and the safe operation of chainsaws to clear blocked roadways. The Barbados Statistical Service has also rolled out specialized damage assessment training open to both emergency personnel and general community members.

According to Brooks, training is an ongoing, adaptive process that is adjusted to match the unique needs of each community and depends entirely on broad public participation to succeed. “Our goal right now is to engage and recruit more community members to join our preparedness efforts,” he explained. “We are already ramping up preparations even for next year’s hurricane season. That will be our next major outreach initiative, launching by the end of this month. It will support readiness for the current season, but its core focus is building long-term capacity for 2025 and beyond.”

Insights from a recently concluded national conference on community resilience are already guiding these new outreach campaigns, helping emergency officials develop a flexible, constantly improving emergency response framework, Brooks added. Behind the public training sessions, technical teams have been working steadily to strengthen critical communication infrastructure, which is often one of the first systems to fail during a major hurricane. Radio emergency teams now conduct weekly coordinated network exercises to refine operator protocols, test equipment reliability, and map geographic “blind spots” where radio frequency coverage is weak or non-existent. Regular testing ensures that operators can perform under pressure when a disaster strikes, and lets officials address gaps in coverage before a storm makes landfall.

While current meteorological forecasts predict that this year’s hurricane season will see slightly below-average storm activity across the Atlantic, emergency officials are stressing that the public should not dismiss this prediction as a reason to skip preparation. Even slow-moving, low-category tropical storms can trigger catastrophic damage across the island through prolonged heavy rainfall, widespread flash flooding, soil saturation that causes widespread landslides, and fallen trees that block critical evacuation routes and cut off access for first responders.

When asked directly whether Barbados is currently fully prepared for a major storm this season, Brooks noted that disaster preparedness is never a fixed, finished goal, and readiness levels shift dramatically depending on the intensity of an approaching storm system. “If you ask if we are fully prepared for a Category 3 or Category 4 hurricane, I would be honest and say we still have significant challenges to address,” he said. “We have made solid progress to get to where we are today, but there is always more work to do to strengthen our capabilities.”

Emergency management leaders across the country echo Brooks’ assessment, identifying widespread public indifference as the single largest barrier to effective preparedness. They stress that consistent individual vigilance and personal preparation is the most critical factor in reducing storm-related damage, protecting lives, and speeding up recovery after a disaster.