Social Services has always been a major component of Urban Renewal ...and it’s the same with Urban Renewal 2.0. - says Minister of Social Services Melanie Griffin

Minister points to signs of increasing poverty

By Krystel Rolle
Guardian Staff Reporter
krystel@nasguard.com

There is a growing number of people who are homeless or reside in poor living conditions throughout New Providence, according to Minister of Social Services Melanie Griffin.

“One of the most glaring issues is definitely homelessness or persons living in houses that are not conducive to human existence with no light, no water and in many cases there are no facilities for waste,” she told The Nassau Guardian on Monday.

While Griffin could not provide the figures, she said many Bahamians live in such conditions and the number continues to grow.

Griffin said the social workers attached to Urban Renewal 2.0 — a program which tackles social issues in communities — have reported the increase.

She said the majority of people who live in poor conditions do not seek assistance from the government.

“A lot of people would just rather stay in their conditions,” the minister said.

“They may not come to [the Department of] Social Services. If they come into the center, they may say ‘I need food’ and Social Services would deal with the food situation, but they would not tell you about the conditions in which they live. So the hands on in the community is good.”

She said that before Urban Renewal was relaunched, the Ministry of Social Services already had a “critical staff shortage”.

“We need extra manpower,” she said.

Griffin highlighted staff shortages following her appointment in May.

She said the economic downturn and the rise in the unemployment rate resulted in thousands of people turning to the government for help over the last five years.

“Staffing issues have crippled the Ministry of Social Services,” Griffin said at the time.

“Social Services has always been a major component of Urban Renewal and it’s the same with Urban Renewal 2.0.

“Social workers are the nuts and bolts of Urban Renewal in that we have trained social workers who are designated to each outreach center.

“We still have to find the manpower in order to meet the needs of Urban Renewal 2.0.”

Griffin said the Department of Social Services has also seen a “major, major” increase in applications for rent assistance.

But Griffin hopes that as the economy rebounds fewer people will be looking for help.

Jul 04, 2012

thenassauguardian

Caribbean Blog International

...the positive impact of Urban Renewal 2.0 in many inner city communities of The Bahamas

'We Are Already Seeing Effects Of Urban Renewal'

 

By KHRISNA VIRGIL

kvirgil@tribunemedia.net

NATIONAL Security Minister Dr Bernard Nottage said authorities have already started to see the positive effects of Urban Renewal 2.0 in many inner city communities.

Dr Nottage gave the update following the opening ceremony of the RBPF's 19th annual summer youth programme.

Speaking specifically about the Bain and Grants Town constituency, which he represents as a Member of Parliament, Dr Nottage said the initiative is already making a significant impact on violent crime.

He said the evidence is there in the police crime reports sent to the media every day.

"If you notice from the police crime reports, especially over the past two weeks, there has been more mention of the discovery of weapons and ammunition. This is because we have people coming forward and telling authorities which area and in what places certain kinds of behaviours occur," he said.

Many persons, Dr Nottage said, are growing accustomed to an active police presence in their communities.

Urban Renewal 2.0 was one of the PLP's major campaign promises in the lead-up to the 2012 general elections.

Although some uneasiness was expressed at the launch of the programme, many residents in various communities have expressed high hopes for its success.

Two weeks ago, Inspector Rolle, head of the Urban Renewal project for Bain and Grants Town, said his team aimed to foster good relationships with residents.

"It's all about crime prevention," he said. "We are looking at crime from the perspective of the environment and we have concluded that in addition to fixing dilapidated buildings and removing derelict vehicles, we have to do our best to provide persons within the community with jobs."

Asked about the initiative, one resident, Tamika Roberts, expressed her support.

"It's a good thing," she said. "The police presence is a deterrent to crime in inner communities. When the police is around, criminals refuse to commit crime."

July 03, 2012

Tribune242 

Caribbean Blog International

If you suspect you are the victim of workplace bullying, speak with your company's Human Resource specialist... If you are a bully, seek some form of assistance in rectifying this self destructive and organisational hampering behaviour

Workplace Bullying Undermines Firms

CHAMBER VOICE

By IAN FERGUSON

MUCH attention has been given to bullying, and the aggressive behaviour and unfair advantage some assume over others. Typically, when we hear the term 'bullying', we associate this juvenile behaviour with students acting out in a classroom. Children are very often the culprits behind the ongoing poor treatment of their peers, which often leaves deep emotional scars that follow the person who has been bullied well into their adult years. Think about it: Most persons can remember a hurtful name they were called in school and, more than that, the perpetrator of those venomous words. Bullying has seemingly become a real threat to many, and is a destructive force in attacking a person's self worth, causingn them bodily harm or, in some severe cases, driving them to suicidal thoughts and attempts.

What is most sad about bullying is the fact that most bullies never receive the professional help they need to maintain a normal life. As a result, the primary school and high school bully becomes the corporate and workplace bully. The Human Resources professional will state that an employee's working condition impacts his cognitive, social and mental well-being. Simply put, a normally high-producing employee, who becomes the victim of a bully, can easily be reduced to a blundering, socially inept and emotionally imbalanced individual.

Workplace bullying is commonly viewed as the tendency of individuals or groups to use persistent aggressive, or unreasonable, behaviour towards a team member (usually a subordinate). Workplace bullying can include tactics such as verbal, non-verbal, psychological and physical abuse, and humiliation.

 Workplace bullies often operate within the established rules and policies of their organisation, and are therefore difficult to address. Most persons who report bullying in the workplace identify someone in leadership or management as the offender. There are some common threads to acts of bullying. In most cases, the attacks are repeated and persistent, humiliating and intimidating, and manifest themselves as aggressive attacks that are intended to be personal.

Workplace bullying comes in the form of five deliberate actions by a person or group of people. These five acts include:

1. Insulting an individual's professional standing with belittling opinions, public humiliation, false accusations without evidence, and intimidating use of discipline.
   
   
2. Attacking a person as an individual by undermining their personal integrity, using sarcasm, inappropriate jokes about the person, teasing, name calling and unnecessary insults.
   
   
3. Isolating the target, preventing access to opportunities, ignoring the talents of the individual and deliberately keeping them out of the loop in e-mail communications and the like.
   
   
4. Overworking the individual via undue pressure, imposing impossible deadlines etc.
   
   
5. Demoralising and discrediting the work of the individual by failing to acknowledge their good work, reminding them repeatedly of past blunders and assigning meaningless tasks to them.

Whether we are referring to malicious gossip and rumors spread in the workplace, or anonymous letters forwarded to co-workers, the one thing that is constant and true about bullying is that those who commit these atrocities are in a very dark emotional place. My mother says it best: 'Hurting people hurt people.'

If you suspect you are the victim of workplace bullying, speak with your company's Human Resource specialist. If you are a bully, seek some form of assistance in rectifying this self destructive and organisational hampering behaviour.

NB: Ian R. Ferguson was educated locally, regionally and internationally, having earned a Master's Degree in Education from the University of Miami. During the course of his nearly 20 years in education, talent management and human resources, he has served both the public and private sector in senior management roles. He currently serves as manager of the Chamber Institute, and as a local consultant in the field, having assisted hundreds of local and regional businesses in improving business and service excellence through their human capital.

July 02, 2012

Tribune242

Caribbean Blog International

Daily routines of many women affected by the threat of crime in The Bahamas

Living in fear

Taneka Thompson
Guardian Senior Reporter
taneka@nasguard.com

Every time Kayla Sands comes home she checks under the bed and looks in the closet for signs of an intruder.

Her fear of being surprised by an attacker interferes with daily errands, keeps her anxious and constantly on guard. Sands, whose name has been changed because she did not want her identity disclosed, considers herself ‘paranoid’ but said her fear is justified. A man held her up at gunpoint one afternoon last year as she picked up lunch at a popular restaurant.

Sands believed the gunman, who threatened to kidnap her and eventually stole her car, was going to kill her. Luckily she escaped the holdup alive, but in the months after the incident her anxiety over future attacks has intensified.

“I can’t even open my door to take out my garbage or sometimes even go to the bank to withdraw money by myself,” said Sands.

“I keep looking over my shoulder because of my fear that someone is going to follow me home. When I get home I look in the closets and check under the beds. It makes me very uncomfortable doing my daily routine.”

Her fear has grown after news broke Monday that over the past few months numerous women in New Providence have reportedly been raped during home invasions.

“I want a gun now. I want to be locked and loaded - I want two. [My fear] is amplified now. I didn’t even know a rapist was on the loose,” Sands told The Nassau Guardian yesterday.

She is not the only woman in New Providence who now wants to arm herself against potential rapists and other would-be attackers.

“This makes me want to go and buy a gun,” Rochelle Wells, whose name has also been changed, said yesterday, referring to the reported rapes. “It’s one thing to get robbed and even killed but I think getting raped - I can’t imagine that not being the greatest fear for any woman.”

Wells said she was the victim of a gun attack on a night in 2010. She said two armed men robbed her and her boyfriend as they pulled up to her home in eastern New Providence. The attackers shot at her car and made off with her purse.

Wells, an avid runner, is now thinking about adjusting her exercise schedule to make herself less vulnerable to attackers.

Karen Davis, who also did not want her real name disclosed, said she found out about the rapes through Facebook long before the reports made the news. She said the police should have warned the public earlier.

“We live in an Internet age and it is common to find out information from the Internet before anywhere else,” Davis said. “When you read something on the Internet, you are not sure if it is true or if the story is being exaggerated but once it was in the news, I took it more seriously.”

She said the fear of crime has not altered her life too much but she is vigilant when driving home at night.

“I do take the extra time to check the windows and doors and my surroundings before I go outside or when coming home,” Davis said.

On Monday, Assistant Commissioner of Police Anthony Ferguson said four alleged victims who live in eastern New Providence, reported sexual assaults over the past few weeks. This led police to increase patrols in undisclosed areas.

Four more alleged rapes occurred in western New Providence over the past few months, Ferguson said.

He added that police have received reports of one or two men breaking into homes in quiet communities and holding residents at gunpoint between 2 a.m and 6 a.m. to steal jewelery, cash and sometimes rape women.

Jun 27, 2012

thenassauguardian

Caribbean Blog International

The Bahamas is a major smuggling zone for people and narcotics to the United States from South America and the Caribbean... However, there are usually no prosecutions for human smuggling for some reason

Changing how we respond to human smuggling

thenassauguardian editorial

At least 11 people are dead as a result of a suspected human smuggling operation gone wrong off Abaco a few weeks ago.  Authorities fear 10 other passengers, who remain unaccounted form the vessel ‘Cosy Time’, are dead.

Twenty-eight passengers were reportedly onboard the vessel and seven people survived.  The victims are all thought to be of Haitian descent.

National Security Minister Dr. Bernard Nottage has told the House of Assembly that one of the survivors, a man of Bahamian-Haitian descent, said he boarded the boat because his mother insisted he go to the United States on the vessel.

“The gentleman further stated that he believed each person paid a total of $5,000 a head for the journey,” Dr. Nottage said.

The Bahamas is a major smuggling zone for people and narcotics to the United States from South America and the Caribbean.  However, there are usually no prosecutions for human smuggling for some reason.

Most of the people smuggled here are Haitians and many die trying to escape the poorest country in the hemisphere.

Thus far one person has been charged in connection with the deaths in Abaco.  Several others have been taken in to custody for questioning.  The man who has been charged is innocent until proven guilty in a court.  We make no comment on his guilt or innocence, but we commend the government for this time investigating this matter seriously and seeking to bring before the court those it suspects responsible so that a jury could decide their fates.

One of the ways to slow human smuggling is to aggressively prosecute those involved.  When migrants are killed in human smuggling operations those who organized the operations and those who command the vessels are criminally responsible for those deaths.  Manslaughter charges should be leveled against smugglers who survive these tragic occurrences.

If we do not get tough with this heinous crime it will continue and more desperate people will lose their lives seeking better lives away from their economically challenged homelands.

The witness told police one of the boat’s engines kept cutting off, which slowed it down.

“He reported that the seas were very rough and the vessel began to take on water,” Dr. Nottage said.

“The vessel eventually capsized and everyone began to scramble to save their lives.  He reported that he did his best to save other persons, but the sea was too rough, so he had to save his own life.”

We must not just view this situation as tragic.  The Bahamas should use it as an opportunity to change how we deal with human smugglers.  They prey on the desperation of poor people.

Jun 25, 2012

thenassauguardian editorial

Caribbean Blog International

...as a society we should not put our confidence in the legalization of gambling for Bahamians ... we should rather rely on our abilities, discipline and hard work ...and appropriate public policy to improve our circumstance

Put not your confidence in gambling

By Phillip P. Sands

The Progressive Liberal Party’s pledge to conduct a referendum on aspects of gambling is the right thing to do in light of the sustained public debate on the issue.  Political parties should refrain from politicizing this matter as occurred in the 2002 referendum.  Civil society and individuals should lead the debate.

I oppose the government endorsing gambling by Bahamians in The Bahamas not because of any religious piety on my part, but due to my increasingly strong conviction that the arguments advanced by those in support of gambling are faulty, misguided and short-sighted.

Three main arguments are advanced to support allowing Bahamians to gamble in The Bahamas namely: constitutional discrimination; unenforceable laws; and enhancement of state revenues.   However, each of these arguments is fundamentally flawed and/or lacking sufficient objective evidence to support claims made.

Constitutional discrimination

It is clear that casino gambling in The Bahamas is discriminatory, but this does not violate the constitution.  The principal purpose of the constitution is to outline the fundamental rights and responsibilities of the country’s residents.  Bahamians cannot gamble and tourists can, but tourists are unable to engage many of the constitutional rights and responsibilities (like voting and employment rights) reserved for residents.  So, the constitution is discriminatory, but this does not make it self-violating and neither under the letter or spirit of the constitution can gambling be considered a right or responsibility.  Even if this were a constitutional matter, the right action to take would be to have the tourists conform to the current standard set for Bahamians and not vice versa.

Unenforceable laws

There is little doubt that it has been virtually impossible for law enforcement agencies to “break” gambling activities among Bahamians in The Bahamas.  However, a similar fate befalls the police in their attempts to stamp out strip clubs, the drug and firearms trades and prostitution.  Therefore, does this mean that the current inability of the police to tackle these problems should lead to their acceptance?

Using the premise that difficult to enforce laws should be abandoned, why not decriminalize the marijuana trade?  It also involves a large proportion of the population and, despite the high public expenditure devoted to its eradication, many of its users are never caught.  Of those who are imprisoned, thousands of dollars are spent to warehouse them in an overcrowded prison environment which, many argue, does little to rehabilitate and more to create hardened criminals of its inmates.

Families also pay a tremendous monetary and emotional price during and after the incarceration of their sons and fathers who often struggle to re-integrate into society, including the labor market, as they are saddled with a criminal record and the stigma of having been to prison.  Because of this, ex-cons seemingly are never able to repay their debts to society – some just for smoking a marijuana cigarette.  Yet, as a society, we have decided rightly that marijuana is contraband and its use is not permitted.  So, if we hold firm on this, why should our position be any different in relation to illegal gambling?  Decisions like this should be taken on principle, not on a whim.

Finally, if it is impossible to control web shops now that gambling for Bahamians is illegal, why do some of us think that the government would be able to regulate (including collecting all taxes due) these establishments which have become skilled at circumventing and defying laws, rules and regulations?

Enhanced state revenues

According to the May 24, 2012 edition of The Tribune, a national lottery could generate $190 million.  This money, unlike that gained from casino gambling, is money already in the local economy.  Yes, there will be some multiplier effects, but not anything more than if the money were used on some other forms of recreation (e.g., going to the movies and the bowling alley).

While prime minister, Hubert Ingraham projected the government collecting $30-40 million in taxes, which would represent about two percent of government expenditure, currently at $1.8 billion per year.  But, for the sake of argument, let’s be generous and project that the government would receive 40 percent of the $190 million.  This would total $76 million, or about four percent of the current government expenditure.

With average annual household income equaling $30,318 in 2008, a significant portion of household income would have to be devoted to gambling as reflected below in the chart.

According to the Bahamas Living Conditions Survey Report, the average Bahamian household spent 12.6 percent of its income in 2001 on personal care, clothing, footwear and entertainment collectively.  So, if 70 percent of Bahamian households participated in gambling, they would need to spend two-thirds of the money that they should be spending on these items ($2,592.17) on gambling alone.

Since lotteries, like any business, advertise and try to convince and entice people to buy their product, if the government facilitates Bahamians gambling, it would become party to encouraging its citizens in irresponsible behavior.  When families make poor money management decisions and neglect their responsibilities (i.e., housing, utilities, etc.) then the government too will be partially at fault – all for a mere four percent of its income.

The nature of the game

Moreover, gambling is a zero sum game and for every winner, there must be losers.  In fact, for every winner there are many losers.  If one spends $1 and wins $600 playing the numbers, I estimate that at least another 999 people must lose (assuming they spent $1 each).  State-sponsored gambling is a tax.  We already have an unjust regressive taxation regime which disproportionately burdens the poor.  What Bahamians should really be calling on their government to do is to restructure the system of taxation where the upper middle and wealthy classes “man-up”, embrace “the Buffet Rule” and take on a greater share of the tax burden.

Yes, many Bahamians currently gamble and there is a loud call for its legalization.  However, under scrutiny the justifications offered for the legalization of gambling are fatally flawed.  It may be true that currently there is little that the state can do to stamp out the illegal gambling which takes place in the country; and even if the majority of citizens voted against it, thousands of Bahamians will continue to gamble in The Bahamas.

So, the real issue is not whether or not our laws vis-à-vis gambling are discriminatory or that the government cannot enforce its current prohibition related to Bahamians gambling, or even that the proceeds from gambling can supplement government revenue.   The real issue is whether or not the society and government, without strong justification, should endorse gambling, which is likely to create other more fundamental policy and moral dilemmas and problems.

I say as a society we should not put our confidence in the legalization of gambling for Bahamians, but rather we should rely on our abilities, discipline and hard work and appropriate public policy to improve our circumstance.

Jun 22, 2012

thenassauguardian

caribbean Blog International

Downtown Nassau Partnership (DNP) co-chairman - Charles Klonaris says: ...The cost of borrowing in the Bahamas is a major deterrent to persons looking to start up developments or small business

Dnp Co-Chairman: Country's High Interest Rates Major Deterrent For New Businesses




By NATARIO McKENZIE

Tribune Business Reporter

nmckenzie@tribunemedia.net

THE cost of borrowing in the Bahamas is a major deterrent to persons looking to start up developments or small business according to the Downtown Nassau Partnership's (DNP) co-chairman Charles Klonaris.

He told Tribune Business yesterday that the country's high interest rates were contrary to trends in some of the world's largest economies.

Speaking with Tribune Business following a forum hosted by The Bahamas Investment Authority (BIA) and the Bahamas Chamber of Commerce and Employers' Confederation (BCCEC) on local business incentives, Mr Klonaris said: "To do developments or to get into business in the Bahamas is expensive so we welcome legislation like the Revitilisation Act. Borrowing costs and energy costs are two big issues that need to be addressed. To get into the retail business is expensive. The borrowing costs are high. You are talking a minimum of seven per cent or higher."

Mr Klonaris added: "When you look around at what's happening in Europe and the United States, money is very inexpensive and that's purposely done to encourage someone to get into business. This is an issue that needs to be addressed. I don't know the reason why it is so expensive. It seems contrary to what is taking place world wide, that we still have these high interest rates when in the rest of the world money is practically free."

Mr Klonaris referred to the cost of electricity that persons interested in starting a development or business have to grapple with. "The cost of electricity is very high. This not only applies to the business person but also to the consumer. By the time he pays his electricity cost, food and gas, he doesn't have a disposable income. There is nothing left for him to go out and shop with. We are in some very serious and very difficult times and these are some of the issues the country needs to look into."

Mr Klonaris also suggested yesterday that tax exemptions provided under the City of Nassau Revitilisation Act start once the developer receives their certificate of occupancy. Mr Klonaris said: "If you are doing a major development it can go on for a long time. A small development could be a year, two years or five years. According to the Act you are exempt on bringing in materials as well as they give you a five year real property tax exemption but that starts once you make the application. To make the application you sit with your architect, sit with the contractor and fill out all the materials you are going to bring in and give it to the Ministry of Finance. It starts then even before construction starts and I'm suggesting that it should start once you receive the certificate of occupancy and I think it fair for everybody."

June 22, 2012

Tribune242

Caribbean Blog International