Belize moves to expand shelter services as PM John Briceño pledges action on rising homelessness 

Belize: Prime Minister John Briceño announced on Thursday, January 15, 2026, that the government is moving forward to expand shelter services across Belize to address the increasing problem of homelessness.

On Wednesday, January 14, a day before the announcement the minister of Human Development Thea Garcia-Ramirez presented a proposal to cabinet.

In an interview on January 15, the PM John Briceño highlighted the serious problem of the society while saying that “many people are homeless nowadays and it's becoming worse every day. It is sad to watch them.”

The PM claimed that this development needs more than $800,000 funding to establish new homes and support to the families who are living outside and who do not have their own homes. Also, this initiative plans to take place in Belize City, Orange Walk, Cayo, and Stann Creek, as per the government’s plan.

He also stated that “during the survey ahead of this scheme, we noticed that many people who are homeless or who are living on the streets, are dealing with mental health issues.”

Briceño also stated that many people often try to take care of the family members who struggled with mental health, but they just get overwhelmed with such responsibility and leave them on the streets and roads.

“They just think that this is the government's responsibility or moral duty to act and sometimes I believe that they are right, because as the government we have such a responsibility to keep our people safe and to provide them something which will help them, benefit them.”

“Although the cabinet has approved the plan, the funding arrangements are still being finalized” he claimed. John also emphasised that “increased revenues from Boledo could help finance the initiative, pointing to significant growth in collections in recent years.”

At last, he highlighted that “this new shelter scheme may not fully cover all the people or community or may not fully meet the demand of a house, but this small initiative could lead something big in the future and can make a huge difference.”