A preliminary assessment report of  ten shanty towns in New Providence found that a total of 1,410 people reside in these communities.

There  is also a total of 428 such households scattered across the capital with the largest being in the Carmichael constituency. 

The report indicates that 44 per cent of the shanty town community occupies the constituency followed by 31 per cent living in Golden Gates and 23 per cent from Elizabeth. 

Based on the report, the heads of these households were predominantly middle aged males. 

Of the 428 heads of households interviewed, an over whelming 71 per cent are here legally,  while 23 per cent were unknown and six per cent were undocumented. 

Fifty-two per cent of the resident report to have lived in these unregulated communities for at least one year. 

The  Shanty Town Action Task Force found that 68 per cent of the adult population worked in the last six months and 76 per cent of the households reported a total weekly income of under $400. 

Seventy- Seven reported to be self-employed, 161 worked for an employer, and 94 reported to be jobless.

Inspectors also took a look at utilities and discovered that 10 per cent of the households have cable television, 22 percent have indoor running water, 30 per cent report to have indoor flushed toilet facilities, and 47 per cent have electricity. 

It was also revealed that there are two predominant sources of electricity within these unregulated communities with 54 per cent receiving it from generators while 35 per cent subscribe to BPL’s services. 

A mere seven per cent of resident are reported to use drop cord connections to power their homes while the remaining 4 per cent are unknown.