Seeing homeless people is a very common sight in Bristol. In fact, I don’t think I have ever stepped out of my house and not seen a homeless person at some point in my day. I have always tried to go into a shop and buy a drink and sandwich for someone on the streets when I can, and get a treat for their dog if they have one (because they deserve kindness too), but it wasn’t until moving to a big city that the homelessness issue really struck me.
Unfortunately, it is possible for many of us to become immune to the sight of someone living on the streets. Being so wrapped up in the problems of our own worlds, the guilt of passing by with an awkward smile can be repressed by thinking about your next uni assignment or the trials and tribulations of everyday life. But the issue of homelessness is becoming something that can’t be ignored, and something the council cannot keep turning a blind eye to.
After doing some research, I found out that “Over a four-year period council spending on services preventing homelessness will be cut by around 40 per cent,” something which I doubt a lot of the public will be aware about. Already, Bristol City Council’s budgets for preventing homelessness have been reduced by 20% from 2011-2015, indicating that for unknown reasons, the problem is being severely neglected by those who have the power and money to make a positive difference. In response to this issue, St Mungo’s Broadway, a charity that aims to tackle the rising number of homeless sleepers, is deeply concerned about the worrying trend of rising rough sleeping numbers.
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Ex-Mayor of Bristol, George Ferguson, has stated in the past that the key to get people off the streets is by giving them meaningful employment. He says: “We need to get people into employment. People need addresses. If you’ve got an address then you can be connected with the system and you can benefit. The big, big issue is to get people working… getting people feeling that they have a worthwhile life and that they do not have to live on the street.”
I strongly support this view. Only yesterday did I have a conversation with my grandmother about why homeless people weren’t given jobs such as paper rounds – they don’t need an address and they don’t need to drive. Just some form of purpose in life could really help someone experience less hopelessness in their living situation.
Having spoken to some homeless people, the feeling of hopelessness and bleakness among these people is alarming, especially during the winter when it becomes too cold to bear with. I was told of one story where a homeless man was found dying of hypothermia on the streets during a very cold winter, and only survived because he was rushed to hospital. But it makes you realise that there are countless men and women who suffer on the streets and are not found, or are unable to get professional help and support.
So what causes people to sleep rough on the streets? Many organisations have carried out research into why this happens, and countless reports concluded that people said they ended up rough sleeping after being turned away by friends, family and the local authority, and having nowhere else to turn.
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Richard, from Bristol, said he ended up sleeping on the streets as a result of a combination of crises in his life.
“I had no money and didn’t have anybody to fall back on. I felt I had lost everything, my child, my girlfriend, my home, and I’d abandoned myself, I was at rock bottom. My drug and alcohol use spiralled out of control and I became homeless. Once I’d been on the streets through a cold winter it became even more serious.”
Charles Fraser, St Mungo’s Chief Executive, said: “It is shocking that rough sleeping numbers continue to rise and yet more people are being woefully failed. Without urgent action, we are in danger of seeing a decade of destitution and despair.”
St Mungo’s state on their website that four of the most common events to “trigger” or immediately precede rough sleeping were:
- relationship breakdown
- eviction
- leaving prison
- bereavement
These results highlight that there seems to be a misconception that many homeless people are drug users or sufferers of mental illness, and whilst this might be the case for some individuals, most of the time it is the result of a life crisis. And at the root of this problem is the lack of support there is for people who find themselves with nowhere to go. It is utterly shocking that there is no system in place to help people who are in immediate danger of rough sleeping.
That being said, there are charities and organisations that work day and night to support people on the streets, such as St Mungo’s and Emmaus. Emmaus Bristol is a member of the worldwide Federation of Emmaus Communities, who believe that “people who are homeless and socially excluded have something to offer. We encourage people to use their skills to change themselves – and change the world.”
But it is not only adults that are affected by sleeping rough. The amount of young people on the streets is also increasing, and this is something charities are trying to tackle directly. Although offering someone food, drink or money is a thoughtful gesture which could really improve their day; it is only a short-term solution and does not deal with the long term problem of that person living on the streets. So, what can be done?
Centrepoint say the most immediately important thing if you see a young person sleeping rough is to get them out of that situation, because they are particularly vulnerable to sexual abuse, assault or mugging. Paul Noblet, director of public affairs at the charity, says: “Donating money or food is always a matter of personal choice, but the most important thing is that young people who are sleeping rough get the help they need as quickly as possible.” He recommends calling Streetlink, who can refer them on to the right place. This is something you should ideally discuss with the individual before calling, but by notifying an organisation that can assist a homeless person to help and support, you could have a larger impact on their lives than simply giving them your spare cash.
Another reason to consider doing more than just offering money is the issue of gangs exploiting young homeless people who obtain money on the streets, making their situation worse.
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Martin Houghton-Brown, Chief Executive of Depaul UK, the nationwide charity for homeless young people, says that because of this he doesn’t give money to homeless young people himself, but wouldn’t judge anyone whose chooses to do this, as the motive behind it is one of kindess. “I don’t know whether that money is going to be a continuation of them being exploited, and I don’t want that,” he says. “You must act with your conscience, but what we do know is that young people are particularly vulnerable to being exploited, and if we walked around giving out £10 notes to every young person we saw, we would continue to see them being exploited.”
Although small acts of kindness make the world a more compassionate place, it is long-term help that’s going to make a difference to people on the streets. As students we are already living on extremely tight budgets, but if at any point you can, donating to a charity is a good way to do something to help solve the problem.
There are a wide range of homelessness charities, all of which help different groups of people. Centrepoint and DePaul UK work to help young people who end up homeless. Crisis helps single homeless people, while Shelter, the largest of the UK’s charities, gives practical advice via its phone line, campaigns for measures to alleviate the housing crisis and trains people who work in the housing sector.
If you also feel passionately about the homelessness issue, but donations and/or volunteering is not an option for you, then joining campaigns like this might be the best way to help. Shelter’s push for more affordable homes is another leading effort to tackle the deeper roots of homelessness in the UK.