The Suella Braverman lifestyle test

Suella Braverman is the home secretary. She recently stated that people are homeless as a lifestyle choice. I decided that as she clearly has an insight into homelessness that a poor, thick idiot like me lacks, I needed to try and work out what she knew that I don't. I have festered on this for a few days. Maybe what we all need is a  little test of lifestyle choices to assist us in our understanding of what our home secretary said, let me give some background. 

What have myself, Samantha Cameron and George Michael all got in common? We all volunteered at The Passage, a homeless day centre near Victoria. Sadly, I didn't have the pleasure of working with George, although deputy head chef Noor told me he was wonderful, really useful in the kitchen. George had been raised in the family restaurant business and was a dab hand at peeling spuds. He also did it with a smile on his face. As for Sam Cam, she got on with it and made herself useful. I was offered money by a Daily Mail journalist to dish a bit of dirt on her, as were a few other volunteers. It seemed beyond the wit of such an individual to understand that anyone who vounteers to help homeless people is most unlikely to want a few grubby tenners to dish the dirt on someone trying to make some sort of difference. But I will give a small insight for free. Sam Cam did it because she recognised that homeless people are people. They are going through a very hard time and any vaguely decent person, regardless of their politics, deserves the help and compassion of people who are able to. 

I volunteered for a good number of years. I did a breakfast shift on a Thursday. I'd arrive at 7am, help serve breakfast and leave between 9.30 and 10am for my office. I got to know many of the clients rather well. I was embarrassed when they'd bring me Xmas presents (usually books etc from charity shops) and thank me for my kindness. On cold wet November days, like today. They'd come in looking tired and bedraggled. It would be quiet, as they ate breakfast and warmed up. The Passage provided food, showers and access to cheap clothing. Everything, apart from tea, coffee and left over sarnies provided by the likes of M&S and Pret had to be paid for,  items such as sausages were a nominal 5p. The cash charge was to emphasise that it was not a hand out. For those who genuinely had no money, a free breakfast voucher was given that gave a full cooked breakfast, after an assessment. For some, they could only manage a tea and bowl of porridge, due to the damage caused by alcohol on the stomach. Clients were not admitted if visibly high or drunk, as they could be a risk. Drugs and alcohol were banned from the premises, although clients were not searched. 

Occasionally, we'd have a medical emergency, sometimes we'd hear the most terrible stories of abuse. All clients were offered support, the breakfast was a bait to lure them in so help could be offered. I was delighted to, on occasion, bump into former clients who'd got their lives together, sometimes years after. They would recognise me and come up and offer thanks. Invariably, they looked ten years younger once they were off the street, sometimes they were hard to recognise. 

The clients fell into four main categories. There were ex squaddies, who civilian life simply didn't work for, after a life in the military. They would be organised, clean but many had PTSD, other mental health challenges and often drug and alcohol issues, brought on by the need to block out dark memories. Then there were people who's lives had collapsed. They'd been married, in jobs, but it had all gone wrong and they had descended into a life on the streets. Many of these, with a bit of help, got themselves together. We'd try and get them accomodation, jobs etc. This was where most of our 'successes' were. The third group were migrant workers, who had been working and a contract finished and they'd simply run out of money. Many of these were drinking, but were basically sound individuals, who simply had no cash. Westminster Council had a policy of giving them a ticket home if they wanted one. Often this was the solution. Some just found work and disappeared. And finally. There were people who had something terrible in their life. They had mental health issues, PTSD, drink and drug problems. What was heartbreaking was that some were lovely, but simply unable to cope with anything. We did sometimes succeed in reaching them, getting them into safe accomodation etc. But often they'd reappear months or years later and it would start again. I never met a single soul who told me "It's great, I love this, it's the life for me".

So anyway, I thought I'd set you a little test, based on the stories I was told. Tick your favourite option.

1. When you are asleep at night, what do you most like to be woken up by

a) Being sexually assaulted/raped

b) Being set on fire

c) Being urinated on

d)  Being physically assaulted

e) None of the above

2.  When it is raining, windy and cold, where would you most like to sleep?

a) In a doorway on the high st

b) In a subway

c) In a derelict property

d) In a police cell

e) None of the above

3. When you wake up in the morning and are hungry, with no money, what would you most like to do

a) Beg for the price of a cup of tea in a cafe, until you've raised enough

b) Go to a homeless day centre, register as a client and persuade them to give you a breakfast

c) Steal a sandwich and a drink from the supermarket

d) Persuade a generous street food vendor to take pity on you and give you bite to eat

e) None of the above

4. It's chucking it down with rain. You are hungry and its 8pm at night. You are in your tent, that is a cold but dry, but you have no money, what would you most like to do.

a) Sit in your tent, be hungry and try and stay warm

b) Try and persuade the person in the tent next to you to give you can of their extra strong cider

c) Go out in the rain, get wet and try and find some food

d) Go to Vauxhall Bridge and throw yourself in the Thames, because you've had enough

e) None of the above

5. You are awoken by the sound of a bunch of drunk/high guys in suits urinating on your tent. What would you do?

a) Open the tent and verbally remonstrate with them, and expose yourself to a beating,

b) Sit in your tent in the knowledge that they will go away when they are bored

c) Say a few prayers to St Jude patron St of hopeless cases, that some kind soul may see what they are doing and take pity on you and give you some cash

d) Pull out your knife, stab a few of them, in the knowledge that the police will come, arrest you and at least you might have a warm room, decent food and some help for a while, and the Judge is likely to be vaguely understanding of what you did.

e) None of the above.

If you answered anything other than E to all of these questions, then a life on the streets, in a tent is for you. If you answered E, then hopefully, you'll realise just what a cruel, heartless and ignorant home secretary we have. Every single answer above, is based on a conversation I had with someone at some point in my years at the passage. You'd say "How are you getting on?". They'd say "I had an awful night, you'll never believe what happened" and tell me a story. Answer 4d, clearly the person didn't jump. They were spotted by a kindly soul who bought them some food in a cafe. Answer 5D, I spoke to one client who did just this. I believe they were drunk or high at the time. The guys urinating worked for a top merchant bank. The bloke who was stabbed was not hurt badly thankfully. The magistrate took the view that the assault was justified and the poor sod was released back onto the street with a telling off. A couple of months in the cells, a bit of help getting off drink/drugs and some support was what he needed but sadly, all he got was a breakfast at The Passage. 

This morning Ms Braverman had a go at the head of the Metropolitan Police about not banning the Palestinian protests at the weekend. It is her and her governments job to make the laws that the Met enforce. After 13 years of Tory government, for many on our streets, it is the only choice. Her and her party have comprehensively failed, but all she can do is blame everyone else. The Police, the victims of her policies,  anyone but her own government. 

I had always said I'd never speak about Samantha Cameron and her work at the Passage, but I have to say, she was a decent person who was a Conservative, but had compassion and was decent. I tended to try and avoid her. I was not a fan or her husbands politics, but she was trying to make a difference and I felt she deserved to be left to get on with it. If I saw her I'd smile and say hello and get on with dishing up the sausages. I'd love to hear her take on what Braverman had to say. As for George Michael, I am pretty sure I'd know exactly what he'd say. 

And why did I stop? Well in 2016 I had treatment for Cancer and by the time I felt up to doing it again, I was no longer working in town. Volunteering at The Passage was one of the best things I did with my life. The people I met enriched my life, both volunteers and clients. They all made me a better person. I can think of a few people, who could benefit. It took me six months to really realise and get the trust of the clients. Once they decide you are 'alright' and build trust, you start to really understand the issues they had. One of the criticisms I had was that many organisations would send teams of vounteers for 'activity days'. You will learn nothing doing one shift.

Please note that I am speaking for no one but myself and I no longer volunteer (although I may well in future). 

Why MP Mark Field is out of order to criticise The Passage

You remember Mark Field? The MP who forcibly and violently ejected a female protester at a gala dinner a few weeks ago? well this morning, I was shocked to learn that he was even more unpleasant than I had realised. Why you may ask? Read on.

Here's a little quiz question for you. What have Samantha Cameron, George Michael and myself all got in common? The answer may surprise you. We've all done a volunteer shift at The Passage, a day centre for homeless people near Victoria station. I volunteered there for many years (I stopped when I had treatment for cancer and was no longer working at an office in Central London). I used to work on the breakfast shift, providing a hot, nutritious breakfast for London's homeless. I got to know many of the clients. It was heartbreaking to hear the stories. Some were ex forces people who simply couldn't cope with civilian life. Some were people who had become homeless following the breakdown of relationships and loss of family home. Some had mental health issues, some had alcohol and substance issues. The perception of many is that such places are simply 'soup kitchens' doling out free food. Nothing could be further from the truth. Not least because all but those in extreme hardship pay for their breakfast. Typically a hot breakfast would cost in the region of £1. Tea and coffee was free, as were food donations from shops such as M&S and Pret, but  a fry up of sausage, bacon, egg, beans and a hash brown had to be paid for.

The second misconception is that all that people did was come in for some food. There are showers, washing facilities and the opportunity to buy clothes at cheap prices. Personal hygeine is hard for people on the streets. It is also a key part of basic human dignity. It is very hard to get yourself a job, a flat or anything else if you smell and you are dishevelled. For many homeless people, this was as an important service as the breakfast.

But there is far more. The breakfast and the showers are simply a way to engage with the homeless and build trust. The most important part of the mission is to actually help people find their feet. The passage has medical services, offers training and help finding jobs. The charity also has a hostel which helps people get back into the regular life of having accommodation. Each client has different needs and this doesn't work for everyone, but this has been the pathway to reintegration with society for many. 

What has all of this got to do with MP Mark Field. He is the local MP for the passage and he has apparently been describing the Passage in most derogatory terms. He has described it “magnet for these undesirables to flood into Victoria”. Field said: “It is high time that The Passage … started to take a little more responsibility for its ‘clients’ ”. I assume (and I may be wrong) that Mr Field wasn't referring to myself, Sam Cameron and George Michael. He was referring to people in desperate need of help and support. In his comments, he mentions that many of the clients are from Eastern Europe. What he clearly is completely ignorant about, is the fact that they have not decamped from Poland purely to get a cheap fry up on a wet Wednesday morning and the delight of sleeping in a cardboard box in a doorway. The vast majority are migrant workers, attracted by relatively high salaries in the building industry. What happens time and again is that when the contract finishes, they are unable to secure work elsewhere. The building industry in London is in a Brexit fuelled recession. Without work and with high accommodation prices, many find themselves on the streets, penniless and without support. Often engagement with the Passage results in a new job or a ticket back to their country of origin. Often they have come for a specific job and are just unaware of how to find another one. Sometimes they have fallen into problems with drink and drugs, but engagement with the Passage is the first step in dealing with these problems. People who are clearly intoxicated or violent are simply not allowed in and bad behaviour will result in a temporary or permanent ban from the facility.
What really sticks in the craw about Mr Fields comments is that, until he decided to assault an unarmed woman, he was a minister in the Government. When he talks about 'taking responsibility for their clients',  Field and his friends in the cabinet have a primary responsibility for creating the London homeless crisis. In a perfect world, the Passage would simply not exist. It is a stain on our city and our country that it does. The day people with the wealth, power and influence start to care about dealing with the causes of homelessness in London, will be the day that the institutions such as the Passage will start to no longer be needed. Sadly for the rest of us, Mr Field simply doesn't care about those at the bottom of the tree. One ex soldier, who had lived rough for over a decade told me that if he'd realised just how little his country had cared for our servicemen when he left the forces, he'd never have been prepared to make the sacrifices that him and his comrades had made in service of the British government. He told me that he received no help preparing for the re-entry into civilian life with PTSD. He told me fascinating stories about his military service. I feel enraged to hear such a person described as an undesirable. He told me that despite living on the street, he had a very ordered life. He kept himself clean and apart from occasionally drinking a bit too much of an evening, on cheap lager from convenience stores, lead a reasonably healthy life. He spent his time drawing, sometimes selling them. He was a talented artist, but told me he couldn't cope with the pressures of paying bills and organising himself, as he'd joined the army at 17 and had no clue how to do such things.

If Mr Field got his wish and the Passage disappeared from his constituency, the people who use it would not disappear. They would simply lose access to the services that may help them turn their life around. The Passage has been open for several decades. Like music venues, I would advise people not to buy a flat near such a place if they don't like their new neighbours. As it is a day centre, there are not huge crowds late at night. Having opened up on numerous occasions, you are greeted by a cold, hungry and very quiet crowd when the doors open. People are invariably grateful and respectful. The constituent Mr Field agreed with  in his email talks about drug dealing. Whilst it is impossible to guarantee that this doesn't happen, no client would do this openly as this would immediately lead to exclusion. My assumption would be that those clients with drug issues would conduct such activities well away from the Passage. To gain entry, clients have to pass through entrance security and anyone with known issues are not permitted entry.  Like many things, I suspect that the likes of Mr Field have no real interest in the truth.

That is not to say that no client is ever difficult. I have encountered one or two, but they are a tiny minority. In fact other clients are often keen to ensure staff are aware of any problems which may disrupt the centre. A friendly whispered "keep an eye on him" will alert staff. In all the years I was working there, only once was I verbally abused in a threatening manner. The person was asked to leave by a paid member of staff and at least half a dozen of the other clients apologised for the behaviour. The Passage has strict protocols for dealing with such incidents. As the person clearly had mental health issues, I was more concerned that they got help than were excluded.

Am I surprised that a man like Mark Field should display such ignorance? No, am I surprise, sadly I am not. The more I learn about Mr Field, the more unpleasant he seems.

Londons "invisible" homeless

Did you know that there are people walking the streets of London with special powers? You probably watch Marvel superhero films and are stunned by the special effects, but in London there are hundreds of people walking the streets who don't need CGI to assist them. You are probably thinking "what's he been smoking this morning". Well I kid you not (and I've not been smoking anything thank you). The people I am talking about are Londons homeless. The powers I am talking about are the power to become invisible. I'd not noticed this (well I suppose if someone is invisble you wouldn't) before, but a tweet by Tory blogger and pundit Ian alerted me to this rather intertsing fact.

Iain Dale ‏@IainDale Aug 18

I love Edinburgh but can't fail to notice that in this SNP led nirvana there appear to be more homeless people on the streets than in London

I thought I'd check out the stats. Crisis reports that in Scotland there were approx 500 rough sleepers. In London there were 7,518.  So although we don't have a separate figure for Edingburgh, we can see that either Ian Dale has succumbed to the powers of invisibility of London homeless, which clearly Scottish rough sleepers lack or maybe he's just talking out of his armpit.

This is an issue that is close to my heart. I am writing this blog in my kitchen at 11.25 this morning, two hours ago I was finishing up my morning shift at The Passage, a charity which operates a day centre for Londons homeless. I am a kitchen volunteer. Please note that I am writing this blog in a private capacity and it in no way represents the views or policies of The Passage.

Let me tell you about my morning.

I got up at 5.40am. I had a quick shower, checked my emails had a cup of tea and got the 6.32 train from Mill Hill to St Pancras. At 6.57 I took a Victoria Line train to Victoria and arrived at The Passage at 7.15. First job is to set up for the morning breakfast service. When I arrived Alex, another volunteer was already starting to set up. We have to put out condiments, tea cups, make tea and coffee flasks up. We put out Jam, Marmalade and Marmite for the clients. As we were doing this Bella, Darren and Anne, other volunteers arrived. I had a quick chat with our chef Noor. Noor is from Kenya and there is always a good bit of banter with him. I won't embarrass him with the subect today, but lets say it was a good day for banter! Once we have set up, we wait for the breakfast to be cooked. The service starts at 8am (ish). Hot food is provided. A full English breakfast Sausage, Bacon at 15p per slice/portion, eggs, tomatoes, mushroomsnd porridge at 10p an serving. Tea/Coffee and the first two slices of toast are free. Clients with no monety get a voucher worth 60p. We also provide fruit (this morning I chopped up a pineapple and six melons). There were also ample free sandwiches donated by Pret.

At 8am there is a rush. This morning as it was cold and wet out, it was very busy for the first twenty minutes. I estimate that we served 40-50 breakfasts. I was on toast duties, Bella and Anne on serving and Darren on the till. Alex retreated to the kitchen to help Noor. People coming in to volunteer for the first time are often quite surprised by the clients.  I doubt that you'd notice many of them in the street or pick them out as homeless. The majority are male, quite a few are Eastern European, although sadly a fair few are British and Ex forces. Some will be chatty, some will be withdrawn. Some are animated and some are silent. Quite a few have health issues. Some this is obvious such as diabetics who avoid certain foods. Others will tell you about issues and some you just see chatting with the medical staff. I've been volunteering for three and a half years, today I think I saw only one client who was coming when I started. Many have moved on. Some have passed away. Generally the Eastern Europeans move home. Often they came looking for work or lost jobs. Often they can receive assistance to return home (although I am not knowledgable about this).On a cold wet day such as today, the mood is relatively subdued. Often people will spend the first half hour warming up.  The Passage provides all manner of support services for the homeless. The aim is to try and get people into accomodation and employment. For many this is acheived. Sadly though some of the clients cannot easily be helped into a less chaotic lifestyle. For some this is their choice and for others, there is no choice. They have too many issues to be able to manage a jop and the responsibilities of accomodation. Often this is a result of mental health issues. Often when you talk to hardcore rough sleepers you realise that they are highly intelligent, but our society is just not compassionate enough to give them the help they need to live a regular lifestyle. For many, they don't need handouts, they simply need assistance with the stress, strains and pressures that modern life entails. Over the years I've spoken to several ex service personell and they find it hard transitioning from an environment where they have no decisions to make, rent is deducted from paychecks and hot meals just arrive to one where everything has to be planned. I find it a scandal that the MOD takes no responsibility for helping such people. Strangely enough such people find rough sleeping  easier as it is more compatable with the self sufficiency they have learned. Sadly though, many suffer from the rigours of a life of hard drinking and other issues with substances.

Working at The Passage is hugely rewarding. I like to think that my fellow regular Thursday volunteers have become friends. We work well as a team and they are a very interesting lot. I guess that just to be there ou have to be decent and compassionate. I tweeted to Ian Dale that maybe he'd like to try a shift. Then maybe he'd start to see the real depth of the London homeless crisis. Sadly though, I suspect that what he actually saw was street beggars who presumably congregate in Edinbiurgh for the festival as there are rich pickings. There is a misconception that all rough sleepers beg. This is again wide of the mark. It is certainly a misconception that all beggars sleep rough. I personally do not give to people begging in the street. I suppose I take the moral high ground because I volunteer for a homeless charity, but if you have spare cash, give it to an organisation that can help them. If you give £5 to the passage, that will pay for ten breakfasts. If you give it to a street beggar, it may simply buy ten fags and a cheap can of lager. If you think ten fags and a can of lager is good value then fine, but ten people could have had a breakfast and received help to get into a better situation. There are many fine homeless charities. In Barnet we have Homeless Action Barnet, there is Crisis and Shelter and The Passage to name a few.

The sad thing is that Homeless People aren't really invisible, we just shut our eyes to them. Do you really want to be a member of a soceity that throws its fellow man to the wolves? I don't, thats why I haul my sorry arse out of bed every Thursday in the rain, when I'd rather turn over and get another hours shut eye. I've done many things in my life, but volunteering at The Passage is something which has taught me more than any other about life, our city and myself.

Christmas Carol Service at The Sacred Heart Church, Mill Hill

This evening we attended a fabulous Christmas Carol service at the Sacred Heart Catholic Church in Mill Hill. The service featured carols sung by both the senior and junior choirs and relevant Christmas bible stories. It is part of our families Christmas tradition to attend this service. The service started with the Church lights being dimmed and the choir arriving singing "Once in Royal David's City". The church is blessed with a large and very versatile adult choir as well as fantastic childrens choir. For me carols such as "O Little town of Bethlehem" and "Hark A Herald" are a big part of the season. It is interesting to note that over recent years the tradition of children doorknocking singing carols has declined, as "trick or treat" has grown.

The church was packed and everyone was welcomed into the social centre afterwards for a mince pie and a glass of wine or soft drink. For such a wretched night, it was good to see the church so busy. It is probably one of the most popular fixtures in the calendar. I for one find the childrens choir very moving when they sing.

Christmas is traditionally a time of good deeds and giving. It has become heavily commercialised over the last few decades. It is perhaps sometimes worth reminding ourselves that there are plenty of people around the world who won't have much to celebrate this Christmas, indeed some people who won't even be able to openly celebrate the festival. Christmas is traditionally a feast to celebrate new life and a joyful time in the darkest days of winter. The feast has built on the ancient tradition of marking the Solstice, when the days start getting longer again. Over the next week, I'll be having many social events with friends and family and a bit of time off. We all need some time to recharge batteries and to relax. This year, for the first time in many years, we are not going away for New Year. Today for our family was the start of the season. This blog has been focussing on Your Choice Barnet for the last two weeks. Today we heard that the economy is growing and the jobless rate has fallen spectacularly. My hope is that the gap between the rich and the poor does not continue to grow. Lets use the Christmas season to remind us that there are people who need our help. Much as I love a good carol service, the Church means nothing if it doesn't remind us that we have responsibilities at this time of year. Whatever your faith or tradition, please remember that there are people sleeping rough in our very own city as I write this blog. I will be getting up at 6am to help feed them at The Passage, a homeless day centre in Victoria.

Ultimately these problems will get fixed when we all start fighting a bit harder for Social Justice. That to me is the real message of Christmas.

Xmas Special : What is the point of organised religion?

I'm an engineer. I'm pretty practical about how I deal with problems and pretty scientific in how I analyse things. Regular readers will know that I'm a Roman Catholic (albeit a rather bad one at times). I often get emails asking me all manner of questions about what I believe and why I believe what I do. I am of the school of thought that faith is a private matter in many ways and as we are all on different journeys, I have no issue at all with whatever other people think. I don't believe any or no belief system should be forced down peoples throats and I respect all people who believe in peace, honesty decency, brotherhood (and sisterhood) of the human race. So I'm not going to give anyone a lecture today. I am just going to answer the question I posed in the title, for the simple reason that I got a very straightforward and practical answer to the question today.

One of our parish charities is "The Passage" - http://www.passage.org.uk/ - a charity that helps homeless people in London. If I hadn't have gone to mass this morning, I wouldn't have picked up the newsletter which told me that they need people to help in the kitchens with breakfast and lunch. I wouldn't have found out that I could email emma.long@passage.org.uk and offered my services to help. And if I didn't do that, someone who has had worse luck than me, might not have got a breakfast served this week as we run up to Christmas.

So if you can spare a few hours to help 7.30 - 10 am or 11.30 - 2pm In the next few weeks with Breakfast or Lunch, give it a thought. The number for the passage is 020 7592 1863 ext 231 for Emma who is the volunteering co-ordinator.

London has a homelessness crisis. This time of year, it is harsh and cold. My son's football was called off this morning, because of ice. Imagine what it is like to have to sleep in that.

Whether or not like me you attend some sort of religious service or not, we can all help. I'm glad I get the chance to get reminded that there are people in our city who need a bit of help. That is reason enough for me.

Guest Blog : Spotlight on Homelessness in London by Hildagarde

Rules are made to be broken. Generally guest blogs get no alteration / editorial comment on the Barnet Eye, but I am going to make an exception this time. The reason? Because the issue is too important. This blog is written by a good friend of the Barnet Eye who wishes to remain anonymous. I am also posting a link to a charity link for another good friend of the Barnet Eye, one who is also getting up of his backside to do someting for the homeless. This friend is the Dave Hill from the Guardian, who features the Barnet Eye as a Top London Blog. Maybe you are reading this blog as a result of the Guardian link. Anyway please read this blog and if it inspires you, sponsor Dave in his marathon run, proceeds of which are being donated to Shelter.

Here's Dave's Link

http://uk.virginmoneygiving.com/fundraiser-web/fundraiser/showFundraiserProfilePage.action?userUrl=DaveHillGuardian

Many people in Mill Hill also support The Passage, a homeless charity in Victoria. This is one of the Parish Charities for the Sacred heart Church in Mill Hill Broadway. It is dedicated to helping the hard core homeless in London.

http://www.passage.org.uk/


And here's Hildagardes guest blog, unaltered and unedited (not her real name). This explains what the problems are like and why councils are failing vulnerable people

Guest blog by Hildagarde,

Problems facing homeless people             

 This Christmas as in previous years I have volunteered at a homeless shelter for women. There are a number of things wrong with this, firstly there are apparently no homeless women in London – so if that is the case how is it that every year we are full. This is in part down to the way that the count for the homeless is done. When they count, if there are less than 10 homeless people in any particular area, that figure does not have to be recorded. Only if the number of homeless exceeds 10 in an area is that number recorded. Also when they do the count they stick to main roads and areas – homeless women are vulnerable and therefore tend to avoid busy areas and stay in the shadows – the areas that the authorities do not or will not go – so it is therefore not surprising that the statistics relating to the homeless are wrong and the there are not enough services being offered for them.

So, regardless of the lack of services and the chronic under recording of homeless numbers, when they finally get to see a housing officer they are treated badly. This year one of the women staying at the hostel where I worked is in a wheelchair as she was diagnosed with having MS last August. She went to the housing people in Essex – they said they would provide her with emergency temporary housing. When she arrived at the designated address, the room was on the first floor, the bathroom and toilet were on the second floor – there was no lift, chair lift or any electronic means of travel between the floors in the building. After trying to live there for a number of days she went back to the housing office and explained that this was not suitable accommodation for someone in a wheelchair and that she couldn’t go back. The council then turned round and said that as she had deliberately made herself homeless they were not required to re-house her. Surely a little bit of joined up thinking wouldn’t have gone amiss here. Anyone could see that this lady was in a wheelchair. Even if there were no ground floor rooms available at the time, could an able bodied person not be moved to facilitate a disabled woman who was homeless? The council appear to do the bare minimum to abide by the law!!

On another occasion a woman and her 77 year old mother, again homeless and staying in the shelter where I was working, were subject to appalling treatment. The housing officer of the charity had arranged an appointment for them to see the housing officer in Bedfordshire. They were given train tickets to Bedford and duly attended at the appointed time only to be told by the housing officer that she didn’t think they were eligible to be housed. The housing advice person from the charity was contacted – she in turn then explained to the housing officer in Bedford that they were entitled. Reluctantly they were given emergency accommodation for one night and told to return the next day when the Bedford housing officer would see if she thought they were eligible. The next day they returned – a few more calls were made and they were finally given a place to stay. These are homeless people, most of whom live hand to mouth, and they were given an unfurnished one bedroom flat which was damp with the wall paper peeling off the wall – but they were just glad to have a roof over their heads. The charity I worked for did arrange a loan for them for some furniture as they had none but can you really say that giving someone a flat with no furniture and expecting a 77 year old woman to sleep on the floor is what this society considers to be fair treatment of the elderly? They were not told how long they would have the flat for so were unable to make any firm plans to get their lives back on track. There is however a happy ending to this story. Thanks to friends they have they have now moved to a nicer part of town, paying less rent than the council wanted them to pay and the daughter has secured a permanent job. But none of this was as a result of help they have received through the local authority– this is through private individuals helping and stepping in where the council failed. To a large extent the charity was the prime mover in giving this lady  back enough self confidence to get a job and in her own words treated her like a normal human being!!

But regardless of this happy ending – how can other people expect to get their life back together if they are not given any indication of how long they would might hold on to the accommodation? What happens when the temporary period expires? There is too much uncertainty around getting people off the street and giving them the time and space to get their lives back together. How can anyone plan for the future if they don’t know how long they will be living in a place?

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The Barnet Eye is always pleased to publish guest blogs. These can be submitted using my email address in the sidebar. They are published unedited/unaltered and without comment (usually).