Sean's Journey

Now that the Winter has properly kicked in - Sean battles the elements every night to survive the streets and the cold. He has picked up work here and there as an artists, he has persisted in trying to secure permanent work as a tattooist, but the time lapse has dictated that he has now needed to sell some of his equipment just to eat.

I have witnessed his health demise to the point where he currently suffers chronic pain from an aggravated hernia - due to operate, but impossible without a fixed abode. He also suffers epilepsy which becomes exasperated by the cold and lack of sleep. If that wasn't enough, Sean battles to maintain a positive spirit without mood altering medications or illegal drugs.

I have certainly learned a lot from Sean's journey, which has led him firmly to the church step of Bournemouth's St Stephen's step - a stones throw from the community advice centre that denied him any assistance in this mid-Winter. He disclosed that his birth Mother lived in Cardiff and that was enough said; Though he was raised in care and has only spent a total of 5 of his adult years with her when he first left care, she was deemed as his family tie and bound him to seek assistance there - well certainly not here in Bournemouth anyway.

When he explained that he could not return to Cardiff due to terms of his bail where he had a restraining order put on him - banning him from his incestuous brother, not an eyebrow or eye was raised. For the purpose of receiving assistance in Bournemouth - it was irrelevant information. The heroic act of leaving his then fiance, the Mother of his twin boys, in their domestic home, after he caught her in the act with this same brother - has cost Sean dearly ever since. A fight ensued and his brother reported the bodily harm inflicted by Sean - and it was Sean who got banished.

Now he roams the streets of Bournemouth in poor health and without any family or State support. His case is in no way straight forward - and certainly doesn't bare any correlation to the 'Kindness Kills' scenario where the homeless are brandished as problematic and in need of shunning by local do-gooders.

Sean survives on the kindness of his locals - for without that, there is nothing. He uses Street Lights Soup Kitchen's every Saturday - the one that the council recently attempted to close down. He uses the charity of local businesses to donate art supplies and gets some access to Boscombe Art studios. I have purchased him a 24hr local gym membership - just so he can get in out of the cold and get access to washing facilities 24/7 and also supply food parcels and a hot flask. One of St Stephen's church members has spotted him and kindly donated waterproofs. 

Sean grazes on the minimal services offered ad-hoc to the transient homeless - The Pink House - is like a day hostel facility; but Sean must report there daily every morning in order to receive washing facilities and packaged army supply type nutrition parcels. A grim life for a British Citizen.

And what of the future? The sum total of Sean's homeless assessment meeting was that unless he finds local employment and can prove a permanent regular employment contract (not zero hours) he has no hope of being assigned 'local tie' status and will therefore receive no assistance in getting off the streets. 

On conclusion - the 'good' note was that - should the climate drop below zero, for 3 consecutive nights, they will open some random beds in one of the random day shelters. Hopefully the local street homeless wont freeze trying to find it!

Stuart - Homeless for 2 years

Stuart became homeless when he fell in to rent arrears. He has now been on the streets for over 2 years. Like many others, he is on countless waiting lists and continues to wait. He camps in a tent in Horseshoe common and waits. By day he sells/displays his hand made dolls for a living.

Though when I met him at around noon he had been 'trading'all morning and hadn't raised as much as £1 yet - I guess the locals were following the government directives like good citizens and, instead of giving, thought the better of it. But unfortunately it is what many, like Stuart, rely on. After all two years of waiting for services - needs to be funded somehow.

Interestingly enough as I stood speaking with Stuart - about three men passed by as he was pitched at the church entrance - some on their way in, some on their way out.....but none stopped to contribute. If the poor can't receive charity at the doors of church, it's a dim outlook for them in general.

When I asked Stuart what he thought about recent Council initiatives towards the homeless he agreed that the consistent message seems one to drive them out. He used to be able to use the night shelter, but this Winter offers no such respite.

Support us on foot or on-line by signing this growing petition - we aim to submit it mid-October, in time for this Winter's Shelter....You can sign my petition by clicking here.

Zero Degrees of Separation

The common theme throughout all of my interviews with the homeless is how we can all relate to the life-crisis that took their lives down to street level......bringing a whole new meaning to curb crawling. I have now developed the habit of focusing on what is on my peripheral vision - the marginal are to be found on the curb margins. You wont find them front and centre bussling in and out of shops, banks and local restaurants - they are more likely to be below eye line on the curbs of these lofty establishments - and just like their positions, their stories will be equally humbling and down-to-earth!

I entitled this blog - 'Zero Degrees of Separation', because there is really nothing separating us from the homeless - other than our pride, judgement, imagination and trappings.

I'll give you my own 'Summer Story' as illustration - and hopefully you'll recognise the slim balance that may have so far prevented the rest of us joining this stigmatised population. I found it necessary to temp this Summer because I was planning to commence an MSc programme at The London School of Economics this Autumn - I just needed a filler in order to pay the bills - how often have we all experienced that!

I took my optimistic self together with impressive C.V. detailing my equally impressive professional employment history, along to Bond Williams Recruitment Agency. "Yes" they said, "we can surely place you - we have so many positions to fill this Summer, especially for such a one as you - who presents so favourably." By and by, I received that all fated phone call "We have a position paying an excellent rate with a prestigious law firm in Blanford; the only requirement is that you have a car to get you there - because it is of course in the next town". Silly me went out a purchased all I could afford at the time for £500. Within a week of the job I witnessed the firm's short-listing conversation for a permanent legal secretary. I thought nothing of it - because I was assured this was a long-term contract to last until October. Indeed it met all of my requirements of a 'Summer-job-filler' and hence I committed to it in the first place. Of course by now you've guessed - I received a late Sunday afternoon call from Bond Williams telling me that my 'fill in' services were no longer required! Under much protestation I was assured that "it was nothing personal - rather the nature of temporary employment".

This all happened mid-July and toppled my finances for the rest of the Summer. I have recovered through the kindness and support of friends and family. I refused to claim benefit and it was hence a very rough ride. It could have so easily resulted in homelessness - and I am sure we can all tell similar stories - of ourselves, our friends, our siblings, parents or children. The World is still on the slopes of a major recession and the casualties are indiscriminate.

Apart from financial crisis - many of the homeless that I have spoken to testify of emotional crisis like bereavement or significant relationship break-ups. We have all experience them, to various degrees, as well. Some of us come through - some of us fall prey; it's a fact of life. Are you willing to wave off your teenage son knowing that the streets could crop up as a very real option for him? Does it bother you that it suits the government to stigmatise and marginalise the homeless like 'foreign bodies' to be eradicated? It bothers me and many other paying residents of Britain. Housing our homeless should be a matter of National Pride; We should be proud to claim that - as British - homelessness is classed as a Human Rights issue - the right to safe, adequate shelter as a basic human need.

Zero degree of separation should therefore translate to zero degree of tolerance for any forms of demonisation and marginalisation of the homeless among us.

Lets provide a basic level of Winter shelter: You can sign my petition by clicking here.

The Petition is Growing!

Find one of our scouts in Bournemouth to sign our 'Homeless Night Shelter' petition and be one of over 100 local supporters so far. Sean (right) is known as a sincere and genuinely homeless, professionally qualified counsellor, who has taken this issue to heart - because if it could happen to him - it could happen to any of us.

Support us on foot or on-line by signing this growing petition - we aim to submit it mid-October, in time for this Winter's Shelter....You can sign my petition by clicking here.

Harassing Homeless Sympathisers

God forbid you care enough to gradually build up a soup kitchen facility for your local homeless so that it reaches numbers ranging from 50 - 100. That kind of do-good gesture will bring you the kind of negative attention that can only be interpreted as harassment.

Anastasia, only 23, was moved to establish a local soup kitchen to feed her fellow residents (albeit homeless) in March of this year, roughly around the same period of time I was beginning to consider this blog.

Bournemouth Council - despite professing all over the media to truly care for the homeless and funnelling funding in order to do so - frowned upon Anastasia's soup kitchen efforts. It seems the inconvenience was more pressing an issue than taking care of actual homeless needs. This in the face of campaigns focused on barring any ad-hoc giving to this same homeless and hungry population.

What I want to ask is why are people constantly being ranked in importance so that the homeless continually rest at the bottom of the food chain - literally!

I would argue that a little gathering of people receiving vital nourishment out-weighs the minimal inconvenience of obstructing the 'public conveniences'. Furthermore, there have been no public disorder issues to date - the soup kitchen has been running peacefully and successfully since it's inception in March.

If law enforcement were so hung up on public disorder threats - I suggest they focus on the many local nightclubs where the real nuisance tourists and paying residents act out on a daily basis.

Bournemouth Council's Rationale

People become homeless for lots of different reasons.  These people are extremely vulnerable and often hidden from our view so it is very important that they can get help as soon as possible. In Bournemouth there is charity called CRi that work with homeless people every day, they do their best to encourage people to come inside and get the support they need. All the money raised by this campaign goes straight to CRi so that they can improve Bournemouth’s day centres (Bournemouth Council):

FAQs 
About Homelessness and the Begging Awareness Campaign
Q: Why is this campaign necessary?
A:  Not many people know that active street begging is against the law and that many beggars are not actually homeless. We want to promote a better way of helping genuine homeless people by encouraging members of the public to donate directly to a registered charity by texting KIND64 £1 to 70070 instead of giving cash to people begging. 
Q: Where exactly will the money that is raised go?
A: Donations go to ‘CRi’ a charity that works directly with homeless people in Bournemouth.  They provide a day centre service where people who have been sleeping rough can get help and support with things like medical attention and housing advice.
Q:  Does all of the money go to charity or does the council take a percentage?A: 100% of text donations and 95% of online donations go to CRi.  Because we have used Just Giving a small percentage of the online donations are taken by Vodafone for administration. None of the money goes to Bournemouth Borough Council.
Q: Who is behind this initiative?
A: We (Bournemouth Borough Council) are working with Dorset Police, CRi and many other voluntary organisations to launch and operate this campaign.
Q: But surely there’s no harm in giving a few pence?
A: Begging is a criminal offence, it is also really dangerous too – the average life span for someone who is sleeping rough is only 47 years (CRISIS). Giving a few pence helps people to stay ‘on the streets’ and does not encourage them to take the help that is offered by the outreach workers from CRi
Q: Surely those who beg do so because they have no means to pay for food or a train ticket home?
A: There is no need to beg for food in Bournemouth.  There are lots of places where people can get a meal or a food parcel if they are willing to come inside. CRi also run a service that helps homeless people from other areas to return home by arranging their journey and paying travel costs.
Q: Other campaigns have emphasised the link between begging and drugs.  Why is there no mention of drugs in this campaign?
A:  Because we do not want to demonise the people we are trying to help.  People become homeless, or beg for a number of reasons – it would not be fair if we assumed that all of them were the same and had the same needs and problems.
Q: How long will the campaign run?
A: Until the end of 2014 and hopefully beyond.
Q: How will you know if the campaign has been a success?
A: We will be able to see whether the number of people begging in Bournemouth during and after the campaign is less than the number of people begging before the campaign launched.The donations generated by the JustGiving text campaign will also be a great indicator of just how successful our posters and media have been in changing the way Bournemouth residents help homeless people.
THE PROBLEM - Our Feedback
Bournemouth's homeless testify to the lack of any real assistance for them on a daily basis - this campaign translates in reality to Bournemouth Council officials harassing and continually rounding up the visibly homeless - preventing them from loitering or 'begging'

Many of the homeless in Bournemouth don't actively beg - they prefer instead to trade and are very clear on that and commit to it with pride; they sell the Big Issue or they trade street goods or arts. 

One of the problems that the Article fails to recognise is that Bournemouth Council apply a clever strategy to disenfranchise many homeless rough sleepers - they categorise them as having 'no local ties' rendering them invisible to homeless services or progressive assistance - they are seen as a nuisance and asked to move on, or to 'return'. However, many rough sleepers are former foster care children who's roots have never been secure. I have seen generations of care casualties homeless in Bournemouth - and siblings on the streets such as Hayden and Ron and Jo and Dean. Sean is also a third generation foster child, who's sister is homeless in London, and Stuart's child hood was experienced as a carer to his disabled Mother.

The contributing factors are not always tidy - but sleeping rough should qualify you for a basic level of care. In Hayden's words 'I can and often do shower on the beach, what use is that?' He would like to see deposit schemes offered to all homeless - without the stipulation of local ties. We often brag about Britain being a free Country - yet the homeless are denied their freedom's to choose where to settle. For the likes of Hayden and his brother - there is nowhere in the UK that they can call home or receive any basic care. Every town should offer the facility to get off the streets at night - it is not what the homeless desire in the long run, but it provides a basic human need of shelter in the interim period, before they set their lives back on track.

How many street deaths are we to hear of before we recognise that rough street sleeping is unacceptably dangerous to the point of not being an acceptable option - local ties or no local ties - we can and must do better.

I say leave the public to decide where to give their money on an individual case by case and human level. Also don't offer up the CRi as a one fits all solution when it fails to provide universal overnight shelter to all rough sleepers who find themselves locally destitute. If your measure of success is to see the homeless disappear - you have a very poor standard of care and provision 

Bournemouth's Kindness Kills Campaign Explained

Helping rough sleepers in Bournemouth

In August the Council launched a Begging Awareness campaign. Like many large towns and cities Bournemouth has rough sleepers, and to give them the best help and support possible the campaign aims to show that in many cases people who beg on the streets are not in fact homeless, and that giving money directly to them isn’t the best way to help homeless people.

 This campaign invites members of the public to make donations by texting ‘KIND64 £1’ to 70070 instead of giving money to people directly.  All of the money raised will go to CRi, a social care charity that works locally to help homeless people back into accommodation.

The campaign depends upon members of the community getting involved in fundraising by creating their own sponsored events.  This is another important way the community can make a positive difference to the lives of homeless people.

 Our aim is to raise enough money to install a shower at Bournemouth’s rough sleepers’ day centre. This is the campaign's first target. The installation of the shower will help rough sleepers maintain their self esteem as well as hygiene. 

For more information about the campaign, visit the Begging AwarenessJustGiving page, or contact Jess Bird, Strategic Housing Support Officer.

Posted by Geraldine Cetin on behalf of Adam Piotrowski, Strategic Housing Support Officer

Got some feedback about this article? Please post your feedback here

Adam's Views on Homelessness

You can sign the petition by clicking here.

If you look closely you'll just peak the 'Kindness Kills' Campaign poster on the shop window behind Adam. Adam has chosen to sell the free local magazine offered to him by a kind publisher with a heart to help the local homeless - tomorrow I will post details of the "NerveMeter" magazine and it's philosophy

Adam became homeless when he was 16 and walked out of his family home. Ever since he has been facing the rough end of sleeping rough. He has had experience of 4 facilities within the Bournemouth homeless sheltering programs - which he briefly shared with me.

He has stayed in Fortuna, Robert Gabriel, Harbour and most recently the YMCA. His experiences have been varied - some of them have been "too intrusive" wanting to put tabs on his movements and gather copious amounts of information daily. Some have been the opposite "hardly engaging" at all. Like so many the YMCA have recently turned him away on moral principle.

Whatever the journey, Adam finds himself amongst the homeless at a young age - without strong prospects of a permanent solution - waiting lists are too long and too abstract for present needs.

I asked Adam what provisions are most needed by the homeless on a daily support basis - since I am considering fund-raising for the Winter if attempts to re-open the shelter fail. He listed:

Sleeping Bags/bedding

Tents

Clothing - socks & pants

Toiletries

Small Drinks Flasks

And a rare someone prepared to offer a little free hot or cold water top up.

He showed me a nearly empty drinking water bottle in need of re-filling and testified that it's incredibly hard to find a facility willing to allow him to replenish with fresh water.

We need to re-open the homeless night shelter for £3 per night

You can sign my petition by clicking here.

Homeless Petition to Re-Open the St Pauls Night Shelter.

You can sign my petition by clicking here.

Call To Action!

I've started the petition "Bournemouth Council: Open back the St Paul's Lane £3 per night Homeless Shelter" and need your help to get it off the ground.
Will you take 30 seconds to sign it right now? 

Here's why it's important:

As Winter is approaching the local Bournemouth homeless have no options for getting off the streets for the night. Furthermore Bournemouth Council have invested in a 'Kindness Kills' Campaign warning local residents not to give money directly to the homeless - claiming that it can encourage their addictions and destitute lifestyle. Instead the Council advises people to give via a text number connected to the Council. If the Council are now directly collecting public funds to help the homeless as they claim, they have every reason to act responsibly and open back up the homeless shelter that they have recently closed. They have provided no alternative emergency shelter options. Many of the street homeless are also denied any benefits or inclusion on housing lists because they are being deemed to have 'no local connection'. If for example you have been moved around as a foster child and don't have relatives, or a job etc. in the area, you are permanently denied assistance. Not all homeless substance abuse, all homeless need shelter as human beings.

You can sign my petition by clicking here.

Thanks!
Bourne Homeless

Hatred Kills, Kindness Heals

Let's not get it twisted - your kindness is always appropriate. The last thing that thugs need is an excuse to clear-up our streets of the homeless in the form of a "government issued theme tune and mantra"

Many of the homeless that I interview report malicious attacks on them by random haters in Bournemouth. Now the government has the audacity to launch a campaign entitled 'Kindness Kills'; is that at all wise in this current climate? Not only have we just experienced one of Britain's worst recessions, but there has also been an accompanying increase in teen depression and suicide. Are we really saying that we are to withhold kindness from the victims of either?

And what of your high hopes for your own family members coming up? Can you imagine a day when they go through a slump that ends up to be fatal, because we fail to monitor our streets for the homeless? "David Atkinson’s father, Neil,said the family were devastated.The father-of-four said his son, a former pupil at Winton Boys’ School, had a breakdown last month but seemed to be turning things around" (Bourenmouth Echo 27.8.14) .All it takes is a spell of vagrancy for one of our promising youths to be snuffed out. Hatred kills, Kindness heals!

We can't say yet whether murder or suicide is involved in today's Echo reported death's of the 2 young homeless men (aged 27 and 21); What we can recognise though is:

• The marginalisation of the destitute 
• The current climate of promoting the unkind, 
• Our local government putting good money behind anti-kindness campaigns to promote unkind agendas

Bournemouth Echo - 2 Homeless people found Dead within a week 27.8.14

"TWO young men were found dead in separate Bournemouth car parks within the space of a week.

The body of 21-year-old David Atkinson was discovered at a private car park behind the Dalkeith Arcade on the morning of Thursday, August 21.

It has since emerged a homeless man, believed to be a 27-year-old called Patrick, was found dead at the Winter Gardens car park the previous week.

Neither of the deaths are being treated as suspicious.

Describing his son as a kind and conscientious young man, David Atkinson’s father, Neil,said the family were devastated.The father-of-four said his son, a former pupil at Winton Boys’ School, had a breakdown last month but seemed to be turning things around.

“Everything was very positive,” he said.

“He was on new medication and was seeing a new doctor. He had spoken to his girlfriend that evening and they were planning to see each other the next day.

“He was turning it around.”

The youngster, who had studied car mechanics at Bournemouth and Poole College, was last seen leaving the YMCA hostel where he was staying at around 3am on Friday morning.

He would often go and watch the sun rise from the car park at Richmond Gardenswhen he couldn’t sleep, Mr Atkinson said.

Less than a week before David’s death, the body of a homeless man was discovered by a member of the public at the Winter Gardens car park at around 11am on Friday, August 15.“We think he may have slipped but we just don’t know what happened,” he said.

Anastasia Wells, founder of the homeless support group Street Light Bournemouth, said Patrick, affectionately known as Paddy, was a friendly man who was a familiar face at the group’s soup kitchen.

The 23-year-old said: “I remember the first time I met him I was feeding the homeless and he came up to us and said ‘And what’s this here then?’ “He did make us laugh. He was usually very quiet and liked to keep himself to himself,” she added.

A spokesman from the Coroner’s Office said efforts are being made to trace the man’s next of kin.

Post mortems are yet to be carried out on both bodies." Bournemouth Echo 27.8.14

A sinister turn that we need to head off.

https://www.google.co.uk/search?q=21+yr+old+david+atkinson+died+bournemouth&rlz=1C1OPRA_enGB571GB575&espv=2&source=lnms&tbm=isch&sa=X&ei=aWT9U8XPBcPgavnagJAH&ved=0CAcQ_AUoAg&biw=1366&bih=624#q=dead+homeless&tbm=isch&imgdii=_