Complete A Rollathon For Rough Sleepers In Bath

Week 7


On the 16^th I am completing a rollathon (with my lovely colleagues) to raise money for personal support for our rough sleepers here in Bath.

Rough sleeping in the UK is on the rise. Each autumn a count is completed to give an idea of the number of rough sleepers in each local authority area. The most recent count concluded that on any given night there are at least 2,414 people sleeping rough in the UK. This figure is 5% more than that in 2012, 11% more than that in 2011 and 37% more than that in 2010. Five local authority areas reported a large increase in rough sleeping - the South West, South East, East England, East Midlands and the North West (see Homeless Link).

Rough sleeping is the visible end of homelessness but there are many more people who are homeless but stay with friends and families; these people are called the 'hidden homeless' or in my line of work they are described as 'sofa surfers'. The key point is that they are still homeless and at risk and have an instable accommodation situation. There are also those who have a duty owed to them by the local authority and are currently being housed in a B&B or in temporary accommodation while more permanent accommodation can be sourced.

There are many reasons why people are homeless. In this line of work we encounter many rough sleepers who we describe as 'entrenched'. They have been homeless for many years and often it will take time to help them move forward. There are a multitude of reasons why people end up entrenched but some of the known reasons are: an unstable childhood leading to adulthood issues, mental health problems, substance misuse issues, an offending history, relationship breakdowns, domestic abuse, loss and grief, trauma, learning disabilities, debt; often it could be more than one thing such as an unstable/poor childhood leading to substance misuse and offending which then leads on to 'entrenched' homelessness.

Recently however, there are other factors that are contributing to the rise of homelessness and now we are seeing younger people move through our services. The Government has brought in new legislation that is most likely having an effect on homelessness. The rising cost of living and ever increasing rents and mortgages can put a strain on individuals and families with the likelihood of them accruing debt. This can easily become a crisis when there is a loss of employment.The charity Shelter often campaign on this point and state we need more affordable homes and they state that often families are one paycheck away from homelessness. Apparently, in the UK a family loses their home every 11 minutes. They also want to see that if people lose their job, then they should not lose their home too.  In some areas it is difficult to find a flat or a house at a price that is within what the local authority will pay for housing benefit and to find a landlord that will accept housing benefit. Also, private renting is unstable at times and a landlord can ask tenants to leave if they want to.

The bedroom tax has put enormous pressure on people around the UK, especially in areas where it is difficult to move to a smaller property. The Government provided a pot of money for the transition but if people cannot get a smaller property to move to they will end up in rent arrears and facing eviction. In some local authority areas this is worse than others. 

Another part of legislation that could be having an impact is the new rules on sanctions being applied to benefits; this policy has definitely got tougher. The idea of a sanction is to encourage people to do what is required of them to find work but it does not take into consideration the challenges people with complex needs face on a day to day basis and there is no flexibility in the system. A one model for all does not work with vulnerable and complex need clients. According to Government figures the levels of sanctions been applied to JSA rose steadily during 2013 and sanctions on ESA (sickness benefit) have increased too; apparently in the latter part of 2013 ESA sanctions were 188% higher than the same period in 2012.

The outreach team I work in is managed by Julian House and DHI (Developing Health and Independence) in a joint partnership. We spend a huge amount of time engaging rough sleepers and our role is to help them make changes and move forward.  We are doing the rollathon to raise funds to engage those that are hard to reach and potentially engage them in something that will inspire or motivate them to start making steps forward in moving off the streets. A key part of this will be raising aspirations and building confidence. The fund will allow us to 'personalise' our support and will inevitably assist us in the 'relationship building' process that is all important in this type of work. Once trust has been developed between the worker and the client the hard work can begin. This process could involve many chats and coffees away from the services that the client is not keen to engage in. The fund could help us take someone on a trip somewhere that will interest them or take part in an activity that will help to reintegrate them if they have been socially excluded from society for some time.

For those that are starting to make changes we hope the fund help in our support planning to incorporate things that will make a difference and help to maintain a life away from the street. This could mean getting clients a college course, art materials, a musical instrument or lessons, training, sports equipment, an all-important passport, a mobile phone, a loan for equipment to set up a small business such as decorating or cooking and so much more, the list could be endless. Basically, whatever the client needs and has an interest in and will help assist them to progress towards their goals.