From the Comfort of Our Own Homes

We tend to think of homeless people as ragged types sleeping on a bench in the park. And if we don’t see them around us, we may even believe homelessness isn’t a very real problem.
Unfortunately, that’s far from the truth. The number of homeless people, including families and children, is consistently on the rise in the UK.

This month, it’s been a year since Braverman made her infamous ‘lifestyle’ comment and with temperatures dropping rapidly, our thoughts go out to those living on the streets. Therefore, we decided not to write about a green theme as such, but about homelessness.

Trying to live consciously and kindly, it is not just cute critters that need our help, not even the environment, or planet as such, it is also people all around us who may need some help from time to time.

Where do homeless people come from?

Many people become homeless by a streak of bad luck. The basic problem is they cannot afford suitable housing, but this may happen quite suddenly when losing a job, breaking up a relationship (fleeing from a violent one), or the landlord unexpectedly deciding to sell their place. The continued cost of living crisis increases the problems, making household bills unaffordable even for full time employed youngsters in the cities.

Young people coming out of care, people coming out of prison and even veterans returning after overseas placement may struggle to find a house.

Mental health problems and substance abuse may also increase chances of ending up homeless. These are problems that in themselves are often also caused or increased by the homeless life, leading to an ever-worse situation if nobody steps in to break the circle.

Why don’t I ever see them?

Only few of the homeless end up as rough sleepers; the ones you may see on the street. And they typically stick to the larger cities.
Many are more hidden, moving around temporary places, shelters, friends’ sofas and such. They are homeless, though. They do not have that safe place we call home and this obviously impacts their life and mental health.

Local authorities have an obligation to help, but they too are faced with a shortage of affordable housing and are not quite capable of sufficiently helping the increasing number of applicants.

People who for various reasons are not capable of asking for help, or who receive insufficient support, may end up on the streets.

What can I do about it?

The first thing to do, is just to be kind. Research from homeless charity Crisis shows ‘[p]eople sleeping on the street are almost 17 times more likely to have been victims of violence and 15 times more likely to have suffered verbal abuse in the past year compared to the general public.’ These are people in a poor situation already, they are not where they would want to be in life. To kick them -quite literally- while they’re down, is about as low as one can get.

You may not be able to offer much help in terms of housing, you may not even have any money to spare yourself, but you can always treat homeless people with the respect that tells them they are still people and not just homeless.

And you may be able to help in some other way. You can easily find a charity operating near you online and have a look at their site. They may be looking for donations, not just of money, but also goods, which you actually may have to spare. Or you may have time to offer, helping out as a volunteer.

You may not be able to solve the problem of poverty, but you may be able to help someone get their life back on track sufficiently to move back to living an independent, meaningful and fulfilling life.

Alabaré

We are happy to have found Alabaré who we think do amazing work. Originally based in Salisbury, they offer support ‘to people who are vulnerable or marginalised […] by providing safe accommodation and helping them gain the skills and confidence they need to embrace the life they deserve’ in a number of locations throughout the South West. This includes, but is not limited to, homeless people.

Humbled by their ceaseless efforts, we have wondered what little we may add to help. We found we could donate shampoo bars. It may not at all be the first thing one needs. But it may just make that little difference in feeling human, taking proper care of oneself.

Many charities also run shops to raise money, so your donations don’t always have to be useful for the homeless themselves, as long as they can be sold.

As always, we would advise to consider what you really need. This time not just to avoid over-consumption, but also because some of the stuff you have lying around your place might actually be of more use to someone currently without a house.