Homelessness and Rough Sleeping – The Sad End Of Society
HOMELESSNESS AND ROUGH SLEEPING – THE SAD END OF SOCIETY
It is all too common a sight to see people sleeping rough on the streets of Cardiff. Our first thoughts are usually of compassion and charity. I remember travelling back from London by train one winter evening and as I left Cardiff Central station on foot it was dark and raining. I passed a young, girl on the pavement who was wet and crying, and my social conscience nagged at me. That prompted me to visit the Huggard centre for rough sleepers. It is run by Cardiff Council and situated at the back of the station, and I soon realised the immense scale of the problem.
Before the pandemic, the number in England alone was over 219,000. During the Coronavirus pandemic there has been a reported rise of 150% in people seeking emergency accommodation. In Wales each year, 2,900 people sleep rough. However, rough sleepers account for just 7% of the total number of those experiencing homelessness. Many are sofa surfing, sleeping in their cars or in places such as storage units.
It is important to know that in Wales, we are fortunate that our government, unlike England, has made the bold commitment to housing everyone experiencing homelessness. This means all Local Authorities in Wales, have a duty to house people experiencing homelessness. However, while the ambition is good, the reality is more problematic. Firstly, there is a housing crisis in Wales, specifically there are not enough affordable homes. Furthermore, the complex reasons which cause people to become homeless mean it can be very difficult for individuals to access services.
People become homeless for lots of different reasons, such as when they leave prison, hospital, the care system, or the army with no home to go to. Many women experiencing homelessness have escaped a violent or abusive relationship. However, there is often a common link between the underlying causes of these situations.
The link is difficult events in our childhood, now referred to as Adverse Childhood Experiences, which can have a lifelong effect on our lives. Research undertaken by Public Health Wales has
shown that being raised in a home where there are problems such as domestic abuse, neglect, violence or use of drugs, results in excessive and prolonged stress on children during their early, formative years. Crucially, when four of more of these problems occur within a household the prolonged exposure to stress changes the development of a child’s brain and immune system changing their prospects, including detrimental impacts on mental health, increased likelihood of chronic disease and early death, and higher probability of engaging in health harming behaviour, such as alcohol addiction.
And, for those who experience four or more of these problems in their childhood, they are 16 times more likely to experience homelessness.
There are several charities in Wales who work to alleviate homelessness and rough sleeping and I am raising money for Housing Justice Cymru. They mobilise faith and community groups to take action on homelessness and housing need. Sponsored by the Church in Wales, they are a small, highly influential charity. Their work makes a huge difference to thousands of people across the country, through their volunteer led projects which help people experiencing homelessness, either through night shelters, hosting projects or their Citadel project, which helps people to find and sustain a tenancy. Housing Justice Cymru also helps Churches with derelict land and buildings to sell their assets to enable the building of affordable housing, helping to address the housing crisis in Wales.
If you see someone sleeping rough – Be Kind, establish a human connection by making eye contact and smiling. Crouch down to somebody’s level if they are sat down. Ask them how they are doing and if there’s anything you can help them with.
Getting Involved – If you want to volunteer, contact the Wales Council for Voluntary Action or Housing Justice Cymru.