We have had some great feedback from people in Leeds, Huddersfield and Bradford about the Blue Plaque campaign and how it has made them stop and think.  But thanks to social media word has spread further than the reach of the plaques…

We received the below email recently

I originally come from Manchester but now live in London, I was homeless for over 20 years, I now have somewhere to live and I have been working voluntarily for the last 3 years.  I work with the homeless at a drop in counselling service at Great Chapel St just round the corner from the So Centre.

 So at the risk of using an American colloquialism let me cut to the chase here and say that your blue plaques are an inspiration I really appreciate the significance and deep meaning that doing something like this can have. I had people who died while sleeping next to me under old railway arches, some I knew some I did not. And I don’t to this day know whether or not anyone ever found out who they were. Thank you, you have really touched and moved me today. Keep up the worthwhile work and all the best.

A Recent survey by Homeless Link of services aimed at those who are homeless has shown that across the country provision is shrinking.  The summary report stated that:

• In the year to November 2012, 58 accommodation projects closed and 1,811 bed spaces were lost.
• The number of full-time staff has reduced by 16% since 2010.

More worryingly the report shows that services aimed at those with complex needs are losing capacity.  As the government announce a new programme aimed at better supporting those leaving prison this information makes it clear that this very same support has been eroding for the past two years:

From November 2010 – November 2012, services aimed at those:

• who have been sleeping rough fell 21 percentage points
• with mental health issues fell 18 percentage points
• leaving prison fell 15 percentage points
• who have been victims of domestic violence fell 14 percentage points.

Our commitment to support our service user group continuously until they get their support needs under control is crucial for the people with complex needs who we target.  Our decision to do this without government funding certainly seems a sensible one in light of this report.  Removing support from people with complex needs can destroy months or even years of work and set people right back to the beginning again.

If you think you can help us then please get in touch or visit http://www.justgiving.com/simononthestreets/Donate

Events Management students from Leeds Met organised a fantastic silent flash mob in Leeds on 11th April.  The event saw small groups on street corners with their powerful messages written on card, just sitting on the ground.  They were often ignored although some passers by did take an interest.

All the groups then descended on City Square where they stood and sat in silence for about 20 minutes (on what was a pretty cold day).  It was an amazing sight that stimulated quite a lot of interest from passers by – a couple of people were even moved to tears!

Many thanks to all those who volunteered their time to take part!

If you were part of the event, or if you witnessed it, and have any photos email them to us and we will get them onto this gallery.

Watch this space; we’ll have some film of the event soon.

]]> http://www.simononthestreets.co.uk/homeless/flash-mob/feed/ 0 http://www.simononthestreets.co.uk/homeless/co-op-grant/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=co-op-grant http://www.simononthestreets.co.uk/homeless/co-op-grant/#comments Thu, 11 Apr 2013 09:31:31 +0000 clivesandle http://www.simononthestreets.co.uk/?p=1135

Many thanks to the co-operative members community fund http://www.co-operative.coop/membership/local-communities/community-fund/  for the grant towards our street outreach work in Leeds.  Not only did they assess us to be a worthwhile cause to make a grant to they also came out to present the cheque, and had clearly taken the time to get a good understanding of the work that we do and what we are trying to achieve.

We are holding an event in Huddersfield aimed at engaging with the business community in the area.  The event, held on the 25th April, will offer an insight in to our work and why there is a need to do it.  It will also, following the ‘Blue Plaques’ campaign, look at death rates among those who are homeless.  If you would like to join us for the event please get in touch: admin@simononthestreets.co.uk

Recent news reports about a journalist / film maker who died whilst living on the streets for a TV project have become quite complicated.  Lee Halpin was originally reported to have died of hypothermia but the BBC have said that there might be a link with the death to the arrest of two individuals on suspicion of the supply of a controlled substance.  A post-mortem is due to be held on the 9th.  http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-tyne-22042626

We all too often see our service users getting embroiled in risky behaviour and see the life experiences that they have had as leading to this situation.  There are many unanswered questions in the case of Lee Halpin but it does seem to be very clear that someone who can function well in ‘normal’ society has very quickly slipped into a position of ultimate risk.

Louise Lapish from Gatewood Consulting was so moved by the #streetplaques campaign that the company made a donation.

Louise said, “I’ve been interested in what Simon on the Streets do for a while but when I saw this campaign I needed to act.  one of the reasons it resonates with me is that much of the work we do is about helping people to communicate better; and that exactly what The team at Simon on the Streets have to do with their clients.”

Louise met with Clive at one of the Plaques to officially make the donation.

Our latest awareness raising campaign is a series of ‘Blue Plaques’ placed around Leeds, Bradford and Huddersfield.  The English Heritage Blue Plaques remember noteworthy individuals and often mark places where they lived.  Our plaques do the same for people who have slept rough.

If you see any of our Plaques email or Tweet a picture of yourself with the plaque and we will get it up on the website… there might even be a prize for the first person photographed at every site in an area!

If you are going to look out for our plaques be aware that rather than the usual eye level placement ours are down at street level to signify where people would be lying when using each location to sleep.  There are several plaques for you to find in each location; below is a shot of one from each area to give you a taster.

We believe we should commemorate not only those who have achieved fame in our society but everyone.  We also think those who are so often forgotten in life should be remembered in death… especially when you consider the terrible statistic that people who are homeless have a life expectancy of just 48 years.

…and if all this makes you want to help please click here and make a donation!

Many thanks to McGrath O’Toole and Ponderosa for all the hard work designing the plaques.

Our Chair of Trustees, Ian McKenzie, is taking part in the London marathon this year to raise funds for us.  click here to visit his just giving page and support his race.  Ian has been a supporter, volunteer and trustee of the charity for almost ten years now and we really appreciate the the effort he is going to.

If you have noticed in the image that his JustGiving page says he is running the 2103 marathon we can assure you that this is a typo and not the kind of highly organised planning ahead we would all be proud of!

Members of GMB union raised over £5,000 and counting on Monday 1st of October when they did a sponsored Sleep-Out for us.  The event took place on Millennium Square in Leeds, the weather was not bad at all; especially considering the amount of rain we’d had in the week prior to the event.

Before bedding down for the night there was a walk of awareness in which ex-rough sleepers told their personal stories about what life had been like at its worst for them, and why homelessness and rough-sleeping is just the tip of the iceberg.