Following on from the recent Facebook status from Leeds City Council around ending homelessness in 2016 – we have a case study that explains why the service that the Crypt offers is not suitable for EVERYONE that sleeps rough in Leeds. Whilst this hostel and others like it provide an invaluable service to many people in need, there are a significant minority whose issues are multiple and complex and for whom there are real and significant barriers to engagement in services such as these. The following case study is based on an experience that occurred at The Crypt around two years ago.
‘On a recent evening outreach session I bumped into Lucy in the city centre. I’ve had some contact with Lucy in the past, the last time being around 3 years ago; when she delighted in telling me she had settled down in her own property with a partner who had a full time job. Having seen very little of her since this time, I made the presumption that life must have settled down for her, however, the conversation I went on to have with Lucy suggested this was not the case.
I have always known Lucy to be very timid, and she often struggles to talk openly. Lucy often appears to be very vulnerable and has been involved in a number of violent relationships in the past. When I bumped into Lucy she was begging in town and told me she had somewhere to stay tonight as long as she went back with enough money to buy heroin, Lucy told me she didn’t really want to be using heroin but felt this was the easiest option available to her right now.
I talked to Lucy about other housing options, she told me she had got married 3 years ago and had 2 children soon after, she left her husband as he was pressurising her into prostitution and was often violent towards her. Lucy told me she had been staying in a women’s hostel, but had been having difficulties with some of the other residents there. Because Lucy is quiet and timid she is often taken advantage of by others, and claimed she was regularly being bullied in the hostel and forced to make money for some of the other girls for them to buy heroin. Lucy left the hostel and began sleeping rough under the dark arches.
I asked Lucy if she wanted me to accompany her up to the housing hub, which is the emergency out of hours service at The Crypt, so we could look at the options for securing some safe accommodation for her that evening. Lucy was reluctant, in her eyes she had a number options available; each one as bad as the other. After spending a considerable amount of time talking to Lucy, and letting her cry and share her frustrations, Lucy agreed to attend the housing hub with me to see what could be done.
Upon arriving at the office and pressing the buzzer, the staff member came to open the door, took one look at Lucy and said she was too drunk. I explained to the staff member that I had spent the last 2 hours talking to Lucy and she was coherent, just very upset. The staff member let us in. They wanted to know from Lucy the reasons why she had left her room at the women’s hostel where she was staying. I was bemused by the attitude of the staff member who seemed to have a very black and white attitude. He asked nothing about Lucy’s circumstances on a human level. As far as he saw it he had already provided Lucy with a bed, which she had left resulting in her becoming intentionally homeless. He made a phone call to the hostel where Lucy had been staying to see if she could return, I explained of the difficulties that Lucy had experienced at the hostel, but unfortunately he did not deem this to be relevant at this time. This lack of understanding angered me, and it resulted in Lucy running out of the building crying “just forget it all”. I tried to catch up with Lucy, however she was very upset and just wanted to be by herself. I respected Lucy’s wishes and said I would meet her tomorrow.
This is a common pattern of events for the people we support. Our service users are often reluctant to engage with mainstream services because of the way they are treated. Instead of being treated as vulnerable people with some deep rooted emotional problems, people are often judged by their behaviour and resisted of support. If I hadn’t accompanied Lucy to the centre, I have no doubt she would not have even been seen and simply been turned away for being “too drunk” according to one person’s opinion. As long as this opinion continues to be held by some of the mainstream services there will continue to be vulnerable people excluded from the support they very need to access.’
#Simon