At Leeds Train Station stands a huge information board entitled, ‘Think Before You Give, Myth Busters’. The aim of the board is to help commuters make an informed decision as to whether or not they will chose to give money to the vulnerable people they see sitting on the streets, as they walk the final steps of their journey to work. Standing in such a prominent position, it welcomes visitors to Leeds and seems to speak on behalf of the city. At Simon on the Streets we feel very strongly that the statements detailed on the board fail to give a complete picture. We hope that here we can fill in a few of the blanks as we comment on each of the statements from the board in turn.
‘Cash given by caring members of the public to people begging in Leeds is often used to fund addictions to drugs and alcohol. It takes more than loose change to turn a life around.’
Whilst it is definitely not always true, this statement is often true, and we believe the public know that. This is why some people offer something to eat or drink, it’s the givers choice as to what sits best with them. In the same regard it is also true that the receiver is free to spend any money given, as they choose to do so. However, the term ‘choice’ is problematic in this latter context. The nature of addiction is such that it completely takes over an individual’s life. At the root of that addiction is very often a need to shut out incredible emotional pain. When people with addictions use drugs or alcohol, they don’t do it to seek a high, they do it simply to function. The addiction takes over, there is very little of them left. Our clients have shared with us the following…
‘I’ve hurt so many people in my life, I don’t want to keep hurting anyone. I beg so I don’t have to steal.’
‘I used to think I’d never sell myself to a man, I thought I’d just sit and wait it out, but in the end I just couldn’t say no, so now I go down the beat to make my money.’
It does take more than loose change to turn a life around. It takes an incredible amount of emotional resilience, social skills, motivation, knowledge, determination and support. Getting off the streets is hard. It’s even harder for those who have no support network to lean on and have little to no sense of self-worth.
‘Myth: People who beg in Leeds don’t have basics like hot food and drinks.’
Truth: Help is available to anyone begging in Leeds with free food and drinks provided daily by support services.’
This statement is also true. However, what is left out is information around why a significant minority of people cannot or will not access the support from these services. In the field we use the term, ‘barriers to engagement’, and many of our clients have very real barriers to engaging with services. Due to life experiences, the people we work with have often experienced a profound disappointment with services, creating a deep mistrust or even fear of services. As children or young adults, they will have been subject to multiple failings of the system and as a result will have been subjected to years of abuse, neglect and uncertainty. They have no proof in their lives that they can rely on the system to help them when they are in desperate need and so they stay away. Some of our clients are banned from various services due to their behaviours. A large part of our work with our clients is to understand why they have barriers to engagement, to build trust and motivation and to advocate within services to support the development of relationships. Some people on the streets have the social skills to willingly engage, some need a huge amount of support before this is possible for them.
‘Myth: People begging in Leeds have nowhere to live and can’t claim benefits or get accommodation.
Truth: Most people begging in Leeds have somewhere to live. Help is available with accommodation and benefit claims to those who don’t’
Again, this statement is, in part, true. However it is important to iterate that NOT all people begging in Leeds have somewhere to live and a good number of people rough sleep on a regular basis. Not only that, it is helpful to understand the term, ‘street homelessness’. Here is Shelter’s definition:
‘Street homelessness is a much wider term than rough sleeping, taking into account the street lifestyles of some people who may not actually sleep on the streets. Street homeless people are those who routinely find themselves on the streets during the day with nowhere to go at night. Some will end up sleeping outside, or in a derelict or other building not designed for human habitation, perhaps for long periods. Others will sleep at a friend’s for a very short time, or stay in a hostel, night-shelter or squat, or spend nights in prison or hospital.’
Some of our clients have places to stay that are uninhabitable; due to their mental health issues, they are simply not capable of looking after their properties or themselves. Some of our clients spend nights on a friend’s floor, a night at their house, a night on the streets. They have no sense of ‘home’ or belonging. Due to their poor mental health and terrible life experiences, some of our clients have an abject fear of being in doors. One of our previous clients committed suicide after having been granted a tenancy, his fear of living indoors was insurmountable. Some of our clients are more vulnerable in their homes due to domestic violence or threats of violence from some of the people in their lives, such as dealers and pimps. Some of our clients stay in brothels; a house is not always a home.
‘Myth: People begging in Leeds can’t get help with substance misuse or health problems.
Truth: Daily Street outreach services work together to help people begging in Leeds to get into drug and alcohol treatment services. Help is available.’
Again, this is true, there is help available. Unfortunately the way that treatment services are funded, requires people to work to certain targets or time restrictions. For a significant minority, this simply doesn’t work. However hard people within these services may work to support individuals, if the understanding, skill set and motivation isn’t there, the treatments simply don’t work. It is a well-known, unfortunate truth that many rehabilitation services have a ‘rolling door’ situation, with people dropping in and out of treatment and then disengaging for a period of time, before services can reach them again. Not only does this create stress and tension for all involved, it costs A LOT of money. For some people, a period of time working with support to look at the deeper emotional issues they have and developing the self-esteem and motivation to work with these services, can be the key to success. It is also a well-known and unfortunate truth that there is some way to go before services across our city (and indeed most cities) are joined up to work well collaboratively. People on the streets often have multiple complex needs, with addiction, mental health and physical health. None of these things can be worked with in isolation and so unfortunately the services are just not set up with enough flexibility to provide for the needs of an incredibly vulnerable group of people.
At Simon on the Streets we hugely value the relationships that we build with funded services. It is only through communication, collaboration and advocacy that we can get the very best for our clients and work towards supporting them to turn their lives around. There are some support groups in Leeds who make it very clear that they feel that services are lacking and that the homeless in the city are left forgotten. We can completely understand their frustrations and yes, councils and governments could absolutely do better to meet the needs of the homeless. Their anger and frustration is often passed on to those who are vulnerable on the streets and the fear is that it further isolates them from services that are available. It is perhaps as a response to those groups that this kind of information board designed. However, as an organisation we remain challenged by the picture created on this information board, one that is too simplistic and lacks insight into the humanity and suffering that these individuals face.
We hope this deeper insight is helpful and welcome your thoughts.