Gwent groups giving a helping hand to the homeless

In the second in our series of special reports on homelessness CHRIS BINDING looks at the support that is out there.

WHILE the conversation is often about the demand for support services once people find themselves homeless or sleeping rough, there is, on the other side of the coin, the work being done to prevent homelessness in the first place.

Newport City Council estimated costs for this year would be £140,000 compared to £128,000 in the last financial year and £65,000 in 2014/15.

The council’s cabinet member for regeneration and housing, Jane Mudd, said the issue is often seen only in relation to the most acute form of homelessness but she added: “It is worth noting that the number of people living on the streets represents a small number compared to those who approach us and other organisations for assistance with homelessness.”

She said the council has a number of procedures aimed at tackling and alleviating homelessness and works closely with many partners.

These include Gwent Police, Newport Business Improvement District (BID) and many charitable organisations.

Over the last four years, the council has instigated a joinedup approach towards accessing accommodation and support.

There is now a common housing register with housing association partners and a single contact point for people who require supported accommodation.

The council offers assistance in finding private rented accommodation, financial advice, mediation with families and more.

In terms of rough sleeping, the council also offers housing schemes, temporary accommodation, a rough sleeper intervention team and direct access to hostel accommodation.

One of the projects described as a ‘vital partner’ by the city council is The Wallich.

This charity has 65 projects across Wales including a dropin centre in Commercial Road, Newport.

The service also collates statistics about the numbers of people living on the streets every quarter in order to try to identify trends.

Denise Rogers, of Newport’s Wallich drop-in centre, said it’s “unclear” why rough sleeping his risen in the city but that several factors are at play.

She said relationship breakdowns, job loss and sanction of benefits all play their part but added the recent rise in rough sleeping could also be linked to housing issues, ranging from lack of affordable housing, landlords requesting no DWP clients or guarantors, benefit sanctions /changes to eligibility and lack of shared accommodation for under 35s.

Ms Rogers described the reaction to rough sleeping as “mixed” with some individuals being “supportive and wanting to help”.

However, she added that a larger proportion of the public perceive rough sleeping to be the cause of anti-social behaviour in the city.

“While there has been a rise in both numbers of rough sleepers and instances of anti-social behaviour, not all can be attributed to street homeless individuals,”

she said.

“Many rough sleepers utilise the city centre areas, as they feel safer, as the areas are welllit, have CCTV and more people around.

“This therefore makes them much more visible as a group.

However, many of those that are engaged in street activities, such as drinking or begging, do in fact have somewhere to stay.

“The misconception that the public have has been exacerbated by misinformation and a lack of understanding of homelessness issues.”

The Wallich’s Rough Sleepers Intervention Team works in partnership with Newport City Council to support people living on the streets and the vulnerably housed.

Experienced staff provide clients with breakfast, hot drinks, sleeping bags and warm clothing, with the service seeing, on average, between 22 and 29 rough sleepers per day according to the charity’s most recent data.

The project, also offers housing and benefit advice, healthcare and substance misuse centre referrals alongside access to telephones and computers and help to fill out forms.

Another Wallich project, Newport PREP, followed changes in housing legislation which ended priority need for prison leavers, leaving them potentially homeless on release.

The projects works with individuals while still in custody to try to secure housing prior to their release.

Another organisation providing a whole range of services in Newport is Solas, which works to help people recover from drug and alcohol abuse to try to prevent them from falling into the homelessness trap. It also works with care leavers.

With 155 bed spaces in Newport, Solas supports around 30 clients at any time to live independently while helping them become healthier and gain employment.

Solas also aims to restore self-confidence and employs a full-time health and wellbeing coach.

Deanne Sansome is one of those who benefited from the charity’s support and perhaps in a way which would not seem immediately obvious.

After leaving prison she spent around two years living on the streets and in several hostels.

6 Thursday, November 2, 2017 southwalesargus.co.uk/news Thursday, November 2, 2017 7 southwalesargus.co.uk/news “I felt degraded,” she said.

“My life fell apart.”

Getting involved with Solas was the start of a remarkable turnaround which all started with her being invited to be part of the Solas five-a-side football team.

“I had never kicked a ball in my life,” she said “But it gave me confidence and I started getting fitter.”

She went on to represent Wales at the five-a-side Homeless World Cup in Oslo, which she described as ‘amazing’ and that was where she also met Newport-born actor and inspirational homeless activist Michael Sheen.

She is now living in the Riverside area of the city and hopes to help raise awareness of homelessness in Newport.

Solas also helped Alec who spent time in the charity’s dry hostel for people recovering from addictions. He then volunteered for Crea8 interiors – a social enterprise set up by Solas – where he learned new skills in painting and decorating. He is today a valued member of the Solas team and according to the charity “an absolute inspiration”

to others experiencing substance misuse difficulties.

Actor Michael Sheen has close links to another homelessness charity working in Wales – and in Newport – Llamau.

Last year the charity supported 296 young people in Newport, of which 35 per cent had been forced to sleep rough in cars, park benches or even woodland, before seeking the charity’s support.

Llamau supports more than 170 young people, women and their families at any one time in Wales and has three supported housing projects for young homeless people.

A Llamau spokeswoman added: “When people think of homelessness, very often they think of rough sleeping, that is people sleeping on the streets.

“But for many young people and vulnerable women, they will often do everything they can to avoid the danger of sleeping on the streets, but make very risky choices about where else to sleep “The young people we support describe homelessness as making them feel depressed and unhappy, anxious and scared, with some saying they turned to drugs to help them to cope with their dire circumstances.”

She added that for women, the biggest cause of homelessness is domestic abuse which causes mental health and wellbeing issues alongside an impact on future aspirations.

Out of the 100 women in Newport using Llamau services last year, more than half had “significant mental health issues”, the charity added.

Another vital service for Newport’s homeless is church-based charity Eden Gate.

During the winter Eden Gate’s Night Shelter provides over 18s with support, a bed, an evening meal and breakfast.

“We want to help those who can’t cope and we are well placed to do that through our special relationship with Newport churches and their members,”

said Eden Gate’s operations manager, Marc Hepton.

“It’s not just about helping people into accommodation, it’s about helping people with their real problems such as drug addiction.”

He added: “The charity aims to see people make positive changes.

“It can be a long time of building trust so we can link people to services where they can break free from drink and drugs.”

Today, the charity offers dropin sessions five times a week where people who are vulnerable or on a low income – not just homeless – can interact in a safe environment.

Newport Street Pastors – volunteers from different churches – also help support street homeless providing a “listening ear”.

Meanwhile there are many other projects playing their part, from advice surgeries of housing charities Shelter and Salvation Army to the Samaritans – who take confidential calls from those suffering mental health issues on the streets.

Then there are the smaller charities often set up by caring individuals also doing their bit.

The Argus’s Pride of Gwent ‘Community Hero’ award winner, Claire Day, of Chepstow, supports homeless people in Newport through her Street Life Sarnies charity.

The charity, which has grown from 10 to more than 3,000 members, is run by Claire and her husband Bart through hubs in Chepstow and Bristol.

Then there is Lee Williams of One Step at a Time – a charity which helps collect and donate food and household items to homeless people alongside its work with vulnerable families.

Tomorrow we look at public perception of the homelessness problem.