Learn and be part of the solution - Homelessness in Winchester

Homelessness meeting at the Trinity Centre (Bradbury House, Durngate Place).

a. the meeting

I met Jan and Pauline (Dix) outside the police station at 6.45 - clearly Jan has persuaded them to let her out early for good behaviour. We walked for a couple of minutes until we reached the Trinity Centre.

The purpose of the evening was for the 3 represented charities to explain what it was that they did.

b. the Charities

The Trinity Centre

The Trinity Centre is a newly refurbished building (costing in excess of 2 million I am told), which functions as a drop in centre for the homeless and those suffering from mental or physical abuse. Their clients are the long term homeless, those with housing problems and women suffering domestic abuse. They offer food (breakfast and lunch), physical health care (Pauline Grant from church does a day or so a week as GP), advice/ support with benefits, accom, sign posting to mental health and alcohol services etc. One (of the very few) staff members commented that often people come in for just a drink, but as they sit and become comfortable, they begin to share about other needs they may have. Approximately 60 visitors per day are to be expected, who have access to some I.T. training, assistance with C.V.'s the opportunity to bathe or shower, and get professional advice on the various issues which seem common amongst those dropping in.

Emmaus

The idea of a French Catholic priest following WW2; the premise is that the residents become 'companions' (to other residents), committing to working a 40 hours week, relinquishing all right to benefits - only the housing benefit being claimed directly by Emmaus. The residents may stay in the house for life, but seldom do. Although a world wide movement, each Emmaus is run as a local charity, whose aim is to quickly become financially self sufficient through their shop sales. The shop is on the Emmaus campus (next to the recycling centre), and sells the goods brought in by you and I. This includes, dining room furniture, sofas, small electrical goods. There are 22 beds. They are all full. They have had 96 referrals since March 09.

The Winchester Churches Nightshelter

Open at 6pm, providing a bed, dinner, and breakfast for up to 15 people per night. They give out blankets to those who they cannot accommodate. The nightshelter is unable to open without volunteers. A no drugs and no drink environment, breathalysing on the door against the drink-drive limits. They charge a £2 fee to enter, to encourage those wishing to stay so save a small part of their benefits, and take some responsibility for their welfare. Regularly turning people away.

c. the issues

Funding:

The annual costs of running the Trinity Centre are 500k, of which currently 150k is provided by the local council - this means approx. 70% of the income is generated by applications to charities/ lottery grants etc. The Winchester Churches Nightshelter seems to run on both donations and grants - the nature of the donations includes financial, to clothes, blankets, and hot food. The Nightshelter will be reapplying for grants within the next year, with no certain assurance that these will be granted. The contribution from the Council has decreased over the last year. Trinity too has seen a drop in the number of funding applications which go on to be successful. At one point, 1 in 4 or 5 were successful, now the number is nearer 20. This inevitably means that there are less staff (redundancies were made recently), spending longer on administrative work in order to gain the same or less funding. Emmaus aims to be self sufficient within 12 months, but clearly benefitting from substantial initial investment in order to provide the building.

Volunteers:

The Trinity Centre will on occasion have to 'shut' to clients due to lack of staff. It seemed that there were 2 administrative staff usually in the building, and a few part time key workers - one of whom works with families in particular. However, there is a desperate need for more volunteers to help - the hours between 10 and 2pm seemed particularly challenging for them.

d. the opportunities

• The Trinity and the nightshelter are wanting volunteers; Nightshelter needs people from 6pm, particularly those willing to sleep over (as two people are needed on site for health and saftey purposes). The Trinity needs volunteers in the day time, particularly between 10am and 2pm. This could be for one day a week or more regularly; the role would be 'befriending', support, etc.

• The nightshelter also needs the ongoing support from local churches of regular meals (these are heated up on site).

• Emmaus were asking that people donate to their shop, visit the shop and use their coffee shop.

• There were a few homeless people at the meeting; a request was made that services worked together to provide hot drinks to those who don't make it into the nightshelter. People often sleep in the Friasgate car park - just opposite the MBC.

• The manager of Winchester Churches Nightshelter (can't remember her name) is sound - would be wise to run past any bright ideas with her for advice.

e. comment

Key themes of the evening included the rooms appreciation at the amazing work done by the charities, the appreciation of the charities for the amazing volunteers, and the councils disagreement that there was any significant problem. having never attended a meeting like this, I found this initially odd although towards the end of the evening this increasingly became rather darkly comic. I also found that out of the many councillors present, only 1 seemed to speak with any coherent meaning.

I found that people who began a question with 'as an elected member' didn't get to a question and usually caused people to heckle or laugh - neither responses being positive. I personally felt stirred with faith about the opportunity for the church to be generous in resource, volunteers, financial giving, and use the amazing people in our churches to help with the various big and complex multifaceted issues such as - how do you help people get back into work? I felt angry about the apparent lack of genuine engagement and concern by those elected.

I think any action will feel like hard work, because it will be. I also think it will be laced with the Holy Spirit, and see the beginning of revival in Winchester and the fulfilment of the prophetic words we have received as a church regarding worship. This will principally be because as the poor are counted amongst those who join the song of thanks to God, we will become a more complete body, and that God will pour out his blessing on a his people as they go 'Go out quickly to the streets and lanes of the city, and bring in the poor and crippled and blind and lame.' going in his name to make disciples. Fundamentally I think God will love this, and that he won't be able to withhold his extravagant blessing on something which reflects his Son so brightly.