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The Magazine
July 2010
Aware...
July 2010
Dealing with homelessness ...
By Emily Vesey
Maya is nine years old. Two years ago she arrived in England. Her father had been murdered and she and her family had to flee their homeland. Since then Maya, her mum and two brothers have never had anywhere permanent to live. They have spent the past two years living out of a single small room in a B&B in London.
Instead of nice net curtains, seaside views and big comfy beds, the small room Maya shares with her mother and two brothers evokes images of third world poverty.This is definitely not the kind of B&B you would ever choose to stay in if you were looking for a nice weekend break. It is known as emergency housing – temporary accommodation provided by social services. This accommodation serves as a last resort whilst attempts are made to find somewhere more permanent for the family to live. It’s already been a two-year wait …
Maya and her family are very grateful for a place to stay and a roof over their heads. Nevertheless Maya describes how she lives in constant fear from the endless shouting she can hear echoing from other rooms in the B&B. Understandably she also struggles to sleep at night in the room she shares with her family. However, this lack of space is nothing compared with the large group of rats and vermin that festers in the rooms of the B&B. Horrifically they are often woken by rats running across them as they sleep.
As Maya’s story makes clear, homelessness is not simply about sleeping rough. Homelessness is about a lack of a permanent place to stay and can last from a few days to years. Importantly those impacted by it have no particular shared background. It can affect anyone.
I have been involved in work with homeless people for over 10 years. I have discovered that everyone who is homeless has their own story to tell, their own particular challenges: how to get through the week, how to cope next month, how to build a future. A safe place to stay is only part of what they need to get their lives back on track. Just like us, people who are homeless also need to know they are loved and valued by those around them, and by God. So I guess the challenge is, how can we be part of that?
Throughout the Bible God makes it clear that we are not to ignore poverty and those in need around us. Jesus makes this explicitly clear:
“Whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers of mine, you did for me”
Matt 25 v 40
As we serve the poor we are serving our King and that should always be our motivation.
Britain is an increasingly polarised society. On the one hand our TV schedule is inundated with house improvement programmes – encouraging us to make our homes even more beautiful and teaching us how important it is to pour money into our houses. At the other end of the spectrum are those who are left far behind with little prospect of a decent home, if one at all.
Shelter, which commissioned a key study into this problem reveals that over a million children in Britain are living in housing that damages their health, their education and their future. Those children are living in damp, cold, infested housing or on estates that are shamefully neglected and ridden with fear and filth. These children live at the whim of bad landlords who threaten and neglect their contractual duties. They live under the cloud of eviction and debt. Still, others are literally homeless – on the streets or in emergency housing waiting for somewhere permanent to live.
These children are living in our country, in our towns – since 1997 homelessness among families has increased by 17 per cent.
Homelessness is one of our society’s key issues. As Christians we have a responsibility for the poor and those with less than us. There are many amazing charities that do fantastic work helping the homeless. They always need people to support them. This can be done through giving money, time, resources or prayer.
Perhaps next time we walk pass someone asking for change on the streets we could stop and help them, or even just let them know they are valued by spending time talking with them. At the very least surely we could start by acknowledging them with a welcoming smile rather than simply pass them by.
About the author
Emily has been at Soul Survivor Watford for years and years and years! She's also been involved with local homeless charity Watford New Hope Trust for over a decade too. She claims to speak Spanish and says phrases like 'stop it' an awful lot.
Soul Survivor is a Christian charity that puts on events for young people. Our registered charity no. is 1080720. We are also a company limited by guarantee in England & Wales. Our company registered number is 03991111, which is nice. Thanks for caring.
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