Comments for Losing and Finding a Home

Comment on Do People Adapt to Homelessness? The Role of Social Networks by Jeremy

Jeremy — Mon, 06 Feb 2012 09:49:40 +0000

C’mon Gareth! What kind of questions are those?

“Do you think that people adapt to homelessness?”
Humans adapt to everything! So what are you asking here?

“Do you think that other people have a role in sustaining a person’s homelessness, or helping people out of it, or perhaps both?”
Yes, No and Maybe! So what are you asking here?

I’d love to engage here (in a positive way) but can only guess at what it is you’re *actually* asking. And you know what to “assume” does

Looking forward to some clarification.
By the way, keep up the good work – love the blog!

Comment on Why do people sleep rough in winter? by john bloggs

john bloggs — Mon, 06 Feb 2012 03:17:28 +0000

Hi All..
Noticed Gareth has asked 2 more Questions..
1: Do you think people adapt to Homelessness….
its starting to get a bit clincal i think,like asking the question about capacity of someone who has had a brain injury,and the deciding which or what level a person can make a decision specfic response,when having problems with medication that can effect outcomes of responses.. Service users/service providers which break down into many areas of support,or lack of,or just following standard procedure,and protoculs laid down….
Adaption can come in many forms when talking about homelessness,first of all when saying homelessness,what is really meant by this term,streets,hostel,bedsit.b’b etc..could you say someone studing at a universty is temp homeless,if staying in lodgings,or halls of residence,or HMOs looking at the bigger picture,anyway its getting away from the point but i think worth considering,just depends from which side the mirror your looking at..
If your on the streets,its a case of basic instints come to the forefront we all have as human beings..Food..Shelter..Sleep..Saftey.
Thats your main 4 goals each day..have a look at all the sleepouts going on around the country,they all have those 4 main ingrediants.
Its not for me to say,whether they are really representative.of what its like to be on the streets,but will this YES “have ” do adapt to live on the streets,some do it better than others,one of first things you have to learn is the ” knowledge “…
The “knowledge” yes just like a taxi driver learns the “knowledge” by this i mean,where all the centres are you can get in with,free,or cheap food,within a walking distance for many,what times they open,what time to get there by if its quening up system to get in..
I had this off to a tee,within 3 months,each day planned where to go,what i would get who i knew i would see there..saturdays the worst day,not many services open,but picked up on Sundays..saturday afternoons go find somewhere to sleep,i used to go to parks,sleep in deckchairs during warmer days,mix with Joe public,who ever they maybe,smoker no problems,pick up other peoples fag ends,you also get to know the black bags of unsold food from shops is thrown outside at close of day,just get ther before rubbis collectors,of better still get friendly with staff behind counter,tell them why throw it,i can share it with others,which takes us into Question 2…
Let me finish question one with this Yes if you are on streets for any length of time its a case you do adapt,but you realise its happening at the time,until you leave homelessness,and homeless realated issues behind if ever..example: more labels ex,or former homeless used at lot within research,service providers,media..
And last but least,How can research projects verify that someone is street homeless,at the time of interview,when interviwing people in daycentres,better to get out there,with a outreach team if nessary,and talk to people own their own turf so to speak
Sorry its a bit of a meander this comment,but written i hope with a bit of depth….
regards
John

Comment on Why do people sleep rough in winter? by john bloggs

john bloggs — Sat, 04 Feb 2012 21:00:27 +0000

Hi teresa..
Importants points as you say,and relate to why people sleep out,winter summer,Important during winter ! because as tempreture drops to freezing and below,everybodys! blood pressure raises to overcome the cold,so if you are weakend by the experiance of sleeping out,more prone to seizures,heart attacks,and other health related problems…Hands i giveaway with someone whos been on streets some time,especially during winter,hands get the elements,you may get given gloves during winter..How many on the streets ( proper ) not daytime homeless..wear gloves..Have a look round next week,also look for red faces another sign,when someone on streets at night..In past when using homeless daycentres during winter,could always tell whos IN whos OUT by the ruddy face,plus all you wanted to do was sleep in the warm for a few hours,sleeping out in the cold,knocks the stuffing out of you ! sleeping in a bag or not ! Longer your on streets less likley to use a sleeping bag,because you are ” vunerable ” to attack,or get urinated on, cant get out of a bag quick,so way round this is get new cardboard everyday,or stash blankets and cardboard in a safe place,pick up at night,If in a big town,two or three locations do this board and blanket,cause never know how each day exactly where you be,cause of different opening time of different projects..This just a example of my times on streets..
Took over two years for my hands and NAILS to recover from the homeless experiance,but still have the ” street look ” in the eye,yes eyes !..Think the wealth of experiance of Jeremy would put this point about eyes,in a better frame of language, i would call it a ” inner pain ” which shows in eyes..and categorically state..street homeless is NOT a lifestyle ! and as someone else said last night,” its not even a life ” Winter Summer or anytime !
regards
john

Comment on Why do people sleep rough in winter? by Teresa Cairns

Teresa Cairns — Sat, 04 Feb 2012 09:29:19 +0000

Hello John, think you make some very important points here. Agree, its difficult talking about sleeping rough/general homelessness from the comfort of not having to, but important to attempt some understanding, even if its partial. I’d argue life stories listened to over time allow 2 things: space & time for the listener to gain a better understanding of the many complex issues that lead to people becoming & staying homeless. Also, often people who are homeless have told their story to agencies in ways that fit with funding criteria/expectations ie what do I say to get a bed, food, support? We find people shift the emphasis of the story they tell us over time as they talk through their own understanding of their predicament, why they’re where they are. They also change over time.

Resources for people to speak for themselves are important; equally, researchers/film makers like ourselves have a contribution to offer in attempting to tell people’s stories in ways that enable them to be heard & also dont just reinforce existing stereotypes – it shouldnt be either/or but both approaches.

I’m also actually a great believer in learning from the past in order not to forget what’s happened; also in order to change things now & for the future, as you say.

preventative measures also have political implications when you’re talking about lack of jobs, poor/expensive housing, limited public housing, limited mental health services, squeezed support services…

A long way from asking ‘why do people still sleep rough in winter?’, but all related.

Comment on Why do people sleep rough in winter? by john bloggs

john bloggs — Fri, 03 Feb 2012 23:34:28 +0000

Hi teresa
Afraid to say ,dont know peterborogh at all,never been there.only what i have gained knowledge on through press,and the one or two that have passed through.But think missing the point here somewhere,here we are discussing another persons life.or lives of other people,who are in the unfortunate postion of being homeless,without resources,and in the comfort of ” our own space ” trying to formulate how people think and feel,im just as guilty of this..
Would it not be nice,to try to get a first hand view about this,by this i mean give the disadvantaged some resources to be able to speak for theselves,instead of second hand views that are meaningless to a degree.LIFE changes Daily when your homeless,research projects always looking back in time..by the nature of how research is conducted,would be better if live,and ongoing…
Who wants to live in the past,its Now and future thats important,but not forgetting the past,and putting in place preventative measures,so when people come unstuck they know what to do: example unpaid bill..cant pay,want to pay,just need time to pay..
regards

Comment on Why do people sleep rough in winter? by Teresa Cairns

Teresa Cairns — Fri, 03 Feb 2012 22:49:00 +0000

I don’t have Jeremy’s extensive experience, having only recently come to grapple directly with issues of homelessness & rough sleeping through our ongoing film work in Peterborough. The stories we’ve heard over the last 9 months have mapped out a parallel world of living & sleeping along the canal system, rivers, in motorway service areas & in coach & railway stations. Of migrating for work, to escape hostile & abusive situations,an inability to pay bills. I agree the majority do want somewhere out of the cold & inside at this time of year, but find hostels & night shelters forbidding places they’d prefer not to use.

People justify their rough sleeping in order to retain their self-respect. What I would query is the notion that people who sleep rough cannot ‘choose’ to do so – the majority don’t, but some I would suggest, actually do ‘choose’ & their choice isn’t necessarily just the result of mental health problems. Is accepting their decisions really acquiescence & is ‘going home ‘always ideal? A complicated issue.

My other query is about the role of street workers & whether policy & funding shifts/targetting has reduced engagement with people on the streets, especially at night, over time; Severe Weather emergency provisions highlight one of the outcomes of this when people refuse to come off the street, even in freezing conditions.

Difficult to do justice to these thorny issues in a few sentences; I’d welcome further discussion from those ‘in the field’, pointers to current debates I’m clearly unaware of.

Comment on Why do people sleep rough in winter? by john bloggs

john bloggs — Fri, 03 Feb 2012 22:13:38 +0000

Why…Sleeping rough during winter the question,i can only speak from a personal view,not on behalf of someone else who is during winter,but only share what have learnt from experiance..Everyone i knew wanted to be IN,including myself during winter months,its not fun ! your down to the basics,of living day by day just getting through it..( street rumours ) politics..comes into play a lot while your on streets,you hear a place has problems ( hostel ) you think NOT going there ! dosnt matter what outreach says about the place..your fixed in mind,not forgetting people in hostels also use daycentres,etc..NEWS travels FAST ! This wont read good to you,but someone doing a bit of research,with incentives about homeless people,Thats NEWS..i,ll be anyone you want,or poster up in a daycentre looking for interviewees,usally oversubscibed,staff pick who they think will give best reflection of services they offer,and more often than not,the most vocal…
There is a lots of interplay going on,whats this to do with sleeping rough during winter simple answer is..” Dont be Indifferent “..i agree with J.Swain

Comment on Why do people sleep rough in winter? by Jeremy Swain

Jeremy Swain — Fri, 03 Feb 2012 14:42:42 +0000

In 30 years working with rough sleepers I’ve never come across someone who has slept rough in winter as an act of resistance. Though I have met many people who have purported to sleep rough as an act of resistance. Nor have I met anyone who has preferred to be outside rather than inside, though some who have found the option of a hostel or shelter unacceptable and who have put on a brave face to justify the fact that they are sleeping rough.

I’m more interested in the issue of how we as organisations working with the homeless on the street often acquiesce and accept their situation on the grounds that they are ‘choosing’ to be out. I suspect that if it were our son,father, mother, daughter we were engaging with on the street, there would be only one option in our minds, and that would be to come inside, and ideally to come home.

Comment on Why do people sleep rough in winter? by Teresa Cairns

Teresa Cairns — Thu, 02 Feb 2012 22:19:59 +0000

Important questions; perhaps we 1st need to abandon our assumptions about what we consider ‘normal’ behaviour, before we’re able to understand actions we wouldnt take ourselves. Is our frustration with people for not accepting our way of doing things? I’ll offer some observations based on conversations we’ve had in the course of our film work in Peterborough, with people who were homeless or had been homeless:
1) sleeping rough in winter can be an act of resistance, a refusal to accept ‘rules of engagement’;
2) sleeping rough, even in winter, might be better than the situations some people are escaping from;
3) some people actually don’t want anyone around them, & prefer to be outside than inside.

Not definitive, & only initial observations offered for discussion, based on commen ts made to us @ this very issue.

Comment on Adventures with the Rough Sleepers Team by Why do people sleep rough in winter? « Losing and Finding a Home

Why do people sleep rough in winter? « Losing and Finding a Home — Thu, 02 Feb 2012 21:13:42 +0000

[...] to some Twitter activity this evening about the issue. From my own view in doing our research, I did spend some time with the Rough Sleepers Team in Stoke and had the chance to see the kinds of conditions people were sleeping rough in. This was [...]