The issues facing homeless people

what do you see? take a look at this image,

Chances are, you will pass sights like this every day, but how much do you notice them?

Perhaps you noticed a queue of people at a bus stop? What about a pile of free newspapers which were blowing down the street? Most of you wouldn’t have noticed, but why would you fail to spot those examples, when you would probably have noticed that supermarket trolley parked in the middle of the pavement, or in someone’s front garden?

It’s because the human brain doesn’t consciously pick up on lots of things that we see every day. We are more likely to take notice of things which are different; things which seem out of place. Do we notice a homeless person? Homelessness has risen by more than 150% over the past 10 years, and rough sleeping has more than trebled. With the number of rough sleepers reaching these levels, it is not out of place to see someone bedding down in a doorway or sleeping on the pavement. It’s so common, it’s almost like that queue of people or the flying newspapers you missed earlier.

The causes of homelessness are varied and include, family breakdown, domestic violence, mental health issues, addictions and poverty. I often hear “people sleep rough by choice.” Put yourself in that position. Would you leave your life to sleep in a doorway? How would you like to get a mental health issue, get physically attacked and verbally abused for no reason other than you are homeless? According to the Crisis report ‘Silent Killer’, you will die about 30 years before you would have. Wise choice? Of course not! People don’t choose to become homeless, they become homeless as a consequence; a result, of many missed opportunities, but there are some practical things we can all do to begin to redress the problem. 1 Notice them. Homeless people are not a queue of people waiting for a bus, or newspapers rolling down the street; take some time to notice them. 2 Don’t judge. If your world fell apart, what would happen to you, where would you end up? 3 Give them money. As an exrough sleeper, I got a lot more from someone sitting down with a sandwich or a coffee and just talking. Not probing questions about my issues, but normal things, the weather, the football. It made me feel human, starting my journey to becoming the Director of Expert Focus. 4 Do something practical. Homeless people can now register for a GP (without ID or an address) but sometimes need some support to navigate the system, spare some time and help them. Don’t be afraid to ask if they need help to fill in forms for healthcare, housing or benefits. 5 Join in the conversation. Homelessness always rises up the agenda in the run-up to Christmas or when it serves a political purpose for example when there’s an election. Keeping the conversation going will mean that homelessness becomes more than rhetoric or lip service and collectively we can begin looking for more sustainable solutions to the problem.