In the second part of our investigation into York’s homeless, the manager of a vital service reveals plans to support more people in need of a roof over their heads.

A FRONTLINE charity worker has revealed her own ideas she believes will dramatically ease the problems of those supporting the city’s homeless.

Steph Brodie is well placed to talk about the situation in York.

Having slept in cars and on the streets for two years and battled with drugs and domestic violence, she was able to turn her life around after discovering Christian charities.

She now manages the city’s Never Give Up group, which provides meals for the homeless every Thursday.

Steph works closely with York Foodbank and Carecent but believes their task would be made a lot easier if the city had a hub all three vital charities could call home.

The city shop would provide beds, showers and food for anyone who needed it, while the three managers would be under the same roof and able to co-ordinate operations easier.

She said: “The idea is to reach people but swap information and make things easier for us and the support we provide. If we were in one centre things would be done so much quicker. We spend a lot of time talking to each other but if we worked together it would be much better.”

There are many barriers to overcome before Steph’s dream can become reality. Running the charity is a full time job and she can spare little time to explore the ambitious plans.

“Everybody is excited about it but nobody wants to put it together,” added Steph.

“There’s a location across from Asda in Layerthorpe, but we still need someone to go in there and do it up, and I haven’t got a clue where they will come from.

“We want to put all our ideas together and conquer poverty because I don’t want it in York.”

The idea of providing left-over food to Never Give Up was once floated by fast food chain Pret A Manger, but fell through because of the charity’s staffing shortage.

She added: “Pret wanted me to sign a contract so they could give me their food at the end of every day, but I couldn’t do it because I couldn’t be there at the end of every shift.”


Restoring faith for those on the streets

York Press:
A homeless man sleeps through the early morning on the streets of York

HOMELESSNESS comes in all shapes and sizes.

Drug and alcohol addiction are commonly thought of as the two main causes for a life of pain and struggle on the streets, but a recession can often lead to those with a seemingly secure job staring disaster in the face.

Faith charity Restore was set up by a group of York Christians in 2010 and started re-homing people a year later in five of their shared houses across the city.

They now receive one referral a day from GPs, probation officers and drug and alcohol charities looking for rooms, but more recently have seen an increase in unemployed or recently divorced men looking for a home after their world was quickly turned upside down.

Ed Hambleton, a housing support and development officer for Restore, said: “Due to the credit crunch and a lot of cuts there has been a shift in class with some of our tenants in that more middle class people are falling into poverty. They’ve been in a situation where they have lost their job or come to the end of a relationship, but didn’t have the capital in place to help them out.

“It can be a long fall quite quickly and people have come to us in the last year in their early 30s or 40s saying they don’t know what to do.

“We’ve had people come to us where five years ago they wouldn’t have dreamed of being in this position but they’ve lost their job and couldn’t afford rent, so have been asked to leave.

“They’ve led reasonable and stable lives for most of their adult lives, but they’ve fallen apart very quickly and they don’t know where to turn for help.

“We have a few people with friends outside of York or they are divorced and don’t want to go to their families.”

Restore has found rooms for 26 people in York and sees people on a daily basis with a range of problems that have forced them onto the streets.

“Fairly consistent issues among our tenants are drugs and alcohol, but debt and a break down in a relationship are also very common,” added Mr Hambleton.

“Three or four of our tenants are with us because they’ve lost a child. People who see children die young seem to give up on life.

“We get dozens of referrals every week and will interview them and see if they are suitable.

“We look at their history and why their life fell apart last time round.

“We get one referral a day but we can’t handle that kind of demand because we don’t have that many rooms and it can be a bit of a struggle because we only house 10 to 20 per cent of the people that come to us.”


City strategy to beat the cycle

York Press:

Becky Ward, City of York Council’s service manager for Homelessness, said: “City of York Council adopted a new five-year homelessness strategy for the city last year, with a strong focus on prevention through providing advice earlier, working with people to find alternative housing or helping people to remain in their current homes.

“In early 2013 Dr John Sentamu, Archbishop of York launched ‘No Second Night Out’.

“Despite considerable work of all agencies the number of rough sleepers is increasing. A new pilot scheme (MEAM) is due to start towards the end of 2014 to provided intensive, targeted work with known rough sleepers.

“In 2013-14 there were 683 households who did not become homeless because of the hard work of agencies and correspondingly the number of people accepted as homeless has decreased to 109. The services provided by voluntary / faith based organisations such as Carecent, Gateway Action and Tang Hall Community Centre foodbanks provide an additional safety net for all people, not just rough sleepers or families that are homeless, but those who are isolated, struggling to manage financially and need company and food.

“These are extremely beneficial in the short term to help someone in a crisis and, when used in conjunction with advice and support services, can help people break the cycle of homelessness and poverty.”


Giving a helping hand

York Press:
Inside Carecent in St Saviourgate, York

PENSIONER Sheila Latto retired from teaching and began volunteering for Carecent 16 years ago. The stalwart volunteer agrees with the claims that more and more people are using the service – now than at any other time she has served meals.

Mrs Latto said: “We used to get regulars coming in week after week, but it’s a lot different now. One person was in care all his life until he was 16 when he was turned out, and has never had a chance.

“There’s more done for them now. Before, nobody bothered if I’m honest, and we didn’t have drugs people coming in, but now there’s a lot more help for them. There are still basic problems and if they have been in care, or if they haven’t got an address, where do they go?

“If they do want something like a job it’s beyond them because of the red tape.”


A godsend for Gaz, 33

Gaz Woolway, 33, has spent the last six months on the streets after losing his job and his house.

He goes to Carecent everyday except Sunday when he must salvage what he can from the bins of the city’s supermarkets.

The dad-of-two said: “This place is a godsend for me. When you haven’t got a job or any benefits then where can you go?

“If it wasn’t for this place I would’ve gone under.

“I worked for myself as a stonemason but had a few bad clients in a row, then my van was taken into the garage and I was told it was a write-off.

“Overnight I was out of work then I fell behind on my mortgage and decided to sell my house.

“It was one thing after another and things went wrong quite quickly.

“I went out of work overnight and it was horrible.

“I’d do my bit with the job but people would hang on to the money for as long as possible, and I would be in my overdraft just to afford fuel.

“When I did get the money I was giving it to the bank.

“It happened so fast and once I had sold the house I was left with nothing.”


The police viewpoint

SERGEANT Andy Godfrey, of York police, said: “Homelessness is an issue which affects many people, not just in York but throughout the country.

“Tackling the issue is a responsibility which is shared between numerous different agencies, including the police, charities and local councils, all of whom don’t want to see people living on the streets.

“There is help available to homeless people if they want it and there are various places around the city where they can go to get support, clothing and a shower or a cup of tea or coffee and something to eat.

“Officers from the city centre team conduct early morning walks with the Salvation Army around York to engage with rough sleepers with a view to helping them secure accommodation if they want to be helped.

“There are occasions when we have to move rough sleepers on. Not because we want to disrupt them, but because a minority of them cause problems for local residents or businesses.

“There are instances where homeless people are asked to move on if they are found sleeping in front of fire exits, or are abusive to staff or homeowners when asked to leave.

“Anyone who is genuinely homeless in York can get the help they need from the various agencies in the city, who are only too willing to support them.”