Homeless? Well it's a lifestyle choice ... Isn't it?

A choice? Would you chose?

Beanie cellars is often busy, our friends visit, comment, contribute... They often share thoughts and coffee with Sue over the Blog table. You may remember in our last blog Charlotte talked about attitudes..

HOMELESS - It means different things to different people. 
Sometimes there is empathy, "There but for fortune..."
But often it is 

"Worthless" "Useless" "Con men" "Working the system" "Fakes - they gotta home, begging is just a job for them" "Drunks and Druggies" "Not worth my time"...

Today Team Beanie welcome Dave Kennedy from Huddersfield Change Project 

Again we look at what 'homeless' means.  

Over to Dave...

There have been many occasions in the last year where people have messaged me or the team, or stopped us in the street, and uttered the words "They're not genuine".

Genuine. Rather than try to dissect what constitutes "Genuine" and what doesn't, here is a description, as concise as I possibly can, of what to us constitutes "Homeless".

A homeless person is quite literally someone without a home to call their own. A rough sleeper, like those we have helped at 5am in sleeping bags under bridges, doorways and in car parks in Huddersfield, is homeless.

Someone who sits on the street with a hat by their side and a bag of belongings, is Homeless. This includes if they are going "Home" to a friends house, a relation, to a crack house, to a derelict building or to a tent. It's not a home, it is somewhere to stay. 

If they are known drug addicts, alcoholics, or both, they get our help. Because they're Homeless. We don't give cash out, ever, because we can't be responsible for funding their addictions. It would be partly on our backs if they overdosed using money we gave them. But we can and do and WILL give clothing, food and essential items to them, regardless of whether they are sleeping rough or sofa surfing. They're homeless.

Someone staying at a hostel is homeless. The Hostels are excellent, they have fabulous staff and facilities and we have some excellent ones in Huddersfield. But they're a stop gap, a Halfway House where these people can stay while they are moved on to their own house or flat. But they're still homeless. 

If we see someone sitting in town during the day or evening that we know are staying at a hostel, we help them. 
Because they're Homeless.

It takes time to gain trust

People sit in the streets for all sorts of reasons. After 8 months of daily visits, conversations, trust and friendship-building, we know these people well. We ask around, we research their background, we talk to the other groups. We find out why they're there.

And in those 8 months, out of probably 35 people we have got to know on the streets in our area, 2 of them have turned out to be begging for money to fund a habit and then go home to their own place. Two. Out of 35. And even then, we help them with snacks etc and try to point them in the right direction for some help with their issues.

The other services in place have been excellent.

So have we. Because we've formed a network with the support groups available.

But, the people we deal with, they're Homeless. And, to try and encourage people NOT to ask if they're genuine or not, we use the term "Less fortunate" as well as "Homeless" in our title.

Please, remember, that unless these people have a permanent address, they are Homeless. 

If they are staying somewhere or are in the care and support system, they are still Homeless.

And that's why Huddersfield Change Project, and several other well-known on-street groups like us, are here and are needed.

And, as well as being homeless, these people are human. One of the people we help won't sit out on a Sunday because he is a Christian and he believes in the Lord's day. One of them has bed and breakfast accommodation but needs two other meals a day. One of them is put out on the streets to beg because they're female and the public sympathise more. She returns to a house every evening where she pays £2 a night to stay there. It's not a hotel or a hostel. It's a squat.

Please, think carefully before casting judgement on someone sitting or sleeping on the streets. They're there for a reason. And so are we. If you think they're funding a habit, don't give them money. Give them food, give them support. Give them a smile.

I guarantee they'll all smile back -

Because they're human.

Thank you for reading 💕💕.

Dave Kennedy is the Founder and Co-ordinator of the Huddersfield Change Project.

The Huddersfield Change Project came into being to bring direct support to people sleeping rough or living on the streets of Huddersfield. What started as a twice-weekly visit to the town has turned into a daily Outreach round, bringing drinks, snacks, meals, clothing and essentials to anyone in need. They are non-judgemental and will help anyone in need. 

You can find them on Facebook 

facebook.com/HCPKENNO

Or on Twitter as @HCPKenno

They rely entirely on Public Donations​, and are now bringing support to Manchester as well as Huddersfield, and are looking to work in other towns close by soon.

Thank you Dave, some things that we shouldn't forget.


You can buy things to support homeless outreach at our 
Twitter site, where we are @beanies_masato
Or via our page at

http://www.masato.co.uk/collections/masato-homeless-support

This article appeared previously on the HCPKenno Facebook site in June 2017
Picture posed by non-homeless model.