Go away till you run out of Sofas!

Is a sofa a home?  You wouldn’t think so would you…

You may remember back in January the Tweet from Greg that caused so many comments.  It said

Homeless

Went to the council about housing  

I said I’m sofa surfing and running out of sofas

Reply

“Come back when you do – Next”

Which incensed our friend in Wales, Frances Beecher.  Who told Greg to try again with his advisor, as a sofa certainly wasn’t a home!

We asked Greg what happened.  He approached his advisor, and said he was indeed homeless in his understanding, as there was nothing permanent about the sofa arrangement, and he was constantly having to move on as he outstayed his welcome and strained his friendships.  His advisor agreed.  Yes, Greg was indeed homeless.  But he wasn’t “Priority Need”.  No priority need case, no duty to provide accommodation.  Advice now, oh yes, advice was there… “Come back when you run out of sofas.  And here’s a list of local charities who may be able to help.”

So today at Beanie Cellars Sue, Greg and Frances are sharing coffee and cookies - and information!

Greg: Well if the law says I'm homeless Frances, why am I still turned away?

Frances: “There is LAW, and there is local interpretation of Law.”  

True.  And as Councils run out of money, funding and places, and the number in need of help continues to rise, that interpretation is getting more difficult every week.

So lets drill down into this a bit further… We ask Frances to explain

Greg: On the street and sleeping rough, that means "Homeless" to most people I guess.  But Councils seem to have a different idea! Who IS considered Homeless?

Frances: Anyone who has no home in the UK or anywhere else in the world available for them to occupy is ‘Homeless’.  

You may have been evicted, like Greg.  Your mortgage lender may have repossessed your home.  Or you might be at risk of abuse or violence if you return to the place you normally live.  Clear so far? 

BUT - and there is always a BUT – The council may decide you DO have a home if:

•     You are living with friends or family who consent to you staying and haven’t asked you to leave – (Is that you Greg?)
•     You have the right to stay in the home because of marriage to or civil partnership with the tenant or home owner.

Greg:  But what happens if you have a ‘home’?  You have a right to live there, and nobody is trying to get you out?  If, for example you are experiencing violence, abuse or harassment, or if your health is threatened by conditions there?

Frances: You will probably need to prove it. Do you have a witness?  Will your GP confirm it?  If it was violence were the Police involved? No? Then you may be told to go "Home".

You are also homeless if you only have temporary accommodation, such as a hostel, or you are staying with friends or family who can only put you up for a very short time.  
You are also considered  homeless in most cases if you are staying in a women’s refuge.

Greg: What happens if the Council decide I'm NOT "Homeless"?

Frances: The Council may well decide you are not homeless and they have to put that in writing, with reasons, which gives you 21 days to request a review.

Greg: My Advisor told me that although I probably could be classed as Homeless, I am not "Priority need".  What's that all about?

Frances: Priority need?

The Council does not have to offer you a home or a shelter if it decides you are NOT in priority need – and usually will not.  All they need to do is give you advice, or help you find somewhere to live.  

Greg:  In my case a few encouraging words and an out of date list of charities. Very helpful!

What is Priority Need?

Frances:  Usually you are considered priority need if:

·       You have dependent children living with you (with various qualifying conditions).

·       You are pregnant.

·       You are 16 or 17, but usually Social Services will step in. If they won't then its the homeless route for you.

·       You are 18-21 and a care leaver.  

·       You have been made homeless by a disaster such as fire or flood.
        You have left prison or the armed forces.

·           You are vulnerable because of old age, mental illness, handicap or physical disability or perhaps for another special reason.

BUT

There is no requirement to help if you are “intentionally homeless”.  This particularly affects young people who run away, or are thrown out of their homes.  Maybe a family row, admitting they are gay, or perhaps falling out with a Parent's new Partner, or suffering violence or abuse.  45% of young people who approach local Councils are sent away without help, often told to return to the homes that they are fleeing, as their “behaviour made them homeless” – Intentional… Well, what do you think?

And sometimes help will not be forthcoming if you do not have a local connection.

Greg: For me? I find it difficult to challenge any of the things I'm told by my Advisor, as I don't know where I stand legally.  You used to be able to get legal aid and a bit of help there, but that's not available to me now... Although it may be available to some.

Thank you Frances.  Greg is looking glum!

We hope that has made some of the convolutions of homelessness a bit clearer.  

But, as Frances said

"There is LAW, and there is interpretation of Law"

Some Councils, such as Sevenoaks, have a really proactive approach to the homeless situation.  Sevenoaks have a scheme called HERO - Housing and Energy Retraining Options, that seeks to help in as many cases as they can, as early as they can.  Councillor Michelle Lowe believes that this is a positive first step.  It is a scheme we post links to on a regular basis.

You can find Frances, who is CEO of Llamau who are Wales' leading homeless charity for young people and vulnerable women, on Twitter as @fjbeecher

Find Llamau on Twitter as @llamauUK and they are one of our Partners for 2017.

Details of Llamau at

http://www.llamau.org.uk

Sevenoaks Councillor Michelle Lowe is also on Twitter as @MichelleLowe14 

Details of the HERO project we mentioned at

http://www.sevenoaks.gov.uk/services/housing/housing-advice/hero

we are also indebted to Shelter for background information.

And us? We are TeamBeanie.  We raise homeless issues, dispelling myths, and sell stuff to raise funds for the homeless. Find us on Twitter as @beanies_masato and our goodies on this link

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

We are grateful to L. Buckley-Thomson Tweeting as @Mrs_BT for an update to the information supplied.

Blog written by Sue

Living in a tent and waking up with icicles!

Homelessness isn't new…

Nor is homelessness just in the UK, or just Europe… It is a world wide problem.  And is it just us, but after decades of apparently slow escalation, the last four years seem to have evidenced an explosion in the number of homeless sleeping on the streets.

And people are dying.  In the street.  In the cold.  People with friends.  People with families somewhere.  Dying in the cold street as they sleep.

Now it my well be that it was always thus, and that social media, the Facebook pages, the Twitter Tweets, are the reason we are more aware.  That in fact this has always happened, and that we didn't hear about it.  That may indeed be the case.  But in a civilised society - and we are supposed to be that, though sometimes I wonder - HOW can the fact that people are homeless and dying of cold EVER be accepted by ANYONE?

We were discussing the cold in Beanie Cellars this morning.  Temperatures predicted to fall in the next few days, minus 7C (about 20F), minus 10C (about 14F), and maybe lower.  Which brought to mind a discussion we had with a friend in America about when they were young.  They ended up… 

Actually, tell you what, we'll jump timezones, pour the coffee and welcome Deej (who is on Twitter as @D4rk34gl3) to share their story…

Hi People!  

Just so you know...

It was close to 30years ago, that I was homeless in the woods of Northern Michigan.

I'm not homeless now.  Now, I stay at my father's house. I was severely injured a few years ago in a motorbike wreck. Could barely get out of bed for 2months. Had to move here when the "unemployment benefits" ran out.

The truth about homelessness in southern California, is that it's very expensive to live here.

Even if one has a job, it doesn't mean one can afford housing.

A small, single room "studio apartment"  Can be over $1500 (About £1250 currently) per month. Depending upon the location.

If it's close to where the jobs are, it's even more expensive.

More than $2000 per month!

Low level jobs pay from $9-12 (£7-£9.50) per hr.

 (Do the math!)

Anywhere else in the country, with the exception of maybe New York City, that amount would be sufficient.

Around here?

Not so much.

You'll always have to have many roommates. If you can even find an affordable place.

Or live far from towns that actually have economically viable jobs. Which means the need of a car. Due to the woefully inadequate public transportation system in Southern California.

You have a choice.

Eat daily.

Have a car.

OR

Have a place.

You can see that the choices we are somewhat forced to make lean toward being able to travel to where the jobs are.

Some live in their cars or have had the opportunity to purchase small caravans or to convert bread delivery lorries. Many more don't have that luxury.

There are so many who have stories which are much more important than mine.

 google images

But here it is...

In 1984, I was 17.

Just before I graduated high school, my parents had decided to "get away from it all" and bought a small, 8 cabin  resort on 14 acres of northern Michigan woodland. Mainly for Fishing & hunting & canoeing, tourists.

It turned out that the previous owner had "doctored" the accounting books to make the place appear to be a year-round operation.

It wasn't.

And Michigan winter freezes un-insulated plumbing. Causing water pipes to burst which made for massive water damage to the cabins.

It was a major expense. More than expected.

There was a difficulty selling our house in California.

So, my parents gave up the resort, and returned to California.

I stayed in Michigan, because I like wooded, rural areas.

I'm not such a fan of cities.

I worked at whatever jobs were available. Fast food. Local stores. Factories. Whatever. I even spent time working on motorbikes. 

I'd been there for about 2 years "on my own" when I lost my job, because I was a headstrong kid and wouldn't take any shit from the boss, and this led to losing my apartment. Which was actually just a small motel room that had a monthly rent option.

Then, my car broke down and I was unable to afford repairs.

Now, I was a pedestrian. With only the things that fit in my backpack.

Some clothes. Some camping gear. That's it.

I "lost" everything else.

If I couldn't carry it, I didn't.

In The 80's in Northern  Michigan, there was a lot of accessible land. So, the cops coming around to harass you, didn't often happen to me. Except for once when I was on a plot of land that was actually privately owned, but on a map of public lands it was shown to be "public".

Only, the map I had was outdated, and I had to move.

 No worries!

At that time, there was a lot more places I could camp. Legally.

And Fortunately, I was able to get a job at a restaurant. Which allowed for meals on the days I worked. It paid $3.50 per hr. 40 hrs per week. I slept in an old style tent. And I had a good sleeping bag. This was early in the days of specialized winter camping gear being available to the general public. Instead only scientists and very rich "adventurers" had the luxury!

google images

I was in a small copse of woods near my job.

I could walk there in 25 minutes. 35 if the snow was deep and I had to go around the field I'd usually cross directly. I lived there for 8months.  May-January

And then, a friend acquired an apartment in Traverse City, Michegan.

Not very far from my job.

Fortunately, I was able to move in. It was "Freezin-Ass" in my little tent,  and a heated place was a very nice thing to have after months of making small campfires outside every night and waking up to icicles INSIDE my tent!

And yes. I really did take baths in a frozen lake. Which was interesting, as the water was warmer than the air. The ambient temp on a usual winter day was about 0°f with a slight wind.

And yes. I've experienced colder than that. -30°f (-35C) with windchill = -50°f (-46C).

Had to cover my mouth to breathe. Or my lungs might freeze!

If I wasn't 19 years bold…  (not a typo)  ...I might not have survived.

I fully understand the danger of living in an inhospitable winter environment.

And yes. I've known people who've died from it.

I never knew their full names. When you are homeless its information you don't often share.

But I've never forgotten their first names.

Nor the days we spent together at Lake Arbutus, Michegan.

I'm still sad for them. Nobody in any affluent nation, should ever have to die like that.

nor Anywhere on Earth!

Now, after many years of floating around, having whatever job I could get, I'm working to create a business.

(Gee! How American! LulzzZ!)

Which, I hope will be successful enough to provide my necessities and allow me to help others.

As a survivor of a harsh period of time, I believe it's my duty to help those in situations similar to those I experienced.

Cold. Almost zero money. No family & barely any friends, (ya know, they tend to drift away pretty fast... Because money.)

I wish to provide, even if only a small amount, some relief.

When I'm ready to go public with it, I will. 

I still need copyright or whatever intellectual property ...procedures...

 I'll need to make it legitimate.

I guess I'm saying that even if you really haven't discovered your path in life. It doesn't mean all is doomed.

There's always some relief. You might have to hunt it down or create it yourself, but it does exist!

No matter what...

Keep Going. 

Thanks Deej, its kind of you to share your experiences!  And we are pleased to hear that you are working up a new project.  Please drop in and let us know how things work out.

Here at TeamBeanie we blog about matters homeless. and share stories from our friends on the street.  On Twitter as @beanies_masato we tweet as a noticeboard, dispel myths and sell stuff to help our homeless outreach partners.

If you would like to buy a Beanie hat or a scarf, or even a duffle bag, all of which send on to a street homeless person, the link is here

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

Blog edited and collated by Sue