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We’re delighted to see homelessness at the top of the news agenda today with BBCs Spotlight and TalkBack programmes both covering the homelessness crisis.
We are in a homelessness crisis and have been for some time. The attack on our Drop-in Centre during the summer has only served to heighten the crisis for the most vulnerable people affected by homelessness.
Since the attack, we have been operating a skeleton Drop-in from our Crisis Accommodation for Women.
As a result, some of the most chronically homeless people in our city have been unable to avail of the full service the Drop-in Centre offered – from basic needs like food, toilets, showers, internet access and laundry facilities to life-changing and life-saving support on housing, benefits and addictions.
Thankfully our other life-saving services, including our Street Outreach, Floating Support and female accommodation services, have been able to continue unaffected, however, we are still struggling to meet the demands of a deepening crisis.
The wider picture is that the people who use our services are the victims of a broken system of chronic underfunding of physical and mental health care, addiction support and housing. For many The Welcome Organisation is the last place for them to go to seek support. We will never stop providing that support as long as it is needed.
We also echo the calls for government to urgently address the chronic underfunding of the vital statutory services that are creaking at the seams.
Urgent investment in mental health support, addiction services and housing should be a key priority for our leaders if we really want to address the homelessness crisis.
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