Launching our brand new homelessness campaign
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In the run up to World Homeless Day on 10 October, we’re highlighting lots of ways you – and decision makers locally and nationally – can help people who are experiencing homelessness.
Our services support people in many different ways. Here our director, Patrick, tells us more about some of the key principles that underpin our work…
Dignity. Hope. Solidarity.
It’s not too much to ask to have a society where everyone is valued and is able to fulfil their dreams and live to their full potential, is it?
But, in Greater Manchester and Lancashire – the area in which we work – there are thousands of individuals and families who are either experiencing homelessness right now, or who are at risk of becoming homeless soon.
It’s 2026 and this should simply not be the case.
We’re pleased that on day one in his role as prime minister, Andy Burnham committed to ending rough sleeping, and we’re waiting to see how this plays out in practice. It’s not a simple task, but with the right funding and resources, organisations like ours can work in partnership with government, local decision makers and others across the UK to make a real difference. We’re ready and willing to play our part.
We shouldn’t lose sight, too, of those who are sofa surfing, with no regular, safe and secure place to call home. Or families in danger of losing their house due to rent increases or from other issues which plunge them into times of acute crisis. With more affordable housing, and with a commitment to address the underlying issues that keep people in poverty, real change could happen.
Everyone deserves to have hope, a safe secure place to call home, and a future built on dignity. That’s at the heart of our charity’s mission.
Pope Francis spoke of the importance of walking alongside people who are homeless, not only offering material support such as shelter, meals and kindness, but also by helping them as they restore their dignity in a world that he said is often indifferent to their suffering.
It may sound obvious, but remembering that people experiencing homelessness are people first is essential.
Sometimes, with political rhetoric or media headlines propped up with hard-hitting statistics to back up viewpoints, the people at the centre can be lost. They are our neighbours, our friends, our family, our colleagues, all with hopes, fears, dreams and potential.
Only by listening to their experiences, their thoughts on what might make life better for them, and the ways they think that might be achieved, can we truly navigate together through this crisis.
Much of our work is coproduced with the people accessing our services and that’s vital to ensuring we remain fit for the future, and that we can bring about the changes that matter most too.
We all deserve to live in hope and to do so in a dignified way, not shying away from difficulties, but by empowering and supporting people to work through them in a way that is right for them.
Many people that come to us for help say that they never dreamed they’d become homeless or be at risk of becoming so, yet that’s something that could happen to any of us at any time.
As World Homelessness Day approaches, and government plans to end rough sleeping hopefully progress, we hope that those plans show care, compassion and solidarity with everyone affected.
We’ll keep calling loudly for change and, though there aren’t any quick wins, we’re committed to playing our part in bringing back hope and to helping deliver true, lasting and dignified change.
Click here to find out ways you can support local people experiencing homelessness.
