WHEN you think of homeless people you may imagine a bearded man clutching a brown paper bag or a heroin addict slumped over an empty syringe.

But if you speak to members of the homeless community in Worcester, burrow beneath the casual stereotypes, you find an altogether more complicated and sometimes even darker story. But dark as these stories are, they are not without some measure of hope and there is help available for those who seek it out.

To speak to people who are homeless (or who have been) is to quickly realise that anyone can end up without a roof over their heads or 'sofa surfing' for not everyone who is homeless is a rough sleeper.

It could be you. It could be me. Perhaps your parents' marriage broke down or you lost your job and could no longer afford the rent or perhaps it was your own relationship with your parents or partner that collapsed. In some cases people who end up homeless may bear some responsibility for their predicament but in many cases they may not. What is clear is that the bastion of privilege may not always provide the shelter we assume it might.

Drink and drugs may play a part in homelessness but are they a root cause or are they a consequence or it? Here we look at three different stories of real people living in Worcester and talk about their experiences of homelessness.

All three come from different backgrounds but all became homeless and all have been helped by staff and volunteers St Paul's Hostel in Tallow Hill, a charity which provided a light in the time of their darkest need. Some have even gone on to help others who become homeless through St Paul's, giving back to the charity which helped them in their hour of need.

 

The man who lost everything: James Phipps, 22, lives at the hostel where he has already learned new skills

A YOUNG chef from a privileged background lost his job and his home in four days, sleeping rough by a Worcester bridge.

James lost his job at a Worcester cafe which he declined to name and could not afford the rent for his shared accommodation, His world began to unravel and he went to the city's Hive for help and guidance. But he said because he was young (under 25), single and male there was little in the way of support until he turned to the hostel where he now works as a chef, preparing meals for other homeless people.

He said: "They said to me I wasn't classed as a vulnerable person. I slept by the Sabrina Bridge for two weeks under a tree so I could not be seen."

Because he is estranged from his family, an issue he did not want to discuss in detail (though he admits he was at fault), he had no family support network.

James is living proof that many of the stereotypes about the homeless do not hold water. He is from a privileged background and alcohol and drugs played no role in his predicament.

He said: "I come from a privileged background. I went to private school from the age of three and I did A levels and GCSEs and a degree but I ended up with nothing. This can happen to anyone. It's not a life choice. The stereotype needs to be changed. We are actual people. We should not be treated differently to anyone else. If not for St Paul's I would be on the street."

James had been a semi-professional rugby player but suffered an injury and ended up chefing at college in Birmingham. He has been homeless twice now, the first time when he left university at the age of 17 and could not find a job. He has been living at St Paul's Hostel for over a month. He was homeless for two weeks in July following the loss of his job.

James, who works on a voluntary basis as a chef in St Paul's, says the role has given him a sense of normality. The kitchen puts out 46 meals a day for people at the hostel under head chef Matt Williams who has been teaching James new skills, including some pastry chef skills. James has also secured access to counselling. He said: "That has changed every aspect of my thinking from negative to positive. It's like a family to a certain degree in here. If you have an issue the person sat next to you is in some ways better than a staff member because they have been through it and they understand it."

James hopes to move from the hostel to permanent accommodation soon.

 

The ex-prisoner: Steven Cross, aged 34, who lives in a shared 'resettlement' property managed by St Paul's

EX-PRISONER Steven used to live the high life until he was caught dealing cocaine to an undercover police officer but says a Worcester hostel was the only place where he got a second chance.

He served an eight year jail term and when he got out of prison he was determined to get on the straight and narrow. He found himself isolated and virtually broke with no family and few friends to call upon and did not want to resume friendships which those connected to his former, criminal life to keep him out of bad habits.

Steven said: "I have had to grow up. It was a big learning curve. I went from breaking the law, taking drugs, to prison and then you find out who's around for you when you're at your lowest. I found out I had acquaintances rather than friends. I feel embarrassed. My homelessness is self-inflicted.

"This (St Paul's) is the only place that gave me a chance. I left HMP Hewell with a £46 discharge grant and nowhere to go. All I had was the clothes on my back. I had no property, nowhere to turn so I went to an old mate's house - I didn't even know if he still lived there - and stayed there two or three nights before I came here (to the hostel). I didn't want to really get in touch with the same old people. I was trying to make a fresh start."

He arrived at the hostel in Tallow Hill in November and was there about a month before they secured a place in a shared resettlement property near Wyld's Lane in Worcester where he now lives.

Steven, who grew up in care in Redditch and receives medication for mental health issues, said: "To me St Paul's Hostel is a godsend. Within a couple of days of being released I had gone to hell and back. I wasn't prepared. I had never been in that situation. I was lucky. I went to the right people."

 

The dad who would not not be defeated by his demons: Pete Shirley, 43, who lives at a dry house run by St Paul's Hostel in Bromyard Road, St John's, Worcester

A COURAGEOUS dad who was subjected to a horrifying rape ordeal refused to be defeated by his demons and now helps other homeless people.

It is hard to reconcile the upbeat, smiling Pete Shirley you meet today with the troubled man he became in the wake of an attack which turned his life upside-down and plunged his world into darkness. He jokes that he was 'a posh rough sleeper' because he slept in his car while he was homeless but he still has his dark moments, his nightmares and his flashbacks.

The father-of-five spent four months in his cramped Vauxhall Corsa by the Salvation Army in Redditch (sometimes the temperatures sank to -7C) following the breakdown of his 25-year marriage. He was later raped by a gay man he believed was his friend in a motor home near Weston-super-Mare on New Year's Eve 2012 while his attacker's partner was present. As previously reported in the Worcester News he used drink to blot out memories of the attack. The man who attacked him could not be prosecuted because of lack of evidence. When it all became too much he made an attempt on his own life by slashing his wrist on June 9, 2013. He needed 12 stitches in his arm and spent a fortnight recovering and if not for his best friend's son be believes he would have bled to death.

Since he has been able to access support from St Paul's he has been eager to put something back, volunteering with the Worcestershire Homeless Intervention Team (WHIT) as an outreach worker and is also doing a peer mentoring course. He now wants to work more permanently with homeless and vulnerable people. He said: "I would like a full time job doing what I'm doing now. I have never felt passionate about any of my other jobs. But I love this. Everybody I come across rough sleeping, they always come and shake my hand and say 'hello'."

Pete revealed he was offered help by St Paul's before his attack but declined it, believing that the council would find him somewhere to live but that did not happen. Pete wishes now he had accepted help when it was offered and believes because he is male he was not classed as vulnerable. He said: "If I had taken help then I would not have had to go through what I went through. I didn't tick any of the boxes. I had family in Redditch but none would put me up. I was the black sheep of the family - I took drugs and I drank." Pete has will not have had an alcoholic drink for 18 months on December 24. He has not taken drugs for over two years. He still suffers flashbacks and sleepless nights as a result of the attack but has been given a new purpose working with WHIT, engaging with rough sleepers. He helps make sure they have access to benefits and can help them filling in forms and gets them the support they need.

He added: "When a lot of people think of homeless people they think of brown paper bags and smelly big beards. It's so far from the truth. It's a stereotype. A lot of people have their blinkers on. They don't know what it's really like."

About St Paul's Hostel

St Paul's exists to provide accommodation and support to single homeless people within Worcester City and around the county. As well as the main 46 bed hostel it also operates a 'dry' house, a substance misuse service for street drinkers, rough sleeper outreach, resettlement services. The majority of the service users in the hostel (41 out of 46) are men and in the hostel's resettled accommodation there are 20 men and five women.

Tackling rough sleeping – Worcestershire pilots No Second Night Out

Malvern Hills, Worcester City, Wychavon and Wyre Forest will pilot No Second Night Out from December 22.

In July 2011 the government published its report on tackling homelessness with a focus on ending rough sleeping, ‘Vision to ending rough sleeping: No Second Night Out nationwide’. The government has called on all local authorities to adopt a NSNO approach and have the right services in place to meet the five NSNO principles so that:

• New rough sleepers should be identified and helped off the streets immediately;

• The public can alert services if they see anyone sleeping rough so that they can get help;

• Rough sleepers can go to a place of safety, where their needs can be quickly assessed and they can receive advice on their options;

• Rough sleepers can get emergency accommodation and other services, such as healthcare, if needed; and

• Rough sleepers from another area or country can be reconnected back to their local community, unless there is a good reason why they cannot return. Reconnection is the process by which people sleeping rough who have a connection to another area are supported to return to this area in a planned way so that they can access appropriate accommodation and/or social, family and support networks according to their needs.

As part of the commitment to implementing NSNO, there will be an emergency accommodation provision (the Night Assessment Centre). It will be available from Monday, December 22 for 12 weeks until Monday, March 16, 2015. There is a contingency for a further two weeks if the weather is particularly cold. It will be based at the YMCA Worcester.

The public can also alert district councils to rough sleepers via Streetlink. 0300 500 0914 or using their website www.streetlink.org.uk.

Other ways to help include:

• Sign posting those who are sleeping rough or at risk of sleeping rough to the local authority housing options team where they have a local connection.

• Individuals may wish to help may donate items for use in the NSNO Emergency Accommodation such as: coffee, tea, hot chocolate, cup-a-soups, sugar and biscuits. Socks – men’s and ladies. Toiletries - toothpaste, toothbrushes, shower gel and soap. These items can be donated to St Paul’s Hostel on Tallow Hill or at the YMCA where the NSNO Emergency Accommodation is based.

• Making a donation to either St Paul’s Hostel or Maggs Day Centre.