St Mary’s, Barnes, Youth Group Supports the Annual Glass Door Sleepout

St Mary’s, Barnes ,Youth Worker, Julie Smith, writes:

The annual Glassdoor Sleepout took place on Friday, 1st October with a reduced number of campers at the main Duke of York Square site following covid, which gave the opportunity for volunteers to set up satellite camps such as the little gathering of teens at the church. We started the evening with a candlelit compline in the Langton Chapel led by Revd James, with a reading from Charlie. It was a contemplative and calming atmosphere which was much appreciated by us all as we considered the evening ahead. Thank you to Wendy for her help with organising the practicalities for it. Having moved outside we settled down by our tent. It was certainly quite surreal to be sitting on cardboard outside the church while lots of people were walking the red carpet into the neighbouring Olympic Cinema for the premiere weekend of the new Bond film.

Being out in the cold and the dark while people went about their lives gave us a chance to think about what it truly means to be homeless. For most of us the ending of nearly all the pandemic restrictions has been a joyous time allowing us to reunite with family and friends, take holidays and return to work. In short, we are experiencing some normality for the first time in 18months. Sadly, for some, however, it brings the increased potential for homelessness as specific support packages are coming to an end. It could be a young person who has recently left the care system, terrified and alone. It could be a woman fleeing an abusive partner, physically bruised and mentally shattered. It could be someone who lost their job in the pandemic and can no longer afford the rent, humiliated and defeated. It could be a refugee recently arrived in the UK who is struggling to navigate the complex welfare system, confused and homesick. The homeless have many faces and the truth is that many of the people who end up on the streets are not that different from ourselves.

In just a couple of hours we could begin to comprehend the physical discomforts of rough sleeping, however, we were only a few steps away from running water, flushing toilets, electric lights, and an endless supply of hot chocolate, so we were never going to experience the true vulnerabilities of the homeless. After a night spent partly outside, and in the early hours of the morning, on the hard floors inside the church where we had a roof over our heads, we do feel a greater compassion for the vulnerability of rough sleepers. Rough sleeping is a dangerous and isolating experience. People sleeping rough are more likely to be victims of crime and violence. Women are particularly vulnerable with nearly 1 in 4 having been sexually assaulted while on the streets. Additionally, many rough sleepers develop addictions with drugs or alcohol, or mental health issues. In 2019, the average age for a rough sleeper at death was just 44 years for men and 42 years for women.

Glassdoor are an amazing charity and the organisation makes a huge difference to the homeless providing them with practical support and hope. It was a privilege for us in BYG to show our support. Several people passing by on Friday night stopped to talk to us and we hope that we have helped to spread awareness and raised some funds.

On Monday 4th October there was a Zoom meeting with volunteer co-ordinators where GlassDoor chief executive Lucy Horitz told us that the start of the season in Richmond is going to be delayed. We were very cheered last summer when government principles were published allowing for rotating night shelters to take place this winter, where there is need in a local area. Despite this and despite stringent planned safety measures, local public health teams have not been supportive of night shelters reopening in their boroughs. GlassDoor trustees have been weighing up the health, reputational and legal risks of opening and will make a final decision on Monday 11 October. In all likelihood, GlassDoor will need to start the shelters on a staggered basis, with Kensington & Chelsea and Wandsworth opening in November and others hopefully opening after Christmas. To meet guest need it is important that there is one circuit operating north of the river and one south, with Wandsworth being more suitable over Richmond as many guests travel from Lambeth. This staggered start will provide an opportunity to evaluate data on demand for the shelters, as well as their success and safety.

This is, of course, hugely disappointing for everyone here in Richmond, but it is not something that we can change. For GlassDoor these are hugely important decisions and much is at stake. Volunteers and churches might want to write to their local MP/the media etc, but GlassDoor asks us not to do that right now. At present they’re working hard to manage the relationships with local authorities and although grateful for the offer, they urge people to hold off from doing so at present.

Regardless of what happens with church night shelters, GlassDoor will continue with their 55-bed hostel at Paddington from mid-November to early May, as well as the casework support they put in place to help people into stable employment and accommodation. And the Vineyard Centre will be up and running with daytime support, as well as other local initiatives.

October 2021