Is It The Most Wonderful Time Of Year?
For Oxford’s homeless community, Christmas comes with dread
Their dark eyes look up towards me as I walk past trying not to make eye contact. I was always told all they want are drugs. Their pale skin clinging to their bones as they look at me, whilst huddled within a rough coat and a sleeping bag.
Christmas is the time for good food, back to back films, laughter and cheer. For the homeless people of Oxford however, their Christmas is spent sitting on the cold wet streets watching passers by, feeling dehumanised.
After coming to Oxford Brookes University from a relatively small town in Suffolk where homelessness is rare, I was appalled by just how many people were sitting on the streets. They sit on damp cardboard signs, holding paper cups with only a few pennies in them. Even though no one likes to be hassled on a busy morning or afternoon, seeing these people on the streets, especially around Christmas time, with no refuge or safety made me feel hopeless.
Oxford has many homeless shelters and soup kitchens that offer food, warmth and activities and advice on how to improve their life. The biggest factor contributing to the increasing number of rough sleepers is the affordability of housing within Oxfordshire and the Thames Valley. With Oxford being surrounded by a river and flood land, along with historic buildings with specific regulations surrounding what can or cannot be built around them, it’s very difficult to get planning permission. Along with the cost of living crisis, buying and renovating land has become increasingly expensive. It also means for some students and especially international students, that sustaining and developing a life in Oxford can be a real challenge.
Another factor contributing to the amount of homeless people on the streets of Oxford is due to many service jobs not paying enough for people to keep up with their rent, which forces people to struggle. The lack of support surrounding certain mental health illnesses is also a growing issue. When someone is struggling with their mental health, who lacks a strong support network it can be really difficult for them to hold down a tenancy.
Many stores offer a too good to go bag within Oxford. Pret a Manger in particular, has partnered with many charities to tackle homelessness. On their official website they state,
“Reducing waste and hunger
We’ve always tried to reduce the waste from our shops. Charities, shelters and community organisations come to collect our freshly made unsold food and give it to the people who need it most. For some, it’s their only meal of the day. We do it because it’s the right thing to do.” https://www.pret.co.uk/en-GB/the-pret-foundation
This is really helpful, around this time of year and it truly does make someone’s life on the streets that little bit better. Even though a sandwich here and there isn’t going to change their life in the long run, it can put a smile on their face, even if it lasts just a minute.
After walking the streets of Oxford, I spoke to one lady who had been on the streets for three years. She said,
“I didn’t get on with my mum and I always felt that she never loved me so I left.”
When asked how she gets through the Christmas period she said,
“It’s hard. Especially with everyone walking past with bags of presents and people looking at me like I’m a drug addict or I’m dangerous.”
I also spoke to another lady who has lived on the streets for three years also, with her dog- Bouncer. She said,
“Sometimes I just want to talk to someone. People think we are scammers and we’re not. We’re just unlucky”
What Are The Impacts?
There are social, mental and also physical impacts on being homeless and all of them are detrimental to those living on the streets. People who suffer from mental health problems are less likely to maintain relationships and be able to sustain a balanced life.
Many homeless people can also feel isolated and alone, when living on the streets, which makes it much easier for them to turn towards substance abuse and bad habits. However, not every homeless person is a drug addict.
The longer someone is out on the streets, the more difficult it is for charities and shelters to try and get them back onto their feet. There is such a large divide between those living on the streets to those living in a house, who have access to clean water, warmth and home cooked food. According to ‘Homeless Link’ it states on their website that,
“People with no home often have complex health needs. The mean age at death of homeless people was 46 years for men, 43 years for women. This compares to 76 years for men and 81 years for women in the general population”
Being homeless isn’t just about being on the streets, it’s also about not having access to the NHS or a GP, because to register, most practices need an address. Homeless people are more at risk of suffering from the winter flu, covid-19 and other viruses this Christmas. However even though they are living in the United Kingdom, where we pride ourselves on the NHS, many homeless people can’t access it. This puts up a real barrier, which needs to be broken. It’s truly sad to turn sick people away just because they have no address. However this is becoming the norm.
Although you may not know it, or want to know it, there are no magic fairies that visit every homeless person on the streets at night and offer them a place to stay or something warm to eat. No one goes around the streets and says ‘that’s a wrap for today, pack up and go home’. These aren’t actors and they’re not animals. They are human beings being forced to live in the cold and wet, begging for even just a bottle of water. Homelessness is as real as it gets when it comes to life and these people need our help.
What Can You do?
There are lots of ways in which you can help the homeless not only this Christmas but all throughout the year.
If you see someone sleeping rough, a small social interaction can go a long way especially for people who witness people walk past them everyday.
Buying a gift such as a sandwich and a bottle of water can also go very far at this time of year.
You could always buy the Big Issue. Especially in cities such as Oxford, it helps people without homes or on the verge of sleeping rough, earn a little bit of extra income.
Always be on the lookout for local initiatives that are helping raise money for the homeless and get involved!
Should I give cash?
Giving money is entirely a personal choice and one which you have no control over on what they spend it on. They might choose to spend it on themselves, friends or even their pets. However, not every homeless person is going to buy food or even possibly clothes and those with an addiction are more likely to spend your money on things that you personally wouldn’t like. Giving money in general may buy them a hot drink or a sandwich but it is very unlikely to help them in the long run. Therefore, donating money to charities or even putting them in contact with shelters and food banks, are going to make their lives a little bit better.
There are lots of homeless shelters and charities within Oxford,
Oxford Gatehouse (Homeless shelter)
Homeless Oxfordshire (charity)
Crisis Skylight Oxford (Homeless service)
Oxford Mind Housing (charity)
(Links below)
After speaking with the Oxford Gatehouse homeless shelter, Sasha (CEO) said,
“As a society we need to work collectively so that we have more affordable homes for people, this means things like better rules around how landlords let [to] tenants.”
At Christmas time in particular she said,
“At Christmas it can be really helpful to get involved with one of the local organisations that work with people experiencing homelessness.”
It’s not just The Gatehouse that are looking for volunteers but most homeless shelters in Oxford are in dire need of volunteers this Christmas.
To those out there who may not understand the harsh reality of spending Christmas on the streets, the Gatehouse homeless shelter says,
“You may not believe it but anyone of us could become homeless. We meet people at The Gatehouse from such a wide range of backgrounds. Life can throw unexpected things in our direction that we could never have predicted.”
She continued and said,
“There are also many more people without homes than those sleeping out on the streets, many people spend months on sofas of friends or in hostels or moving between places that can only offer a temporary solution”
The Gatehouse are always looking for volunteers but during the summer months in particular, as many of the volunteers are students and go home in the summer. This means that the shelter finds it really difficult to run its services.
When you are sitting round your table this Christmas eating your three course meal or opening your new MacBook, remember that there is someone out there on the streets, cold, tired and hungry, just trying to get through another year.
If you would like to help out this Christmas or in the summer, click the links below,
https://oxfordgatehouse.org/volunteer/