Most people at some point in their lives will see homeless people begging on the streets. For most of these people, it is a last resort when every other hope has been lost. This is not what most of the people we work with want to do, in fact most of the people we work with do not feel able to beg at all.
Our service users: local people, people's sons and daughters, fathers and mothers, brothers and sisters, do not want to be in this situation.
They want CHANGE.
They want accessible housing.
They want mental health provision.
They want decent drug/alcohol support/ proper care leaver provision.
They want a benefits system that does not require a degree to work out.
They want genuine and workable ways off the street and into what we regard as 'normality'.
They want kindness, dignity and respect.
They want the same as me or you!
There will always be a few who are happy with living on the streets (individual choice has to be respected) but the majority want the same as we all do.
Why can't they have this? Cuts, ignorance, politics, agencies not working together and a million other reasons stop it happening, but Christchurch is a small town, we should be able to come together as a town and make change happen.
Come on Christchurch. what can we do as a community?
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