Are Brighton and Hove charities being tolerant or turning a blind eye?

A councillor and former police chief has questioned whether our tolerance and charity are killing the people we want to help. Frank le Duc reports

What is compassionate about allowing people to remain in a situation that is dangerous for them and dangerous for those they come into contact with? It is a question posed by Conservative councillor and former police chief Graham Cox in a recent blog post.

He was writing shortly after three people were jailed. Two of them – two men – were convicted of murdering rough sleeper Lea Williams on Hove seafront by the pitch and putt green. The other, a former nurse, was jailed for conspiracy to murder. Councillor Cox said that all were sleeping rough locally at the time of the murder.

He said: “In the light of this awful tragedy, and the other nine deaths of rough sleepers last year in the city, I am increasingly concerned that our tolerance and charity is actually killing the people we want to help. Why should people who are mentally ill, alcoholic, those abusing substances (drugs, glue, gas and petrol) be allowed to remain on the streets doing things which will harm them and those they come into contact with?

“Should we, if necessary, compel them to enter shelters and treatment programmes? I am worried that just providing soup, sleeping bags and clothing perpetuates rough sleepers in a lifestyle which will ensure their continued poverty, vulnerability to crime and ultimately death.

“The arches where the murder occurred had been occupied for some time by rough sleepers. The numbers bedding down there had grown, and the whole area was full of rubbish, discarded bottles and syringes and human excreta. At times it was beginning to resemble a shanty town.

“People living in the flats (opposite) – while many expressed sympathy for some of those sleeping there – had been forced to tolerate loud noise, music, regular fights and people going to the toilet in the open air outside their front windows. The pitch and putt concession itself went out of business with loss of jobs (and) income for the council.”

CRITICISED

He said that he was pleased that the arches had now been gated, adding: “This move has been criticised by some, perhaps understandably, suggesting that gating the arches is simply moving the problem as the street sleepers/drinkers have to
‘go somewhere’.

“At first sight this seems a reasonable criticism and no doubt what I am now going to write will attract further criticism from some as me just being a ‘typical heartless Tory’. My fundamental argument though is that it is not compassionate to simply maintain vulnerable people in a lifestyle which will probably lead to them dying – and this tragic case bears this out.”

He said that Brighton and Hove City Council and local charities such as Brighton Housing Trust (BHT) provided excellent services for the homeless. And he praised the “no second night out” policy, adding: “No second night out aims to ensure that people new to rough sleeping are helped off the streets before they become entrenched in that lifestyle.

“But what about those rough sleepers who do not want to be helped? What about those that will not engage with homelessness services? It is here that I think we may need a different, more coercive approach.

“It is not compassionate to simply maintain vulnerable people in a lifestyle which will probably lead to them dying”

“What has made me think this? I was struck by the photos of the Hove killers taken outside the crown court. I had previously seen these men drinking at benches in my ward. They looked old and ill. After nine months off the streets and away from the ‘street community’ on remand in prison they look transformed. It is ironic to think that by committing a murder these men may have indirectly saved their own lives.”

BHT chief executive Andy Winter might be expected to take issue with Councillor Cox. Mr Winter is a former Labour councillor and runs Brighton’s leading housing and homelessness charity. But he said that he agreed with the thrust of Councillor Cox’s argument.

In response to Councillor Cox, he said: “I believe it is the opposite of compassion to allow people to remain homeless, or addicted, etc. The average life expectancy of a homeless person is estimated to be between 42 and 47 years. You and I will have known far too many of those who have died too young.”

CONTAINERS ALMOST READY

The shipping containers in New England Road, Brighton, are almost ready for their first tenants. They are being converted by Brighton Housing Trust (BHT) to help 36 people who have been homeless. And those people will move in just as BHT has been celebrating its 45th anniversary.

BHT started life as Brighton Hostel at a single house in Islingword Road, Brighton, in 1968. It has just marked 45 years of helping the homeless at a reception at the First Base Day Centre in Montpelier Road, Brighton. The event included a fascinating brief history of homelessness including the story of how Brighton Hostel became BHT.

It touched on events such as the closure of the Spike rehabilitation centre in Elm Grove more than 20 years ago. It was in the grounds of Brighton General Hospital which was once the workhouse. And it charted the evolution of the Vagrancy Act and Poor Laws into the current set of rules around homelessness. It showed how and why charities still step in to help those who have slipped through the welfare net.

BHT chief executive Andy Winter thanked the Big Lottery Fund which is currently funding nine of the charity’s projects. And he paid tribute to all those who have worked for and supported BHT. He also spoke about meeting the first tenants for the converted shipping containers.

He said that seeing the gratitude of those 36 people being given a chance to have a home had been humbling and one of the proudest moments of his life.

A WINTER SANCTUARY

The Brighton and Hove Churches Night Shelter reopens on Saturday 23 November. The project is a joint venture between the churches of Brighton and Hove, with nine offering somewhere for homeless people to stay.

Throughout the winter it offers places for up to 15 people overnight each night who would otherwise have been sleeping rough. This is the third year that the project has been run after the closure of beds at St Patrick’s Church in Hove.

Those who stay are referred by agencies across Brighton and Hove. They are met and assessed by the project co-ordinator who puts together the list for each night. Given the level of need it has not proved possible to accept people who turn up unannounced.

The aim is to provide a warm, safe and friendly environment from 8pm when the doors open to 7.30am when people leave. During their stay the 15 people are given an evening meal and breakfast, with time for games, films or just a chance to chat and have someone listen to them. The churches offering overnight beds are:
• All Saints Hove in The Drive, Hove
• Bishop Hannington in Nevill Avenue, Hove
• Church of Christ the King at the Clarenden Centre in New England Street, Brighton
• Church on the Rock in St Mary’s Hall in St James’s Street, Brighton
• One Church in Gloucester Place, Brighton
• Sacred Heart Hove in Norton Road, Hove
• St Andrew’s in Church Road, Hove
• St Joseph’s in Wellington Road, Brighton
• St Peter’s in York Place, Brighton
The night shelter runs from Saturday until Friday 28 March.