Study is good for you, but some of the thinking is tough…

For those of you expecting a cheery post today I’m sorry to say I can’t oblige but I do ask you to stick with me.  Sometimes I feel like a bit of a sponge.  Returning to study has opened my mind to so many things. In my work I find myself dealing with many of the difficult and often tragic issues that challenge many in our communities. I’m always a fairly upbeat and happy chappy in that dealing with difficult situations doesn’t so much get me down as get me mad.  It fires me up and makes me want to shout so loud that the policy makers can’t ignore little old me.

Today my mind is taken into an uncomfortable area. Not only have I had cause to deal with clients threatened by homelessness at this time of year but as part of my research I’ve also been doing a fair bit of reading around homelessness and mental health. I am, as they say, surrounded by homelessness. I have found this both challenging to read and to reflect on. This stuck with me today and so, as with most things that come to the fore of my head and my heart – they end up here in my blog.

My husband called me from London this morning to say that it was a beautiful day, but bitterly cold. Spookily he called just after I’d read that half of the rough sleepers in the UK are in London.

Through my work I know that we don’t have a huge number of rough sleepers in Inverness. I do however know that regardless of the numbers the death rate of rough sleepers is 25 times that of the rest of the population. Sure there are emergency hostels organised by amazing charities but through my research I’ve discovered that for some homeless people these hostels just ain’t an option – why?  Well because they have pets. Recent research figures indicate that 86% are turned away from shelters.

For many homeless people a pet is their only companion and asking them to give up their pet must be like asking them to abandon a best friend. From my own reading I can only conclude that there is no doubt that being homeless must bring most people to the depths of despair. Having a pet is known to alleviate that desperation. Statistics show that pet owners on the streets are significantly less likely to suffer from depression and be drug users than homeless people without pets.

This issue was recently highlighted in the media and a campaign has been launched by animal welfare, housing and homelessness charities to encourage housing providers across Britain to review their policies. Put quite simply unless things change there is little hope of breaking the vicious circle that pet owning homeless people find themselves in.

Things do need to change. If you’re reading this and have a dog or a cat just reflect for a moment on how hard it would be if you had to make the tough choice to give up your pet. It would be terrible, wouldn’t it.  Importantly these companions don’t just deliver love and affection to their homeless owners, homeless charities advocate that the stability, love and responsibility of looking after a pet plays an key part in resettlement and a life of independence.

I’ll be honest, I’ve never really given this aspect of homelessness any thought.  Sure I’ve bought the Big Issue and given the dog a clap, had a chat and moved on into my day. I had no idea that the person selling me the big issue might be deprived of shelter that night because they have a dog.

This is a time of year for reflecting and I guess being thankful. It’s also a time of year when our mind naturally turns to charity. There are lots of charities out there working with homeless people.  Many will tell you that the recession and spending cuts have already caused a spike in youth homelessness. They also warn us that future welfare reforms are likely to add to this.

Image from Homelessness Charity Website

So yes today I’ve had a bit of a rant and I accept that there is little I can do on my own to influence any of this.  Or can I?  Well I’ve decided I’m going to use some of the fire in my belly that this research has generated and find out what the position is for homeless people with pets in my area.  I think I can feel a letter to our MSP coming on….

So what are the things that get you fired up and what do you do about it?