Hello,
The sun is out, the garden team are muttering about a drought, and I am going around urging people to wear a hat (incl me).
“Get ahead, getta hat” is my latest encouragement!
“Get ahead, getta a f***ing house” came the retort.
And of course he has point, a real point. Out of our weekly cohort (12), 4 are sofa surfing/homeless, 2 in a hostel, 1 in a tent (might sound okay, it’s not).
The news is full of ‘getta job’, and yes there are jobs, a lot of vacancies around.
I was recently told, “Surely the job is paramount; it’s what comes first”.
My reply is always the same, “Employment is the goal and that is a great outcome for everybody. But when you have a lot of ‘life-baggage’, becoming work ready is not as simple as just wanting a job”.
So here is the great conundrum – without somewhere to live, getting a job and then holding down a job is difficult, mostly impossible.
One of the hardest things we do here is to reflect back what we see. An example of one such difficult conversation could be to someone who is strutting around shouting “Gis-a-job I can do that” then having to explain (carefully) that they’re not quite ready, not ‘work-ready’.
A criminal record, low self-esteem, trying to get over or manage a drug or alcohol problem are real barriers to employment. And all need time to resolve.
But without adequate available housing, the barrier is huge.
A few points which could be considered before people blame these guys for not working…
- Our area (South Hams) has 4,850 Airbnb’s, it makes you think!
- Private rent for a single room/shared accommodation is way above housing benefit support, which is one reason why so many people are homeless.
- I often wonder if increased housing benefit could be linked to supporting/encouraging employment (getta job, getta house support).
- Could the high education requirements to gain a construction site apprenticeship be lowered? The apprenticeship scheme is a great way into employment, so why make it so difficult?
‘Getta f***ing house’ man has been working all his life, 6 years ago it all went wrong, foolish mistakes and suddenly life is impossibly difficult. He does want to contribute again to society, clearly he can, but I get his frustration, that he feels shut out.
I think ultimately it’s about building or rebuilding good solid foundations. People need support to do this, and good housing (obviously with solid foundations) is an essential part of the journey of re-entry into the community.
Chris
22nd May 2025