{"id":38927,"date":"2023-12-14T14:28:44","date_gmt":"2023-12-14T14:28:44","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/uwejournalism.net\/bowernews\/?p=38927"},"modified":"2023-12-14T14:30:01","modified_gmt":"2023-12-14T14:30:01","slug":"bristol-homelessness-charity-prepares-for-even-busier-christmas","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/uwejournalism.net\/bowernews\/2023\/12\/14\/bristol-homelessness-charity-prepares-for-even-busier-christmas\/","title":{"rendered":"Bristol homelessness charity prepares for &#8220;even busier&#8221; Christmas"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<figure class=\"wp-block-video\"><video height=\"1080\" style=\"aspect-ratio: 1920 \/ 1080;\" width=\"1920\" controls poster=\"https:\/\/uwejournalism.net\/bowernews\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/12\/Caring-in-Bristol-Leaflets.png\" src=\"https:\/\/uwejournalism.net\/bowernews\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/12\/Caring-at-Christmas.mp4\"><\/video><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\"><em>Video by Alex Lane-Kieltyka<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>Homelessness charity Caring in Bristol says their services this Christmas will be even busier than last year.&nbsp;<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">This comes at the end of a year during which the council reported Bristol has the third highest number of people in temporary accommodation of the English core cities.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Caring in Bristol\u2019s \u2018<a href=\"https:\/\/caringinbristol.co.uk\/volunteer-this-christmas\/\">Caring at Christmas<\/a>\u2019 is a first step in tackling homelessness at a particularly difficult time of year.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Their storytelling co-ordinator Alv Hirst has urged the government to play its part in helping those experiencing homelessness.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"700\" height=\"400\" src=\"https:\/\/uwejournalism.net\/bowernews\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/12\/AlvHirst_CaringinBristol.jpg\" alt=\"Man in checked shirt standing against cream wall\" class=\"wp-image-38932\" srcset=\"https:\/\/uwejournalism.net\/bowernews\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/12\/AlvHirst_CaringinBristol.jpg 700w, https:\/\/uwejournalism.net\/bowernews\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/12\/AlvHirst_CaringinBristol-300x171.jpg 300w, https:\/\/uwejournalism.net\/bowernews\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/12\/AlvHirst_CaringinBristol-640x366.jpg 640w, https:\/\/uwejournalism.net\/bowernews\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/12\/AlvHirst_CaringinBristol-681x389.jpg 681w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 700px) 100vw, 700px\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Alv Hirst &#8211; Storytelling Co-ordinator for Caring in Bristol<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Mr Hirst has explained why Christmas is a particularly tough period for people they work with.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cHomelessness is a very isolating thing to experience, so if you put that in the context of Christmas you can feel even more isolated. &nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cIt\u2019s also a harsher, more expensive time of year, making it so much more difficult to be experiencing homelessness when all around you seems to be focused on other things.\u201d&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Mr Hirst detailed what the shelter does and how much this means to their guests.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cWe operate for seven days starting on Christmas Eve, and we open a day centre at the Trinity Centre in Bristol,\u201d he said.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cIt enables people experiencing homelessness or precarious housing situations to come, have some festive food, a community to belong to and services which can be fun such as art and craft. &nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cBut we also have some of the essential services they might need over that period, so access to medical support or advice and things that [&#8230;] at a time when other services might be closed or at reduced capacity.\u201d&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-rich is-provider-twitter wp-block-embed-twitter\"><div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" data-width=\"550\" data-dnt=\"true\"><p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">\ud83d\ude0bFood is at the heart of belonging and we want to make a place for people experiencing <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/hashtag\/homelessness?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">#homelessness<\/a> in <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/hashtag\/Bristol?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">#Bristol<\/a> at our table. Every donation helps us move people away from a  homelessness crisis <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/BvHm23YfmA\">https:\/\/t.co\/BvHm23YfmA<\/a> <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/hbNr3Tl11D\">https:\/\/t.co\/hbNr3Tl11D<\/a><\/p>&mdash; Caring in Bristol (@caringinbristol) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/caringinbristol\/status\/1734894116591313028?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">December 13, 2023<\/a><\/blockquote><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script>\n<\/div><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.bristol.gov.uk\/files\/documents\/1522-jsna-2021-homelessness\/file\" data-type=\"link\" data-id=\"https:\/\/www.bristol.gov.uk\/files\/documents\/1522-jsna-2021-homelessness\/file\">The council\u2019s annual 2023\/24 wellbeing report<\/a> found:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Bristol has the third-highest number of people in temporary accommodation of the English core cities.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Bristol has ten times the number of households in Emergency Temporary Accommodation than anywhere else in Bath &amp; North East Somerset and South Gloucestershire.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>The main cause reported by users of homelessness services is &#8216;family\/friends no longer willing to accommodate.&#8217;<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Other significant factors include: &#8216;loss of assured shorthold tenancy&#8217; and &#8216;domestic abuse or other violence&#8217;. <\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Young people and Black African\/Caribbean people are disproportionately in need of the city&#8217;s homelessness services.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">They also described the situation as \u201ca&nbsp;reflection of post-covid household pressures and a lack of available affordable move-on accommodation in the city.\u201d&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Mr Hirst concurred that this is the reason for the increased demand for their services.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cThis year demand will be higher than last year, I said this at this time last year as well, and it was true then.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cWe\u2019re looking at a context of rising costs, particularly in Bristol &#8211; we have issues around housing being very expensive and being very scarce.\u201d&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"700\" height=\"400\" src=\"https:\/\/uwejournalism.net\/bowernews\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/12\/Caring-in-Bristol-Leaflets.png\" alt=\"selection of leaflets and pamphlets\" class=\"wp-image-38936\" srcset=\"https:\/\/uwejournalism.net\/bowernews\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/12\/Caring-in-Bristol-Leaflets.png 700w, https:\/\/uwejournalism.net\/bowernews\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/12\/Caring-in-Bristol-Leaflets-300x171.png 300w, https:\/\/uwejournalism.net\/bowernews\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/12\/Caring-in-Bristol-Leaflets-640x366.png 640w, https:\/\/uwejournalism.net\/bowernews\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/12\/Caring-in-Bristol-Leaflets-681x389.png 681w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 700px) 100vw, 700px\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Caring in Bristol&#8217;s leaflets and pamphlets<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">He said that the government has already proved it can make a difference and urged them to do more.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">&#8220;We know that systems, when they change, can have a profound impact,\u201d he said.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cIf you think back to the beginning of the COVID pandemic, we had the <a href=\"https:\/\/commonslibrary.parliament.uk\/research-briefings\/cbp-9057\/\">\u2018Everyone In\u2019 programme<\/a> which meant that people experiencing street homelessness were able to move off the streets into some safer accommodation.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cIt may not have been ideal, but it was a demonstration that with the will, things can change.\u201d&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">This asks questions of Bristol&#8217;s authorities exactly a month after 400 residents were evicted from Barton House and are still living in hotels.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-rich is-provider-twitter wp-block-embed-twitter\"><div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" data-width=\"550\" data-dnt=\"true\"><p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">Have you heard about Marvin Rees and Ashar Craig doing this to the people of Barton House in <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/hashtag\/Bristol?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">#Bristol<\/a> by any chance <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/Keir_Starmer?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">@Keir_Starmer<\/a>? An entire block of flats forced people in to homelessness by Labour and <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/ACORNunion?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">@ACORNunion<\/a> ignored!  <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/7VEnsrnraZ\">https:\/\/t.co\/7VEnsrnraZ<\/a><\/p>&mdash; Bristol People (@Bristol_People) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/Bristol_People\/status\/1735216019998748738?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">December 14, 2023<\/a><\/blockquote><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script>\n<\/div><\/figure>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Homelessness charity Caring in Bristol says their services this Christmas will be even busier than last year.&nbsp; This comes at the end of a year during which the council reported Bristol has the third highest number of people in temporary accommodation of the English core cities.&nbsp; Caring in Bristol\u2019s \u2018Caring at Christmas\u2019 is a first [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":296,"featured_media":38936,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-38927","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/uwejournalism.net\/bowernews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/38927","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/uwejournalism.net\/bowernews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/uwejournalism.net\/bowernews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/uwejournalism.net\/bowernews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/296"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/uwejournalism.net\/bowernews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=38927"}],"version-history":[{"count":24,"href":"https:\/\/uwejournalism.net\/bowernews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/38927\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":39218,"href":"https:\/\/uwejournalism.net\/bowernews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/38927\/revisions\/39218"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/uwejournalism.net\/bowernews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/38936"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/uwejournalism.net\/bowernews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=38927"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/uwejournalism.net\/bowernews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=38927"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/uwejournalism.net\/bowernews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=38927"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}