Features / #BristolCharityAdvent

Bristol Charity Advent Calendar 2018, Day 12: St Mungo’s

By Bristol24/7  Tuesday Dec 11, 2018

While sleeping rough is the most visible form of homelessness, the causes and consequences of having nowhere stable to live are often much more complicated.

This is why St Mungo’s has developed a recovery-based approach for clients, focusing on addressing the issues a person faces to help them move on with their lives.

In Bristol, the charity has 22 projects that include outreach, night shelters, mental health support, women-only accommodation, supported accommodation for people with complex needs, and a recovery college.

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“People experiencing homelessness often face a number of issues, commonly involving feelings of isolation, mental health problems, and drug or alcohol use,” explains David Ingerslev, St Mungo’s senior service manager.

“We know that working with people to understand their goals, and then helping them to achieve those is the best way to overcome these issues.

“Our outreach team is the start of that support. Our teams go out up to four times a day connecting with people who are rough sleeping.

“Each person is going through a personal time of crisis and it takes time, skill and patience to help people to find a life away from the streets.

“Time and again we’ve shown that people can, and do, move on from the problems that caused them to become homeless.

“And we believe that with well-timed and carefully-crafted support, we can help everyone into a place to call home, so they can fulfill their hopes and ambitions.”

What can we do as a community?

If you are concerned about someone who is rough sleeping, anyone can make a street referral via Streetlink.org.uk giving the following information:

o    The rough sleeper’s name (if known).

o    Physical description.

o    Any distinguishing characteristics (such as details of clothing/possessions/sleeping bag or distinctive accent).

o    Specific location where the person is sleeping.

o    Time they were seen.

Donate:

Safer off the Streets (#SOSBristol): The four charities that provide night shelters to support rough sleepers in Bristol have come together to set up a single, online crowdfunding appeal that offers people the chance to donate a specific sum – £17 – to provide one bed for one night to a homeless person:

www.fundsurfer.com/project/bristol-rough-sleeping-partnership

There are contactless donation stations across the city in which people can donate £2 directly to the city night shelters. The points are currently outside Tesco Metro and Primark in Broadmead. Two more are opening this week at Ocean estate agents on Gloucester Road and North Street.

Find out about volunteering opportunities via: www.mungos.org/get-involved/volunteer/.

Main photo by Story35.

Read more: Bristol’s first 24-hour homeless shelter opens

 

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