Reflecting on World Homeless Day 2021
When we asked some of our volunteers what they would like to receive if they had a wish from their fairy godmother, the predominant response was ‘End homelessness. But if you can’t. We’d like to help as many people as possible who are homeless.”
On World Homeless Day I wanted to share a few statistics on what we’ve achieved in the last twelve months in helping the homeless of Milton Keynes and also take a peak at our work moving forward.
Since October 2020:
- We’ve provided a temporary home for 25 guests who would otherwise have been sleeping on the streets of MK.
- On average our guest stays are 100 days
- Volunteers have provided almost 3,000 evening meals for our guests
- We’ve dealt with 173 phone calls asking for help
Addressing our challenges
It is now three and a half years since we opened the doors of the bus in Campbell Park and we are proud to have provided a temporary home for almost 100 people in that time. As we work with our guests to build their long term futures we spend many hours focussed on two key areas:
- Accommodation - One of our biggest challenges is finding suitable, affordable accommodation for our guests once they are ready to leave George House, so we are looking at innovative ways we can provide "move-on" housing.
- Local Services - Our work requires us to connect with many organisations to find the best possible options for our guests. We are continuing to build our relationships with other charities and local organisations in Milton Keynes to help us find the best solution for each individual, which will be different every time.
A fantastic start to life in George House
We’ve now been operating from George House for nine months and it has provided a huge step up for our guests, staff and volunteers. It is so rewarding to see guests taking a real pride in the site and pitching in with maintenance jobs and gardening.
Feedback from guests on the new accommodation has also been hugely positive. One thing we’ve recognised is how hard it was for guest to achieve privacy with the communal sleeping arrangements on the bus. Now the individual rooms provide welcome personal space for those staying with us. Just one of many plusses we’ve achieved.
We are truly excited about the future of the new site and the charity. The trustees are working to work hard to ensure that the organisation is sustainable, both financially and with regard to the staff and volunteers involved.
The last twelve months has been a massive team effort and I’d like to share an enormous thank you to everyone for your continuing support.
Pam Williams - Chair
