Homelessness in Harrogate — what’s the best way to help?

Few topics arouse greater emotions in the Harrogate district than homelessness.

Most residents are highly sympathetic to people sleeping in shop doorways in places like Harrogate’s Parliament Street.

But some regard them as a blight on the town’s image and call for the ‘tramp camps’ to be dispersed.

And there is widespread confusion over whether it’s cruel or kind to give money to people on the streets.

Harrogate Homeless Project has been on the frontline of helping rough sleepers for 30 years.

Francis McAllister, the new chief executive, is keen to extend its services and raise the charity’s profile in the town.

Emergency accommodation

Harrogate Homeless Project, which employs 29 staff, is best known for its Bower Street hostel, which provides emergency accommodation for up to 21 people in 16 rooms. If people turn up with nowhere to go at 2am, the hostel takes them in.

Mr McAllister, a Northern Irishman with a strong background in the voluntary sector at charities including Barnardo’s, the NSPCC and St George’s Crypt in Leeds, describes the hostel as “the revolving door of homelessness”, helping people with damaged, chaotic lives and multiple addictions.

The organisation also provides ‘move-on’ accommodation and support for people who want to get off the streets.

It also offers services at Springboard Day Centre, which operates out of the Wesley Centre in Harrogate. Anyone can turn up Monday to Friday lunchtimes and receive a meal, no questions asked.

Wesley Centre

The Wesley Centre

For many it’s their only decent meal of the day. The hostel also provides a GP drop in, psychotherapy and counselling, a hairdresser, a podiatrist and even a drop-in vet service.

Mr McAllister wants to extend this further by getting more agencies involved to help those keen to make the transition to independent living. Cookery lessons are one example. He says:

“People ask, ‘what’s the formula for stopping homelessness?’ It’s not that straightforward. A lot of people struggle to have the skills to maintain a tenancy.

“Giving them keys to a house isn’t the solution — it’s more about giving them skills.”

If Harrogate Homeless Project is to broaden its impact, it needs more volunteers and funding.

It currently receives about £500,000 a year. About 10% to 20% comes from statutory sources, including Harrogate Borough Council; the rest is mainly from trust and grants.

Very little comes from public donations, which seems strange given how visible and emotive homelessness is.

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Giving to rough sleepers

The charity recently appointed its first professional fundraiser and Mr McAllister hopes this will not only generate funds but also help to raise awareness of the organisation and its work so that it becomes as natural a cause for local people to support as, for example, Yorkshire Air Ambulance.

Does he recommend giving to people in the street, many of whom have addictions?

“That’s a difficult one. I wouldn’t give them money. But I would give money to Street Aid or a cause that’s helping them.

“If you want to do something for someone on the street, get them a sandwich or a cup of coffee.

“Sometimes what they really need is someone to talk to.”

With the cost of living crisis, Harrogate Homeless Project is set to get busier.

It hopes local people will rally to its cause. Mr McAllister says:

“We are local. The money we raise gets spent in Harrogate. We are co-operating with a lot of agencies and I really hope we can do more.”

Rural property firm opens office in Boroughbridge

Rural property firm GSC Grays has opened a new office in Boroughbridge.

The High Street branch, which opened on Monday, is the company’s ninth office to open in the past 10 years.

It now employs over 100 people, mainly in the north of England. Twenty-three are based at the Boroughbridge branch, five of whom have been newly recruited. 

A number of the farm and land management consultants are from the local area, and some members of staff grew up or live on farms.  

Managing director Guy Coggrave said:  

“This gives us exceptional expertise at a time when the farming industry is dealing with the impact of the Agricultural Transition Plan, the biggest change in agricultural policy in half a century.”

GSC Grays specialises in land and farming, estate agency, planning and development, and environment and sustainability.  

HSBC and Harrogate BID install third contactless donation point for Street Aid

A third contactless donation point for Street Aid has been installed by HSBC and Harrogate Business Improvement District in Harrogate town centre.  

The ‘tap terminal’ encourages people to make donations to Street Aid, which supports people in Harrogate who have experienced homelessness.  

The most recent donation point is in the Cambridge Street branch of HSBC, where donations from £3 to £20 can be made via a contactless payment.  

The new donation point in HSBC

Linda Lewis, senior network manager at HSBC, said:  

“It’s our pleasure to be part of this scheme and house the third Street Aid terminal.  

“Since its installation, I’ve seen a number of customers tapping it with either a card or a phone to make a donation.” 

The scheme was launched in October 2019, after research was conducted by Harrogate Borough Council, North Yorkshire Police, Harrogate Homeless Project and North Yorkshire Horizons.  

Since then, the charity has raised over £20,000 through online donations and the three donation points. 

The two other stations are in the Oxford Street M&S window and in Victoria shopping centre. 

Harrogate BID manager Matthew Chapman said:  

“We are delighted to throw our weight behind the Street Aid scheme, which helps those who are genuinely in need get back on their feet. 

“We want Harrogate to be known as a friendly, caring, welcoming town.” 

Money raised has been administered by Two Ridings Community Foundation to fund items for 28 individuals, ranging from fishing equipment, furniture, a gym membership, bikes and clothing.  

Businesses stage sleepout to campaign against homelessness 

Eight local businesses completed a sleepout with CEO Sleepout UK to raise awareness of hidden homelessness in the district. 

The group of business leaders spent the night sleeping outdoors at Harrogate Rugby Club, and have raised almost £15,000 for CEO Sleepout UK, Ripon YMCA, Harrogate District Foodbank and Harrogate RUFC. 

The North Yorkshire based companies that took part were Nicholls Tyreman Estate Agents, Hudgell Solicitors, Ripon YMCA, Pavilions of Harrogate, Jorvik Design Group, Stratstone BMW, Carson Homes and Harrogate Borough Council.   

The participants included CEO of Hudgell Solicitors Rachel Di Clemente, Nicholls Tyreman director James Tyreman, and director of Jorvik Design Group Ady Rhodes.

The business leaders at Harrogate’s sleepout

Chief executive of CEO Sleepout Bianca Robinson said:  

“I was thrilled to see some of North Yorkshire’s biggest-hearted business people turn out for this event. Just because Harrogate is not a place where you might see many rough sleepers, it doesn’t mean homelessness doesn’t exist.  

“Hidden homelessness is increasing across North Yorkshire – families who can no longer afford private rental, young people, and single mothers living in insecure temporary accommodation.” 

She added:  

“It was a tough night and surprisingly cold, but by bringing those with lived experience to share their stories, and hearing about the vital work of charities on the frontline, we unlock understanding, compassion and inspire our business leaders to use their power to create greater social value.” 

CEO Sleepout stages fundraising events across the UK, and has raised £3 million for more than 100 charities.  

Student from Knaresborough achieves unprecedented full marks in hairdressing exam 

A hairdressing student from Knaresborough has achieved full marks in her practical exam.  

Penny Ledgeway, who is 20, completed her level two exam at Intuitions hairdressing college in Harrogate, with a perfect score of 700 marks.   

During the exam, she was asked to do a number of hairdressing treatments, including half a head of highlights, a restyle and cut, and a curly blow dry. 

When asked why she chose to pursue hairdressing, Ms Ledgeway said:  

“I’ve always wanted to do it really, I like to do a bit of everything but I am quite social anyway.

“I wouldn’t be able to just sit at a computer all day.”

Michelle Oliver, director of Intuitions college, said it was “unusual” for someone to get full marks in the exam, adding:

“Both me and her educator are really proud, she’s worked really hard.

“It’s good for us at Intuitions, but also for the employer to have someone with that skillset from the apprenticeship programme”.

After completing her level two exams, Ms Ledgeway is now a fully qualified hairdresser, and currently works at Kelly Teggin Hair & Beauty in Knaresborough.

She is now hoping to move on to a further stage of qualifications, which she said are more advanced and creative.  

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Harrogate Homeless Project appoints new chief executive

Harrogate Homeless Project has appointed Francis McAllister as its new chief executive.

Mr McAllister, who lives in Harrogate, was previously deputy chief executive at Leeds homelessness charity St George’s Crypt and previously was part of the senior leadership team at the NSPCC.

He has worked in the charity sector since 1994 when he joined children’s charity Barnardo’s as deputy director of fundraising.

The charity, which receives funding from Harrogate Borough Council, runs a 16-person hostel on on Bower Street that accepts referrals from the council as well as self-referrals from individuals in need of accommodation.

It also operates five bunk beds for emergency overnight accommodation, the Springboard day centre for homeless people at the Wesley Centre in Harrogate and a three-bed house and eight flats where staff provide support to people not yet ready to move on to fully independent living.

According to latest accounts filed with the Charity Commission, it employed 22 staff and had income of £585,000 and spending of £597,000 in the financial year ending August 31, 2020.

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Mr McAllister said Harrogate Homeless Project had “a very clear ambition to increase the positive impact it has on the lives of those who need its support”, adding:

“I have experience of delivering some of the changes that are already being discussed to help widen its reach and I also have an enthusiastic team of staff, volunteers and trustees to work alongside me.”

Harrogate Homeless Project is celebrating its 30th anniversary in 2022 with a series of events and a campaign to raise funds to develop its Springboard day centre.

Liz Hancock announced in December she would step down as chief executive after 16 years at the organisation.

Its chair, David Thomas, said:

“Francis’s experience of working alongside other third sector organisations and stakeholders to deliver services very similar to those we operate here in Harrogate will be of enormous value to us at this pivotal moment in our evolution as a charity and we are delighted to have him on board.”

 

Harrogate council receives £85,000 to help residents at risk of eviction

Cash support is to be made available for Harrogate district residents at risk of losing their homes and being forced into homelessness.

Almost £85,000 has been awarded to the area from the government’s Homelessness Prevention Grant scheme which aims to protect people at risk of being on the streets due to rent arrears accumulated during the pandemic.

It marks the first time Harrogate has received cash from the £316 million scheme which is based on local need.

Cllr Mike Chambers, cabinet member for housing and safer communities at Harrogate Borough Council, said: 

“The Homelessness Prevention Grant can be a lifeline for some people as it helps reduce the risk of both single and family households from becoming homeless due to eviction.

“This extra funding to tackle homelessness is very welcome and will help residents get back on their feet.”

The funding announcement comes after 29 people in Harrogate were put up in emergency accommodation during 2020 as part of the ‘Everyone In’ initiative which the government had hoped would make big strides in its plan to end homelessness.

But there are now fresh fears that many households could face eviction due to the end of the furlough scheme, Universal Credit cuts and rising living costs during the coronavirus pandemic which has pushed workers across a variety of sectors into precarious circumstances.

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Housing and homelessness charity Shelter recently released figures that show more than 100,000 families across England have received eviction notices or fallen behind on their rent payments in recent months.

It has also estimated that just over 70% of families would struggle to find another home if they lost theirs this winter.

Polly Neate, chief executive of Shelter, said: 

“Eviction notices have started dropping on doormats and our services are working round the clock to help families who have nowhere else to go.

“Like it has before – the government needs to intervene to keep people safe in their homes. We urgently need more support for renters to protect them from eviction this winter.

“Thousands of families are teetering on a cliff edge. It’s only with the public’s support that we’ll be able to keep answering calls and help as many of them as possible keep the bailiffs at bay.”

What the funding is for

The latest allocations in the Homelessness Prevention Grant scheme were announced by the Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities in December.

Councils will use the funding to help people find a new home, access support for unexpected evictions and secure temporary accommodation.

Announcing the latest funding, MP Eddie Hughes, Minister for Rough Sleeping and Housing, said:

“I have seen first-hand the devastation of those who come face to face with homelessness, and my heart goes out to anyone in this situation.

“The support we are announcing today is going directly to communities that need it most.

“It will help thousands of people across England, with councils able to prevent homelessness before it occurs and put a roof over the heads of those who have lost their homes.”

Charity Corner: Giving Harrogate’s homeless people dignity again

Lifeline is a Harrogate-based charity that houses people who have been homeless, acting as a crucial stepping stone between sleeping rough and independent living.

It was set up by Carl Good and his wife Georgie in 2012 after they met a homeless man in need of help in Bower Road’s tunnel.

They partnered with a Christian social enterprise called Green Pastures that buys properties and leases them to Lifeline. The charity’s volunteers also help residents learn new skills and overcome issues that led them to sleep rough in the first place, whether that be an addiction, mental health problems or debt.

They now have five three-bedroom homes across Harrogate, four for men and one for women, and they are looking for a sixth.

80 people have been housed over the past eight years and 60% of its residents have gone on to live independently with paid work.

The Stray Ferret visited one of Lifeline’s five properties in Harrogate to meet Mr Good and a former homeless man who is living there. Lifeline prefers to keep the location of their properties private.

Stability

Liam has been living in a Lifeline home in Harrogate for four months after moving from Harrogate Homeless Project’s hostel on Bower Road.

He said he enjoys the privacy and freedom it offers.

“It’s given me stability and hope to push myself more.”

Liam hopes to stay there for a year while he continues to build his confidence and learn new skills.

“I’m learning gardening skills. I’d like to learn a language, perhaps Polish or Spanish”.

He said he particularly enjoys looking after the home which he shares with two other people.

“I like taking pride in it”.

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County lines

Mr Good says homelessness has increased in Harrogate since the charity was formed due to a range of factors including drugs, housing and the benefits system.

He said hard drugs have become much more prevalent over the past ten years with county lines drug dealers specifically targetting vulnerable people living in Lifeline homes.

He said:

“Drugs are used much more in Harrogate than they used to be”.

Another issue is many people moving into the homes have a low level of financial resilience. Mr Good had a 20-year career as a financial advisor before setting up Lifeline and said navigating the Universal Credit system is as complicated as inheritance tax or capitals gains tax.

Sky’s the limit

Lifeline hopes to give its residents some dignity back after they’ve experienced often chaotic and traumatic experiences living on the streets.

Mr Good added:

“It’s brilliant because they have their own front door key. It gives them that dignity.

“A change of mindset is sometimes what is needed, then the sky’s the limit. They first have to feel safe and have a roof over their head.

“They need someone to believe in them. We all need support and it doesn’t mean they can’t succeed in life. We all need that leg up.”

New 19-bed homeless centre opens in Starbeck

Harrogate Borough Council has opened a new 19-bed homeless centre in Starbeck, called Fern House.

Fern House’s bedrooms are all self-contained with en-suite bathrooms and kitchen facilities. Two of the rooms are fully accessible.

The site, on Spa Lane, cost £2.3 million to be built. It was funded from general funding into the house revenue account and a grant from Homes England.

The accommodation will also provide a support package for those finding themselves homeless. It will run alongside other hostels across the district in Harrogate, Ripon and Knaresborough.

Fern House also provides laundry and kitchen facilities, a 24-hour reception desk, a large conference room and a meeting area.

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Emergency temporary shelters set up on Tower Street this winter

The council said that, in line with its Severe Weather Emergency Protocol (SWEP) requirements, part of the building will be used to provide temporary emergency accommodation for homeless people in extreme weather conditions.

Previously, the council also had shelters installed on the Tower Street car park, in Harrogate. But after nearly four months these were removed.

At the time, the council said the completion of Fern House was a reason the shelters were no longer necessary.

Strayside Sunday: We are treating the homeless as human cargo, fit only for containment

Strayside Sunday is our weekly political opinion column. It is written by Paul Baverstock, former Director of Communications for the Conservative Party. 

The housing and homelessness charity Shelter has been in the news this week.  They have gathered data that shows that 253,000 people in the UK will pass this Christmas season without secure housing.

During the first lockdown, swift and decisive government action virtually eradicated homelessness in our country by housing people in utilising otherwise deserted hotels, boarding houses and vacant rental properties.  As a result of the “Everyone In” initiative, many of the most vulnerable in our society could at least face the threat presented by Covid-19 certain in the knowledge that they could do so with a roof over their heads and have beds on which to sleep.  An issue that has taxed and stumped policymakers for years was solved with an alacrity that betrayed the repugnant and rank inaction of successive and previous governments of all political persuasions.

Last week, the Stray Ferret reported that Harrogate Borough Council has provided emergency accommodation for local homeless people for the ‘festive’ season.  This under the Severe Weather Emergency Protocol (SWEP) that obligates councils to provide cover and shelter during the inclement weather conditions of the winter months.  So they should.

However, in their infinite wisdom Harrogate Borough Council has installed 3 bright yellow (“look everybody, homeless people!”) shipping containers in the Tower Street Carpark.  They are chain-link fenced in and, unless alterations are to be made to them, are windowless and appear ill-ventilated.  This is truly shameful.  The idea that in a wealthy, albeit resource constrained, Covid-stymied civilised society, that we should think shipping containers provide appropriate shelter for anyone at any time of the year passes understanding.

What of compassion?  What of humanity?  What of simple human decency?  As the occupants exit their steel, aluminium or fibre-reinforced polymer (which are the materials from which shipping containers are apparently made) billet, they will look across the street at the local Travelodge; now open for business, as our national government seeks balance the need to keep the economy moving, with the possible health risks posed by Covid.  I doubt very much that it, or indeed any hotel in Harrogate is currently operating at full occupancy.  But surely it is not beyond the wit of man or woman to manage occupancy across the borough to meet both private demand and the needs of those living on the streets.  Especially in circumstances in which private enterprise has benefitted hugely this year from the wonton largesse of (taxpayer, our children and our grandchildren) funded loans, grants, furlough schemes

All housing developments these days come with a requirement for an element of social housing.  Or they should – it turns out the North Yorkshire County Council’s housebuilding company Brierley Homes is under criticism for avoiding having to build affordable dwellings at their developments in Bilton and Pateley Bridge.  None the less, perhaps we could ask the same of larger hotels; that they provide a small number of rooms for the socially disadvantaged?

The uncomfortable truth of course is that business does not want to co-mingle the homeless with paying guests.  The even more uncomfortable truth is that you and I would think more than once about patronising a hotel in which we might bump into the homeless in the corridor.  We’re alright jack and anyway our consciences, pricked as they are by this and other injustices, don’t tend to compensate for any compromise of our own comfort or hotel “experience.”  Our fear-fuelled prejudices of the smelly, drunk and drug addled dispossessed don’t add to the ambience of a stay away.

Harrogate is often named as one of the most desirable places to live in Britain.  It’s a reputation of which our council is rightly proud.  If an appeal to HBC on the merits won’t make them do better by the homeless then how about this?  Harrogate risks damaging it’s reputation.  It will become known as the kind of affluent and selfish place that wants to hide the fact that it has the same knotty and mucky problems and challenges that inner cities face.  It is in danger of becoming known for hiding its homeless in plain sight, for thinking so little of its least fortunate charges that it seeks to make them human cargo, fit only for containment.  It doesn’t make me proud to live in a borough whose council would do this.

At our holidays and high-days visits to church in the days to come we will bask in the warm and sentimental candle-lit glow of self-satisfaction that follows.  They tell us that this is the time of year for peace and goodwill for ALL men (and women and children).  We will all agree with that and likely walk swiftly by the Tower Street Carpark on the way home, heads down.  Let’s demand better of each other, of our local authority and of national government.

Bottom line, we should get our homeless inside, in real accommodation, for Christmas – and make sure they can stay there

That’s my Strayside Sunday.  I wish you all a very Happy Christmas.

Paul is taking a break over the Christmas period. Strayside Sunday will be back on January 3 2021.

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Fears Harrogate food bank will see spike in demand when furlough ends

Organisers of the Harrogate food bank are concerned there maybe an increase in demand for food when the furlough scheme ends. 

The Stray Ferret reported in May that the amount of people who used Harrogate’s food bank more than doubled when lockdown was introduced. The facility, located at the Mowbray Community Church has continued to see a high level of demand.  

Linda Macrow, the temporary project manager, thinks that the end of the furlough scheme could cause a further increase in demand. She said: 

“I suspect numbers might increase but we will have to wait and see what happens”.

Among those needing its services are single people, who could be facing job difficulties, and people who are homeless. 

Linda feels confident that the organisation will adapt to any situation, as the food bank is well supported by volunteers and donations. She told the Stray Ferret: 

“The people of Harrogate have always been very generous”. 

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North Yorkshire County Council recently allocated £18,055 of funding to other Harrogate organisations that help people get enough food. It is part of a national grant to local authorities from the Department for Environment Food and Rural Affairs.  

The money will be divided between two community groups: Resurrected Bites and Supporting Older People. 

Harrogate homelessness figures show need for eviction ban extension, say Lib Dems

Harrogate’s Liberal Democrats have called for an extension to an eviction ban after official figures show 53 families in the district are deemed at risk of homelessness.

According to official figures, 89 households in Harrogate are assessed as being threatened with homelessness with another 78 assessed as homeless from January to March this year.

33 of households who were homeless or threatened with homelessness cited the end of a private rented tenancy as the reason for losing their last settled home.

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Meanwhile, three households in the district were also revealed to be rough sleeping between January and March.

Cllr Trevor Chapman, housing spokesperson for the local Liberal Democrats, said the government must extend the eviction ban to prevent homelessness.

He said:

“Families in Harrogate & Knaresborough must be protected from homelessness. Instead, it seems like the Conservatives are happy to leave people to fend for themselves at a time when jobs are at risk and people are struggling.

“People deserve better. These figures are yet further proof the Government must rethink its heartless decision to resume evictions from August 23.”

Following the end of the government’s “Everyone in” scheme, Harrogate Borough Council has sought to work with those in temporary accommodation to find a permanent place.

Part of the council’s plan is to get more people into Avondale Hostel, which it has just bought. It plans to renovate the building and make sure that it is only families living there.

Another key part is the council’s new hostel on Spa Lane. The construction works have been delayed and the expected completion date of October has been moved back to early next year.