We are all neighbours: a message from our CEO, James O’Grady
We are all neighbours. We are one community.
As a community, we have all experienced some of the unfortunate incidents that have taken place at our site in Hitchin. As a member of your community, and as your neighbours, we are sorry you are experiencing this and sorry that it is impacting your lives. We are listening to you – and going forward, I hope we can listen and learn together.
Firstly I would like to say thank you for taking the time to read this, I know that our presence in the community is creating discomfort and worry for some. I very well understand that we may be unwelcome.
I’m also sorry if you feel that you haven’t received enough information and we want to improve this, by improving the information we provide so that you can understand our aims and our work. We will be more transparent, but in a way that protects the right to privacy of those we are supporting.
The journey into homelessness is different for every person. With a rise in no fault evictions in the UK of 17% and the end of the Everyone In agenda during the Covid pandemic, homelessness continues to be a presence for all of us. Homelessness is a national crisis. The latest statistics tell us that more than 600 people experiencing homelessness die each year and more than one person every day without a home is losing their life. I personally find it shocking for any one person to end up sleeping outside, on our streets or in unsafe places with no other alternative. And I’m sure it shocks you too.
At Keystage we hear the journeys and the stories of the people we support, people whose lives have been affected by trauma, grief, loneliness, poor health and mental health. We also see the bravery and resilience of the people we support, who every day face these challenges. When this resilience wavers, or they experience a day that is particularly challenging our focus is on supporting them to safety, both psychological and environmental.
The incident on Saturday evening (30th April 2022) was related to a person facing these personal challenges and our team working with them, with support from the emergency services. This was not, as social media states, related to drugs.
I’m sorry that the information you may have receive from various sources has been at times uninformed and false, which can then lead to a disbelief in the services being provided and a fear of who is living in your community.
I believe that we can create a community that works together; one that can be there for every person – not just those that do have a voice, but for all those who don’t; those who are multi-disadvantaged and have been allowed to fall through the gaps.
My colleagues are standing for those who may have not had a voice and very often no choice to speak out, ask for help and support, to have someone to talk with, to feel connected to and part of something.
There is a well known quote that states: “Alone, we can do little; together, we can do so much”. I fully subscribe to this.
I wholeheartedly wish we didn’t have the problems of homelessness in our society, in our communities. But we do. At times they may be invisible, at times they may be very clearly visible, but the issues are there and they are not going away.
Homelessness can happen to any one of us. A few too many of life’s knocks and you and I could also be facing the fear of not having a home. Of not having warmth and food. Of not having somewhere safe and secure to retreat to.
But we can all be part of the solution, as neighbours, as partners, and as people.
We are so grateful to have received support from within the local community – local charities, support organisations and also some of our neighbours and members of the community – who have reached out and offered support, whether through support services or volunteering, or just a hello or some words of encouragement to our teams and the people we support.
We are all people and neighbours, and as your neighbours and members of this community, here are our promises:
We promise to be mindful.
We promise to be responsive.
We promise to be diligent in our service.
We promise to respect you.
And we promise to help our residents to do the same.
In return, PLEASE LET’S CHANGE. Let’s change perceptions, let’s help people change and let’s change that number of 600 homeless people dying each year: let’s bring it down.
Please help us be a fuller community by coming together, staying together and working together to achieve the goal of ending the revolving door of homelessness.
Our website is currently being redeveloped and soon will allow better sharing of information and ways to contact us.
In the meantime, if you want to reach out to us, please email us at; communications@keystagehousing.co.uk or you can contact me on jamesogrady@keystagehousing.co.uk
Thank you for taking the time to read this.
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