In its tenth year, R2R’s Big Breakfast for rough sleepers has moved toThe Spire community cafe on Poole High Street for the winter months of 2019-20. Deborah Clooney and Debbie Jones at The Fisherman Caféhave provided this vitally important service since 2010. The two ladies have now retired and we are grateful to them for all their support to the guys and to The Spire for stepping in.
Last year the provision ran from November 2018 to March 2019 and was accessed by 34 individuals.
In terms of equipping those sleeping outdoors to cope with the day ahead, this breakfast meal is absolutely vital. It is generally accepted that breakfast is the most important meal of the day and it certainly makes it much more likely that the guys and girls will be in a better state to deal with appointments with various agencies such as the Job Centre, DWP, doctors, court appearances, etc.
When asked why it was important to have a cooked breakfast, one of our clients said: “Five nights out of seven there is only cold food available – it gives you one hot meal a day at least – some nights can be rough and it’s good to get camaraderie back – it does lift you after a crap night.” Another has commented that knowing he’s going to get a good meal each morning has meant he has not been thieving to get food.
Following on from the last three years, we will again confine the breakfast provision to the four days when we do not have afternoon drop-ins, to encourage more rough sleepers to engage with those who can help them at the drop-ins. This has proved to be very effective.
If you would like to support this service, please donate through the website or contact the R2R office.
Local teenager Molly has undertaken to provide our clients with home-baked cakes every week for three months as part of her Duke of Edinburgh award qualification. This week she brought in delicious cookies.
The Clean Machine, a mobile laundry service based in Bournemouth, now attends our Wednesday afternoon drop-ins to allow the guys to get their clothing and sleeping bags washed and dried.
Poole Council granted gold status for housing to our three tenants, which is the highest priority rating. Following this, the original three tenants have now moved out into independent accommodation in August, September and December 2018. Their replacements, rough sleepers, have moved in and one has been able to take on full time employment. We are grateful to Poole Council Housing team for all their support and look forward to continued progress with getting further rough sleepers into Amos House and then on to their own homes.
Bitterly cold weather triggered SWEP (Severe Weather Emergency Provision) at the start of the New Year in Poole. St Mungo’s rough sleeper team provided shelter for 5 or 6 homeless people on 2 January 2019, for the first time at Skinner Street URC Hall instead of the less accessible out of town accommodation. Hot food was not available so Routes to Roots left packed lunches for them all for Wednesday and Thursday. As Friday night is an R2R drop-in evening, hot food was provided as usual. As temperatures rose above zero on week commencing 7 January, the rough sleeper team has had to deactivate SWEP until further notice.
Almost 600 homeless people died in England and Wales last year, according to official figures published for the first time. The figure represents a rise of 24% over five years, according to the Office for National Statistics.
These are the first official estimates of the number of deaths of homeless people, which show 84% of those who died were men.
Charities say the numbers confirm what they are seeing locally.
The ONS figures show that there were 482 deaths among homeless people in 2013, rising to 597 in 2017. A detailed breakdown shows:
• more than half of the deaths were because of drug poisoning, liver disease or suicide
• deaths increased throughout England but fell in Wales
• London and north-west England had the highest proportion of deaths
• the average age of death was 44 for men and 42 for women, compared with 76 for men and 81 for women among the rest of the population
Many thanks to the customers and staff of Banana Wharf on Poole Quay for the winter jackets they brought in to R2R for our clients at the beginning of January. From 1st to 17th December 2018 Banana Wharf bar and restaurant invited people to donate a coat to the Homeless through R2R. Everyone who brought a coat to them got a free cup of coffee.
Rev Lucy Holt (Rector of St James’ Poole, Rural Dean & Routes to Roots’ Trustee) successfully completed the last 5km of this momentous endeavour on 22 December 2018. Her aim was to raise awareness and money for the R2R Christmas appeal. She ran a total of 55km in Poole over Advent (11 x 5km) to mark the journey of Mary and Joseph from Nazareth to Bethlehem.
For the third year running Poole Bay Rotary will be running a GRAND RAFFLE in support of Routes to Roots. There are over 15 prizes, each worth at least £20. Tickets (£2) each will be available for sale to the public on Sunday 2 December in Falkland Square, Poole at the end of the Santa Parade and during the rest of the day till about 4pm. Tickets are also available from the Routes to Routes office.
Like a Bridge Over Troubled Water*
Our patron, The Right Reverend Karen Gorham, successfully completed this 24k walk across 16 iconic London bridges in September, raising £1260 for Routes to Roots. “As Bishop of Sherborne in Dorset with an area of oversight which covers Poole I am proud to be Patron of Routes to Roots – a fantastic homeless charity making a real difference to the lives of those who find themselves homeless.
“Over the course of the day we walked into London ending at Southwark Bridge. Each bridge crossing reminded us of the bridges which need to be crossed to bring dignity and hope to the homeless.”
* Simon & Garfunkel …When you’re down and out
When you’re on the street
When evening falls so hard
I will comfort you (ooo)
I’ll take your part, oh, when darkness comes
And pain is all around
Like a bridge over troubled water
I will lay me down
Like a bridge over troubled water
I will lay me down…
Our new shower has been installed and is now in use by clients during drop-in hours. Previously their only access to a shower had been once a week at the Salvation Army, so this new facility is a real godsend. One client commented that he felt like a ‘new man’ and he promptly took advantage of an opportunity to have his hair cut as well. Many thanks to Skinner Street URC for allowing us to install the shower in their hall and to The Screwfix Foundation and Valentine Charitable Trust who provided all the money. Tom Belmont, Manager of Screwfix at Creekmoor, presented Pat and Susan with a cheque for £1000 and took a look at how we have spent Screwfix’s money.
Pics by Samantha Cook Photography, 4th June 2018. The Screwfix Foundation donation to Routes to Roots (Poole), Skinner Street URC, Poole, Dorset BH15 1RQ, towards a new shower in the church hall, for use by rough sleepers during drop-in hours. Pic: Screwfix Poole-Creekmoor Store Manager, Tom Belmont, presents cheque to the R2R Team: (right) Chair and Founder Trustee, Revd Pat Southgate, (left) Susan Gittins, Volunteer and R2R Publicity and Fundraising.
Donations & Fundraising
• Albion Language Tours: £100
• Asda carol singing: £244.82
• Baden-Powell Junior School: £274.21
• Bankes Charity Cup: £1000
• Broadstone Methodist Church: £990.13
• Broadstone Townswomen: £30
• CAF: £150
• Canford Magna Church: £110
• Catholic Women’s League: £83
• Christchurch Creekmoor: £100
• Colehill First School Harvest: £201.59
• Foundry Arms: £115
• Hayeswood First School: £214.36
• Holtwood Church Council: £50
• Holy Angels’ Church: 89.50
• Homeless Sunday Service: £182.30
• Longfleet Primary School: £803.25
• Luminos: £685.04
• LV: £1,100
• Poole Bay Rotary Club: £2188.47
• Poole Grammar School: £222.75
• Poole Printmakers: £308.50
• Quakers: £300
• Romsey Rotary: £135.22
• St James Old Town: £5,000+ from a sleep-out
• St John’s Ashley Road choir: £104
• St John’s Broadstone: £780
• St John’s Heatherlands: £260.80
• St Mary’s & St Anthony’s of Padua: £300
• St Mary’s Longfleet: £2762.81
• St Michael’s & St Gabriel’s: £45
• St Michael’s CofE Middle School: £261.50
• St Joseph’s Nursery: £200
• TSB Bank: £300
• Verwood URC: £235.68
• Waitrose carol singing: £71.16
• WH Smith Trust: £100
Individuals
• £2731.14
• Laura’s Tombola stalls: £1884.48
• The Burdons’ Dorset Doddle walk: £365
• Adrienne’s carol singing: £100
Food
• Dorset Pizza Kitchen: pizzas at a November Drop-in
• Kingsbere Kitchen: brought their burger van to a Christmas Drop-in for the third time
• Koh Thai: Thai end-of-year meal at a Drop-in
• Lakeside Fish & Chips: half-price chips at a Drop-in
• Merlin Entertainment staff: sponsored all the food for Christmas Day Lunch, sent in gifts and decorated the hall
Donations in kind
• Big Yellow, Poole: storage space valued at £2000
• Ceuta Healthcare: printing
• URC Skinner Street: subsidised premise hire
