Tag Archives: Routes to Roots
In response to the decision made by Poole Council on 13 March that its PSPO will be implemented on 16 April for a period of three years, Rev Pat Southgate Chair of Routes to Roots, spoke to the BBC: “In light of the decision made by Poole council last night with regard to the PSPO I would like to say that Routes to Roots are no longer surprised by any decision the council make regarding the homeless in Poole.
“Once again we are appalled by the way in which this measure shows complete lack of care or compassion for the growing number of people, many with a local connection to Poole, who are having to sleep on our streets or in our car parks. Many of these people are having to beg in order to survive.
“This measure does nothing to help these most vulnerable people find a solution to help meet their needs: it merely puts them at risk of being criminalised for being poor.”
R2R currently are the only help to people who would otherwise be dying of exposure on the streets of Poole this week. On 2 March the Salvation Army was unable to get into Poole to provide their weekly Friday breakfast for rough sleepers. R2R opened up and served poached egg on toast this morning! We were open again from 2.00-4.00pm and hope to have our regular drop in at 7.30pm.
Because of the severe weather the homeless, who accepted the offer, slept in the Skinner Street URC hall last night and will do so again this evening. Big thank you to the URC for enabling this to happen!
At Poole’s annual Homeless Sunday Service on Sunday, 4 February, the Right Reverend Karen Gorham, Bishop of Sherborne and Patron of Routes to Roots, expressed outrage at the introduction of the full PSPO, in particular the provision which prevents any homeless person from finding somewhere to sleep before midnight. Bishop Karen talked of how devastating, dangerous and isolating it is to be homeless: one in three homeless people will be a victim of violence and they have an average lifespan of just 47. The Revd Pat Southgate, chair of R2R, told the large congregation that Poole Council should be ashamed that it allows people who are ill and need care to be out at night and unable to bed down, even in a cold, damp and smelly car park, until after midnight.
On 1 February, despite opposition from all those involved in helping the homeless, Poole’s Public Spaces Protection Order came into effect. Poole Council refused to publish the results of the consultation before enacting the order and the policy has been implemented without being discussed at committee but following a decision by a delegated officer.
A lovely thing happened at the drop-in on the last Friday of 2017. 28 guys and girls came in from the freezing cold and were able to enjoy hot chicken curry and jasmine rice courtesy of Koh Thai. The ladies from Koh Thai laid the tables and served the food, offering our clients a complete dining experience which they felt was easily equal to that enjoyed by the clientele in this boutique tapas restaurant in Lilliput High Street Poole. Crackers were pulled and jokes were shared: it was a really happy party atmosphere.
https://www.koh-thai.co.uk/restaurant/lilliput/
All are welcome at our AGM to be held on Tuesday 9 January 2018 at Skinner Street URC, Poole, from 7pm.
Routes to Roots’ carol singers will be entertaining customers at Waitrose in Parkstone on Saturday 16 December from 12 noon and at Asda in Poole from 11am. Please spare a moment at this busy shopping time to support us.
Gemma and Kev from Poole Bay Rotary Club are again organising a music event over Christmas to raise money for Routes to Roots. This year the event will be part of the Poole BID Christmas Extravaganza Festival, which is taking place in Poole over a whole weekend from 30th November to 3rd December.
Collections will be gathered for Roots to Routes on Saturday 2nd December, from midday until 5pm, at music stages on the Quay and in Falkland Square.
There will also be a Christmas club raffle, with all proceeds going to Roots to Routes. We are extremely grateful for their continued support and hope you will all support them and us.
“Why not join us on Saturday 9th December 10 pm at St James Church in Poole Old Town. Spend a night sleeping outside in solidarity with our friends who are homeless: raising awareness and also vital funds for Routes to Roots’ Winter appeal. Last year we raised £1,055 and we are looking for new fundraisers to take on the challenge on this cold December night, and hopefully will beat that amount!
“It will provide a small insight into what it might be like to be without a safe place to call home, and having to rely on the support of others.
“You will need to bring a warm sleeping bag and lots of layers. We suggest bringing a ground sheet or some cardboard to sleep on, and some waterproof sheeting or a survival bag.
“It would be great to have lots of churches represented. Hopefully see you there!”
If you have any questions about the sleep out or would like to join in, please contact Rev. Chris Harwood on 0781 3782 801.
For more information, or to donate go to:
https://www.justgiving.com/crowdfunding/R2Rwinterappeal
…The Churches in Poole have for many years worked together in supporting the work of the charity Routes to Roots and also the Soup kitchen for the homeless. As such they represent a key part of the provision locally for the homeless which takes place within the central town area either at Skinner Street URC or under the arches by the station. To have a policy of moving homeless on out of this local area will curtail their access to this valuable resource for them. The soup kitchens do not start until 8pm which gives little time for the users of this resource to move to an area out of the PSPO area. The provision of the proposed PSPO appears to put our most vulnerable members of our society at more risk and seems to show a lack of compassion in our community…
Download the full letter: Letter re PSPO
Nationwide Building Society has nominated Routes to Roots to be one of three local causes to receive a proportion of a £2,000 charity grant. The amount each cause receives is based on the percentage of votes given to that cause by members. Voting will take place in September.