Jesus Life 90 - Jesus Army

Create has a high degree of success in its
aims. Jesus Life asked Linda McGowan, Strategic
Director of Create, “What do individuals or
organisations need to do to help homeless people
climb out of destitution into a stable lifestyle
and into work?” Linda, who is passionate about
Create’s vision, told us, “Encourage, challenge,
take people out of their comfort zones and
tell them not to be afraid to fail – we all fail
sometimes. Balance encouragement with tough
love and don’t be afraid to do things differently.”
Similarly, Katherine Nickoll, who is the Service
Manager for Framework, a charity providing
training and employment for homeless in the East
Midlands, told Jesus Life that the majority of her
team are actually ex-service users and a key to success
must be: “Dare to have ambition for people!”
What role can churches play in helping the
plight of homeless people – and particularly, in
this case, street homeless people?
Coventry Jesus Centre runs a “bond scheme”
to enable people who are homeless to taste
the benefits of a more stable lifestyle by
accessing and holding onto private rented
accommodation. The scheme has housed 151
people over the last seven years.
Val Hook, a support worker on the scheme,
told Jesus Life that making it possible for people
to find a home can be a “life changing and even a
Homeless stats
• The overall life expectancy for a street
homeless man is 47
• For women, it is lower still at 43
• Drug and alcohol abuse account for a third of
all deaths among the homeless
• Homeless people are nine times more likely to
commit suicide than the rest of the population
• Deaths as a result of traffic accidents are
three times more common
• 69,846 children in England have to live in
hostels, bed and breakfasts and refuges
2011 statistics from a Sheffield University report
commissioned by Crisis, and BBC news.
www.jesus.org.uk
we cannot
underestimate
the damage
homelessness has
on children’s lives
lifesaving experience - especially in winter when
people sleep by the canal or in the woods.
“Finding a home gives homeless people a
platform to change their way of life, a belief in
themselves and a hope that they can lead a better
lifestyle,” says Val. “Some people can’t detox or
dry out until they have the security of a home.
“Homeless people are often allowed access
to their children once they are housed or, in the
case of some I know, can even have their children
back. No one can apply for jobs without an address
and I’ve known people find work once they
have a roof over their heads. ”
Lisbeth’s diary continues:
One man who had a searching heart
confided in me why, after several occasions
of me offering to pick him up for church, he
wouldn’t come: ‘I stink, love, I get paranoid,
I’d just stand out like a sore thumb, there’s
no way I could come to church’.
Lisbeth, happily, can relate more positive
stories.
We’re sitting in the midst of a large
group; plastic bottles of ‘white lightning’ are
being passed around. The mood is light with
plenty of jokes and larking around.
Len’s in the middle of it all, the loudest and
lairiest of them all; he’s an intelligent bloke
known well for his good nature and quick
humour. We’ve known him for quite a while,
Continued overleaf
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Jesus Life 9