Gareth Sherwood, CEO of YMCA Bournemouth discusses how long-term support initiatives and education are fundamental to tackling homelessness in Dorset.

“The recent heatwaves sparked increased calls for communities to help the homeless, with efforts made to provide emergency welfare. As critical as this is, we still need to tackle future homelessness to stop people being in a crisis in the first place.

“Prevention is a key priority, and where it cannot be done, homelessness should be rare, brief, and non-recurring. This begins with understanding why different people become homeless. Many people come to the YMCA for support where their own coping strategies have failed. Some carry tragic stories of personal trauma and need professional support and understanding. There’s never a ‘one size fits all’ answer, and solutions are found in working with each person with insight, wisdom, and kindness.

“That’s why it’s crucial to truly understand personal needs and provide a tailored support package to help them back to wholeness. We provide accommodation along with a unique multi-layered approach to support which includes nutrition, fitness, therapy, and various activities.

“The truth is, we can all be part of the solution – but I often hear oversimplifications compounded by bad news stories or descriptions in various forms of media. Stereotyping describes all ‘the homeless’ as drug addicts, drunks, beggars, or those who simply need to go get a job. These provocative words and labels are unhelpful, dehumanising and fail to address the real issues and real people they purport to describe.

“What about the woman who has finally escaped from an abusive relationship, but lost all her belongings and has to sleep on her friend’s sofa? What about the man who ran a successful business but lost everything due to COVID and only has his car to sleep in? What about the veteran with PTSD, or one with severe mental health problems or learning difficulties? Or one who grew up with serious childhood trauma that has been exploited and has used any means possible to cope with and forget what happened to them? Helping others to understand the real picture is as important as providing long-term support to those affected.

“We also work with children, young people, families, and communities as part of a long-term solution to homelessness. Work in these areas won’t always deliver immediate results, but done right, the stats will speak for themselves in the decades to come with fewer people needing support, less causes of homelessness and a reduction in people in crisis like that brought on by the heatwave.”