Homeless in Totnes
I was born in Totnes but grew up elsewhere in the South Hams.
I have done a sponsored rough sleep this week for three nights on Fore Street to raise funds to provide a survival pack for rough sleepers. Donations are still welcome with a link to the donation page further down below.
Seven years ago I was visiting Totnes once a week with a view of moving here and I noticed an apparent acute housing shortage as I looked online. I asked a young lady one evening in a pub what her view of the housing situation was and she laughed. She then explained to me that she was sharing a single room with three other friends.
Whilst visiting Totnes over a two year period I spoke to the beggars that I saw once in a while and bought them food. I decided I would do something more to help them once I was settled here. My initial idea was a soup kitchen, as I have volunteered at a large soup kitchen in the past. But over time I decided that wasn’t going to be the best course of action to begin with for various reasons. I then met a homeless young lady that was sleeping rough here which then gave me the idea of a simple signposting service after I had a conversation with her and I told her where she could get a hot meal; even if she didn’t have any money.
I then spoke to Graham Walker to offer to give him his first lift to the A38 when he did his sponsored hitchhike to Scotland to raise funds for Bob the Bus and Totnes Caring. I told him about my plans for the signposting service and he mentioned the name of a man that had died whilst sleeping rough here. That man was my neighbour and good friend when I lived in North Devon. He became an alcoholic at that time so I know his sad story for why he turned to alcohol to cope, and I suspect that was a contributing factor that initially led to his homelessness. Here is his story:
https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2012/dec/06/another-homeless-man-died
A survival pack could have saved his life so this is why I have done a sponsored rough sleep this week to raise funds to provide a survival pack for rough sleepers. Now, there isn’t a significant rough sleeping problem here in Totnes. However, I have spoken to a number of people that have migrated to the town over the last three years, that are not familiar with the town, and have been a rough sleeper here for a short time. I gave them local advice that they needed at the time that I spoke with them to help them meet their basic needs.
There is help and support for rough sleepers available via our local police and South Hams District Council but there are a lot of complex problems that can prevent people from getting or accepting the help that they need at the time that they need it.
There is also the hidden homelessness problem where there are people living in tents and vehicles in the surrounding area. They manage to survive the best they can and generally know where they can get their basic needs met. However, a simple accidental fire in a tent for example can leave someone exposed to the elements and the provision of a survival pack could be life saving.
Having been a rough sleeper myself in the past I understand the life threatening risks homeless people can potentially face, like my good friend above that died here one night on the streets of Totnes from exposure to the elements.
The signposting service will essentially be posters, leaflets and the provision of a survival pack. The provision of a survival pack will be via a call to me on a mobile phone dedicated to the service, or a direct message on Facebook, where I will then meet them to pass it on. The generation of posters and leaflets is in progress as I need permission for one entry on them. There will also be a Facebook information page once the posters and leaflets are complete.
The survival packs will consist of the following:
Waterproof coat and trousers.
Sleeping bag.
Survival bag to keep the sleeping bag dry.
Dry sack to store the above items to keep them dry.
If you would like to give a donation then please visit the page below:
https://www.justgiving.com/crowdfunding/totnes-homeless
Research carried out by the “Museum of Homelessness” showed 1,474 homeless people died in 2023. This is a mounting national crisis which revealed the following:
– Deaths of people sleeping rough up by 42% in one year versus 2022 figures across the UK.
– Across all forms of homelessness, fatalities increased by 12% versus their 2022 figures.
– 20% more young adults experiencing homelessness completed suicide.
– People experiencing homelessness are at least 3 times more likely to be murdered.
– The data shows stark regional inequalities in England with people in rural areas dying up to 10 years younger.