Meeting the challenge of transforming commercial buildings into havens of respect, warmth and energy can never be underestimated, this year Crisis is engaging a team of young homeless people to create somewhere they would like to spend Christmas.

All | Team

« Previous month (Nov 2007) | Main | Next page of month (Dec 2007) »

Wednesday Dec 19, 2007

Christmas reflections

The end of yet another year is upon us so quickly again, its incredible the way that time literally seems to fly. It's supposed to be a time to be merry and jolly but sometimes things are never what they should be, it's with this in mind I would like you to take a moment to think of those less fortunate than ourselves. It would be very easy to simply turn and look the other way, but if we were to open our minds and look at homelessness and the less fortunate it would release us from all the inhibitions that bind us in life. I only say this because I have seen it with my own eyes the ‘I’m not bothered’ mentality that has engrossed mankind, I speak out of personal experience, experience, I used to live in this exact manner till I got a second chance, I became homeless. HOMELESS! I hear you echoing back, yes being homeless freed me from all the material wishes and trivial little things I fantasised about, I realised that in the greater aspect of life, they count for absolutely nothing. So at this time of year I urge you to think of the less unfortunate.

Jamaal

Posted by Team ( 2:27 PM )
Link to this post Comments[0]

Tuesday Dec 18, 2007

Photo diary part 6

The furniture is starting to arrive.

Posted by Team ( 2:48 PM )
Link to this post Comments[0]

Update from Abisoye

Hello, this is Abisoye, today we all went to the Christmas centre for the homeless to help finish the floor by putting tiles on the floor, It was very fun working as part of a team, everyone was very supportive towards each other although not all of the team members turn up but we still managed to finish off the work. Tomorrow we will be doing more, although we are running out of time due to the fact that we have until 23^rd December to finish what ever we have to do in the centre so it can be available for the homeless for Christmas.

Posted by Team ( 1:52 PM )
Link to this post Comments[0]

Monday Dec 17, 2007

Photo diary part 5

The team are getting stuck in with the decorating.

 

Posted by Team ( 1:34 PM )
Link to this post Comments[0]

Staying alive

My name is Tesfaye, im 22 years old. I became homeless because my family wanted to move to France, I wanted to stay in London and as there was no one to look after me I started to live on my own on the streets. Being homeless makes it very difficult to stay alive, at the moment its very cold and I keep on getting in to trouble with the police.

I got involved with the Crisis project to meet new friends and so I could possibly get a job in the future. If I get the chance I know I can change something.

The thing I like most about this project is the people who work with me they are very kind and the place is a very cool atmosphere I also like the way they help me.

I want to go back to college and finish my course in painting and decorating, I had to stop this because if housing problems. This project is going to give me work experience.  

Posted by Team ( 1:25 PM )
Link to this post Comments[0]

Friday Dec 14, 2007

Photo diary part 4

The floor's finished but the work goes on...

Posted by Team ( 4:28 PM )
Link to this post Comments[0]

Photo diary part 3

The hard work continues apace as the haven takes shape...

 

Posted by Team ( 4:26 PM )
Link to this post Comments[1]

Brian's story

Hey there everyone I just wanted to tell you a little bit about me and introduce myself. My name is Brian and I am 25 and come from Hackney. I have been homeless on and off since I was 16. After falling out with my parents, which ultimately ended up with me becoming homeless. After spending most of my experience on friend’s floors, in hostels, on the streets and in prison it has been a long and learning road it is part of my life I wouldn’t change for all the tea in china. It has made me learn and grow up so much in ways in which I would not have had, had I had a silver spoon in mouth upbringing. Growing up without much normality around and with such a big family tempers were frayed and nerves were stretched I decided to leave home. After failed stays in hostels and the hectic lifestyles it entails I became hooked on class A drugs and alcohol which in turn ended me up in prison with a string of failed relationships behind me, life it seems to have been translated into one big nightmare.

Now however after experiencing all that I have, it has made me a stronger and better person. Seeing that I could move forward from all of the heartache and self-made mistakes I wanted to help others realise they could do the same from their position. This is now my fifth month as a volunteer at Crisis and my second event I have done with them. I am enjoying myself immensely and am finding it a real blast. I am doing this to gain experience to become a qualified youth worker to try and guide others who didn’t have the best start in life, a way towards a better one.

Posted by Team ( 9:59 AM )
Link to this post Comments[2]

Thursday Dec 13, 2007

Photo diary part 2

And more...

Posted by Team ( 12:52 PM )
Link to this post Comments[0]

Photo diary

Progress with the Christmas haven is going well. Here are some action shots of the team working on laying a comfortable new floor.

Posted by Team ( 12:44 PM )
Link to this post Comments[0]

Wednesday Dec 12, 2007

Speaking out about homelessness

Members of the Crisis Youth Volunteering Programme took some time last Friday to interview each other about homelessness. Here's the audio of those interviews -

Homeless.mp3

(Right click and save the file or just click it to listen to the interviews through your browser. The file is 13.7 MB and lasts for 10.01)

Posted by Team ( 11:19 AM )
Link to this post Comments[0]

Monday Dec 03, 2007

Team work

My name is Abisoye Rokosu I am 23 years old, I come from London. I have been homeless for the last 7 months. I became homeless due to my sickness, I was suffering from over active thyroid and this causes a lot of irritating symptoms, so I got kicked out by my aunty because she couldn’t take the irritation and it was quite dangerous for her children.

I am now living in a all women’s hostel, I am allowed to stay in the hostel for two years before I got my own permanent accommodation, I am also on the housing list with Southwark Council biding for my own home hopefully I will be leaving the hostel very soon.

I am doing a project with Crisis, which involves setting up a Christmas centre for the homeless, which involves decorating the place and also working as part of a team.

Out of this project I am hoping to gain from working with people of different backgrounds and also gain a qualification to put on my CV, to help me apply for university.

So far we went to the Tate Modern, and we have been involved in taking photos which will be signs at the centre.

Posted by Team ( 5:27 PM )
Link to this post Comments[2]

From Paradise to homelessness

Hello, my name is Ashunindkumar Sohatee, most people know me as Ritesh, I am 24 years old. I am from Pamplemousses, a district of Mauritius in the north of the island. A lot of people say that Mauritius is a paradise, so I have gone from living in 'paradise' to being homeless. I became involved in a wild lifestyle, involving gambling and partying. I didn't know where to stop and one day I woke up with no money left and nowhere to turn to. I had managed to alienate everyone from my life slowly but didn't notice it. So, here I was with no home, sleeping on buses, eating out of bins, using dirty facilities to have a wash. I started meeting other fellow homeless people and started going to day centres where I could have a wash, learn new things and get on courses. Its now been 2 and a half years since I became homeless, I am currently living in a squat with a few friends. I have just started volunteering with Crisis. 

 This project is about designing a space where homeless people can come and relax over the Christmas period, a place where they can chill out and make new friends, a place where they can find love, joy and happiness, but most importantly don't have to be alone for Christmas.

I joined this project because it gives me a chance to help others and bring some of the things I learned on the streets to practicality. Also at the end of this project I will get to have a certificate and qualification which I will be to use afterwards. But besides this the joy and happiness that I will get to feel on completion will be worth my time and effort that I have committed myself to.

Right now we are at the end of our second week and we have already laid plans and ideas of how we want the room to be and it is running well enough and hope to get it finished on time.

Posted by Team ( 5:23 PM )
Link to this post Comments[1]

Searching for stability

Hi, my name is Jamaal, I was born in London, I spent my formative years in South Africa. I consider London my home as I was born here and feel more at home here.

I became homeless about a year ago and feel very fortunate that I only slept rough for a fortnight before I managed to get into a squat. Having lived most of my life under my parents wing, it was such a shock when I realised I no longer had a place to call home. My mother and father equipped me with all the tools I needed to survive before they passed on. Sadly nothing prepared me for this and it badly affected me I lost my discipline and direction, I started drinking and partying uncontrollably.

I lost my first and then my relationship started to break down and when I treated on my girlfriend of 3 years that was the last straw, I was out. Since then I have been in 2 squats and hopefully I will be able to find somewhere more stable.

Posted by Team ( 5:21 PM )
Link to this post Comments[1]

Having hope

Hi my name is Ally I am 25 years old, and I come from Mauritius. I have been homeless for one and a half years. I became homeless because my visas expired and I lost my job as well. Now I am living in a squat in London. Homelessness is not an easy life to live, you always struggle and you can’t afford a good life.

I hope to get a job and get out of this life. I hope very soon I will be OK and everything will be alright. Crisis helps homeless people, for example in getting training and finding work.

Posted by Team ( 5:19 PM )
Link to this post Comments[1]