It was a privilege to be invited to speak at a recent Oak Foundation event at St Martin-in-the-Fields Church in London. Oak Foundation provides so much vital funding to address homelessness in the UK and beyond, and this event was another example of the important work the foundation does.
The event focused on a screening of the film Beyond the Bridge, directed and edited by Don Sawyer and Tim Hashko, which focused on Housing First in Milwaukee, Wisconsin and Houston, Texas – two cities in the United States who are clearly delivering the model effectively and at scale. The film, which was partly funded by the Oak Foundation, also discussed the important of homelessness prevention, a topic vital to the housing and homelessness sectors in Wales and the rest of the UK.
The film itself was incredibly moving, not just making the case for Housing First from a logical perspective (as well as covering some practical aspects with city officials), but featuring stories from people who had received or were receiving support through the model.
Critical factors that we continue to emphasise here in Wales were highlighted during the film – housing supply is a key part of Housing First, as well as any effective approach to addressing homelessness, and the resourcing and staffing of such solutions is vital.
After watching the film, I sat on a panel with Polly Stephens from the New Horizon Youth Centre in London, and Jackson Caines from the Harrow Law Centre. Along with Tim and Don, we discussed the film and took questions from the audience. A lot of the conversation concerned the political will in Western countries when it comes to tackling homelessness – something we’ve historically had in Wales, but is at risk as the pressure on the housing market intensifies and resources are squeezed locally and nationally.
Two things in particular struck me about the film – Beyond the Bridge highlighted business owners in the two cities who had been informed about Housing First in the area, and how to signpost people sleeping rough towards that support. This created a less adversarial stance on the part of the business community to people experiencing homelessness nearby.
Additionally, Milwaukee’s police department has drafted officers whose roles are to engage with the homeless community, as well as the organisations working with the community. Achieving something similar would be quite a challenge here – but the film clearly made the case that doing hard things can definitely be possible, if people are willing to put in the work, and that political support is in place.
Thank you again to the Oak Foundation for inviting me to be part of the panel and giving me an opportunity to provide a Welsh perspective on the film and Housing First as a solution to homelessness.
