Established 2005 Registered Charity No. 1110656
Scottish Charity Register No. SC043760
DONATE
RECENT TWEETS
"I'm not afraid of death, I just don't want to be there when it happens." Woody Allen is not the only one of us to avoid facing up to death.
Dying is something we rarely talk about - despite the fact that it will happen to us all one day. But some homeless charities are trying to change that. On 5 November, Housing Justice and The Connection at St Martin's are due to hold their annual service of commemoration for homeless people who have died in the past year. The names of the deceased will be read out in the service at St Martin-in-the-Fields church on Trafalgar Square, alongside hymns, readings and songs. Around 150 names had already been submitted in October.
These are the people who are known to staff and volunteers of London day centres, hostels, churches, shelters and outreach services. They might not have had a big funeral or an obituary in the paper, but their lives were important.
It's not just about marking people's passing, according to Housing Justice; it's a time to remember and celebrate their lives. They may have been complicated, but every one of them had something to offer.
For many, the annual service is extremely emotional. Perhaps that's because for many people who are homeless, especially those living on the streets, death can cast a hefty shadow at times.
You've probably heard the headline stat: the average age of death for a homeless person is 47, compared with 77 in the general population. It's a shocking figure. St Mungo's Broadway recently delivered a petition to health secretary Jeremy Hunt calling on the government to urgently improve healthcare for homeless people.
"Thousands have backed our Homeless Health 47 petition," said Howard Sinclair, Chief Executive of St Mungo's Broadway. "Like us, they believe no one should be discharged from hospital back onto the streets and no one should be barred from mental health treatment because they are struggling to tackle drug or alcohol issues… It's a scandal."
As well as campaigning for better health care, St Mungo's Broadway provides advice, support and care for hostel residents who are dying, through its Palliative Care service.
In recent months it has also piloted a volunteer befriending service, offering companionship and emotional support to clients in their final year, months or even weeks of life.
And now the charity, which already works with people who are dying, is exploring the possibility of a dedicated end-of-life facility in London. They describe it as a "holistic environment to meet the medical, nursing, psychological, social and spiritual care of those whose care cannot be managed at home or on the streets".
Reasons for death vary; with many struggling with addiction and others feeling the after-effects of life on the streets even after they have come inside, the risk factors for homeless or formerly homeless people are clear.
On the St Mungo's Broadway blog earlier this year, Peter Kennedy, who coordinates the end-of-life service which currently visits people in hostels and hospitals, noted: "Around a fifth of all deaths are sudden and unexpected, such as a fall or an accidental overdose, with advanced liver disease a primary cause of death in over half of all remaining deaths."
But even when death is expected, it can still come as a shock. That's why it's important that we don't try and hide from it. And it's important too that there is time to grieve, and time to remember.
As Alastair Murray, head of projects at Housing Justice, says: "It's important to give dignity to people who haven't always had that in life, and to make sure they are not forgotten."
John
John, who had been homeless, was one of Peter Kelly’s closest friends, a drinking buddy and a good pal. He died in September. Peter tells Jason Kelly that he will be missed.
“I am still gutted he is not here. I think he was the same age as me – 56 or something – but I’ve no idea how he died, if he got liver failure or just gave up.
“We were great pals. I’d just go up to his house and I’d chap [knock] the door and John would shout: “Come’on in.”
“I’ve not got a telly and one day I saw him walking up London Road and he had a telly. I said: “Where you going with that?” and he laughed. “We’re going up to yours.” And I’m like: “I don’t want a telly. It will just be like an ornament.” But he wanted me to have it.
“He did have family; his brother used to come through a lot and his sister was always good to him so it’s not just a case of he got forgotten. But he never had a routine with them, like seeing them every day.
“It’s the first funeral I’ve been to that I never went for a drink after it with the family; well, I got a cuppa tea, but no alcohol. I didn’t know all these people; I just really knew John and they’re looking at me like: “Who the hell is he with tears in his eyes?”. Although I’m gutted, you have just got to deal with it; life goes on.
Ellen
Alan Cole of the Simon Community remembers Ellen Mullin as a great human being
Ellen Mullin was one of our drivers – and she was absolutely fantastic, really one of the best volunteers we’ve had.
You phoned her up and said “Could you drive for us on Friday?” and even if she had something on, she’d get it done. She’d just sort of shift us a wee bit forward or a wee bit back so she could fit in the driving.
There was never a ’No’ in her vocabulary. And we weren’t the only charity she volunteered for. I would say she drove for 12 hours a day – she was helping people all over the place.
Then all of a sudden the doctor sent her to the hospital and they found out that she had cancer – leukaemia. Two of our volunteers went to see her that week and she told them that the hospital had only given her three months.
The next weekend we went there, she was dead.
We went down for the memorial service in Kew Gardens. And it was fantastic. Even now we talk about Ellen and what she did for us.
She had a timetable that she stuck to every week – never let anybody down. Even when she was in hospital she said, “Is everything getting done?”
I think when she was brought up there was little bit of struggle, and people helped her – so she returned the favour. She had that sort of magnetic thing that people get on with. She was a great woman.
Bereavement can be hard, so find someone you can talk to
Bereavement Advice Centre (0800 634 9494 – free but some mobile providers may charge): Advice on all aspects of bereavement, from registering the death to benefit queries.
Breathing Space Scotland (0800 83 85 87 – free from landlines and mobile phones): Advice and information for anyone feeling down.
Cruse Bereavement Care (0844 477 9400 – costs apply): Helpline offering emotional support. Email (helpline@cruse.org.uk) and face-to-face support
Samaritans (116 123 – free from landline and mobile phones): National organisation for those needing someone to talk to or feeling suicidal. Email support available (jo@samaritans.org).
Survivors of Bereavement by Suicide (0300 111 5065): Help and support for those personally affected by a suicide. Email support (sobs.support@hotmail.com)
October – November 2024 : Change
CONTENTS
BACK ISSUES
- Issue 152 : October – November 2024 : Change
- Issue 151 : August – September 2024 : Being Heard
- Issue 150 : June – July 2024 : Reflections
- Issue 149 : April – May 2024 : Compassion
- Issue 148 : February – March 2024 : The little things
- Issue 147 : December 2023 – January 2024 : Next steps
- Issue 146 : October 2023 – November 2023 : Kind acts
- Issue 145 : August 2023 – September 2023 : Mental health
- Issue 144 : June 2023 – July 2023 : Community
- Issue 143 : April 2023 - May 2023 : Hope springs
- Issue 142 : February 2023 - March 2023 : New Beginnings
- Issue 141 : December 2022 - January 2023 : Winter Homeless
- Issue 140 : October - November 2022 : Resolve
- Issue 139 : August - September 2022 : Creativity
- Issue 138 : June - July 2022 : Practical advice
- Issue 137 : April - May 2022 : Connection
- Issue 136 : February - March 2022 : RESPECT
- Issue 135 : Dec 2021 - Jan 2022 : OPPORTUNITY
- Issue 134 : September-October 2021 : Losses and gains
- Issue 133 : July-August 2021 : Know Your Rights
- Issue 132 : May-June 2021 : Access to Healthcare
- Issue 131 : Mar-Apr 2021 : SOLUTIONS
- Issue 130 : Jan-Feb 2021 : CHANGE
- Issue 129 : Nov-Dec 2020 : UNBELIEVABLE
- Issue 128 : Sep-Oct 2020 : COPING
- Issue 127 : Jul-Aug 2020 : HOPE
- Issue 126 : Health & Wellbeing in a Crisis
- Issue 125 : Mar-Apr 2020 : MOVING ON
- Issue 124 : Jan-Feb 2020 : STREET FOOD
- Issue 123 : Nov-Dec 2019 : HOSTELS
- Issue 122 : Sep 2019 : DEATH ON THE STREETS
- Issue 121 : July-Aug 2019 : INVISIBLE YOUTH
- Issue 120 : May-June 2019 : RECOVERY
- Issue 119 : Mar-Apr 2019 : WELLBEING
- Issue 118 : Jan-Feb 2019 : WORKING HOMELESS
- Issue 117 : Nov-Dec 2018 : HER STORY
- Issue 116 : Sept-Oct 2018 : TOILET TALK
- Issue 115 : July-Aug 2018 : HIDDEN HOMELESS
- Issue 114 : May-Jun 2018 : REBUILD YOUR LIFE
- Issue 113 : Mar–Apr 2018 : REMEMBRANCE
- Issue 112 : Jan-Feb 2018
- Issue 111 : Nov-Dec 2017
- Issue 110 : Sept-Oct 2017
- Issue 109 : July-Aug 2017
- Issue 108 : Apr-May 2017
- Issue 107 : Feb-Mar 2017
- Issue 106 : Dec 2016 - Jan 2017
- Issue 105 : Oct-Nov 2016
- Issue 104 : Aug-Sept 2016
- Issue 103 : May-June 2016
- Issue 102 : Mar-Apr 2016
- Issue 101 : Jan-Feb 2016
- Issue 100 : Nov-Dec 2015
- Issue 99 : Sept-Oct 2015
- Issue 98 : July-Aug 2015
- Issue 97 : May-Jun 2015
- Issue 96 : April 2015 [Mini Issue]
- Issue 95 : March 2015
- Issue 94 : February 2015
- Issue 93 : December 2014
- Issue 92 : November 2014
- Issue 91 : October 2014
- Issue 90 : September 2014
- Issue 89 : July 2014
- Issue 88 : June 2014
- Issue 87 : May 2014
- Issue 86 : April 2014
- Issue 85 : March 2014
- Issue 84 : February 2014
- Issue 83 : December 2013
- Issue 82 : November 2013
- Issue 81 : October 2013
- Issue 80 : September 2013
- Issue 79 : June 2013
- Issue 78 : 78
- Issue 77 : 77
- Issue 76 : 76
- Issue 75 : 75
- Issue 74 : 74
- Issue 73 : 73
- Issue 72 : 72
- Issue 71 : 71
- Issue 70 : 70
- Issue 69 : 69
- Issue 68 : 68
- Issue 67 : 67
- Issue 66 : 66
- Issue 65 : 65
- Issue 64 : 64
- Issue 63 : 63
- Issue 62 : 62
- Issue 61 : 61
- Issue 60 : 60
- Issue 59 : 59
- Issue 58 : 58
- Issue 57 : 57
- Issue 56 : 56
- Issue 56 : 56
- Issue 55 : 55
- Issue 54 : 54
- Issue 53 : 53
- Issue 52 : 52
- Issue 51 : 51
- Issue 50 : 50
- Issue 49 : 49
- Issue 48 : 48
- Issue 47 : 47
- Issue 46 : 46
- Issue 45 : 45
- Issue 44 : 44
- Issue 43 : 43
- Issue 42 : 42
- Issue 5 : 05
- Issue 4 : 04
- Issue 2 : 02
- Issue 1 : 01
- Issue 41 : 41
- Issue 40 : 40
- Issue 39 : 39
- Issue 38 : 38
- Issue 37 : 37
- Issue 36 : 36
- Issue 35 : 35
- Issue 34 : 34
- Issue 33 : 33
- Issue 10 : 10
- Issue 9 : 09
- Issue 6 : 06
- Issue 3 : 03
- Issue 32 : 32
- Issue 31 : 31
- Issue 30 : 30
- Issue 29 : 29
- Issue 11 : 11
- Issue 12 : 12
- Issue 13 : 13
- Issue 14 : 14
- Issue 15 : 15
- Issue 16 : 16
- Issue 17 : 17
- Issue 18 : 18
- Issue 19 : 19
- Issue 20 : 20
- Issue 21 : 21
- Issue 22 : 22
- Issue 23 : 23
- Issue 24 : 24
- Issue 25 : 25
- Issue 8 : 08
- Issue 7 : 07
- Issue 26 : 26
- Issue 27 : 27
- Issue 28 : 28
- Issue 1 : 01