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Bright ideas bring help ...and hope
MENTION the word homelessness and the majority of people would jump to the usual assumptions.
That it is self-inflicted through drink or drugs or an unwillingness to conform or work.
Undoubtedly there are those whose weakness leads to this kind of life free from the shackles of society.
But there are an awful lot more that do not.
A large number of people find themselves without a roof over their heads after a relationship breaks down.
Or they are evicted, which is something that is happening more and more in the current economic climate as people are made redundant and fail keep up with rent or mortgage payments.
While the social services net catches most people as they fall, there are always those who slip through the mesh.
In Calderdale, SmartMove, a charity that works with homeless people has been running a City and Guilds learning power award for homeless people who now have found settled accommodation and are trying to turn their lives around. It has already been completed successfully by 11 people .
While this does not give participants an automatic passport to a job, it does an invaluable service by instilling a sense of confidence, achievement and development among those who have taken part.
Perhaps the most important attribute of all is a feeling of self-worth.
As one person puts it: "A lot of people who have done the course may never have had any qualifications before and this is the first time they can say they have achieved."
As part of this worthy project, pupils from Ryburn Valley High School have made a DVD featuring the very personal stories of people who have been homeless.
It will be distributed to other schools to help pupils understand the issue and provoke debate.
Homlessness is a problem that will never go away.
But if more young people are taught cause and effect, and groups like SmartMove are allowed to develop their ideas, there is always hope and help.
For those that wish to be helped, that is.
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Saturday 11 February 2012
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