Stroud campaigners respond to 'stigmatising' Gloucester City Council homelessness poster

The group of political activists, who call themselves Stroud Red Shed responded to the council's current ‘street aware’ campaign with an alternative take on the homelessness issues that the city is currently experiencing.

Whereas the city council’s poster warn members of the public not to give money directly to people claiming to be sleeping on the streets, the Red Shed’s version highlights the issues that they believe are causing the rising rates of homelessness in the area, such as changes to the benefit system.

A spokesperson for the campaign group explained their decision to create an alternative poster, which includes the hashtag #noblamenoshame, they said: “Nationally, the number of homeless people has doubled since 2010, and in Gloucester the City Council has taken the unusual measure of producing a poster advising the public that providing shelters and giving money directly to people on the street only leads to a worsening of the problem.

“We wanted to provide the public with some additional facts so that they can make up their own minds,  everyone should be given the opportunity to choose which approach to the homelessness issue it prefers,” they explained.

Stroud-based campaign group Red She have created this alternative version of the poster in response to the city council's campaign

Joe Feeley, chief executive of homeless charity Emmaus Gloucestershire warned that stigmatising those on the streets could actually contribute to the problem: "Emmaus Gloucestershire offers a home and work for 31 people who have experienced homelessness.

“Many of those who work and live in the Emmaus community have said that the stigma surrounding homelessness has prevented them from being able to  move on in their lives.

“Any images that increase that stigma and associate rough sleeping with benefit cheating are unhelpful to people trying to rebuild their lives.

“There are more positive stories that can be used to encourage the public to think about how they support people facing homelessness.

“Our own initiative, Operation Backpack, has clearly demonstrated that the people of this county care deeply about being directly involved in taking positive action; and have donated more than 500 packs for distribution to rough sleepers,” he explained.

Jon Sparkes, chief executive of national charity Crisis, also reminded the council that ‘homelessness isn’t a lifestyle choice: “We believe it’s a personal decision whether to give money to someone who is homeless.

“However it’s important to remember that homelessness isn’t a lifestyle choice, particularly when considering the abuse, violence, and freezing temperatures thatso many homeless people face.

“Homelessness is rising, due in part to our declining stock of social housing and cuts to welfare.

"What we ought to focus our attention on is addressing the root causes of homelessness and giving people the support they need to leave homelessness behind for good,” he told the SNJ.

Gloucester City Councillor Jennie Watkins said that the campaign delivered a tough message.

But Gloucester City Councillor Jennie Watkins (Con, Kingsway), cabinet member for communities and neighbourhoods, defended the council's decision to put up the posters around the city: "The launch of our ‘Street Aware’ campaign is to raise public awareness about alternative giving.

“It’s a tough message to deliver, but we must consider whether giving money directly to individuals is the best way to support them to make positive and sustainable change.

"Giving money to people who beg may make life on the street easier for them in the short term, but, in the worst case, could feed dependency.

“It takes more than money to turn a life around.

"The intention behind the poster campaign is to catch the public’s attention, to ask them to think about whether their money is helping in the best way and to provide important information about how to refer someone who they may be concerned about for support," she said.