“I work in outreach but sometimes I feel like someone’s mother, brother, and counsellor all wrapped into one,” says Jordan Forbes, a case manager for Crisis.
With every person walking through Crisis’s doors assigned a case worker – a key anchor in helping lift people out of what can be isolating and dangerous situations – Forbes is on the frontline of helping solve the UK’s homelessness crisis.
At the crux is building a trusting relationship – a challenging task when often the system, and sometimes families, have let people down. These advocates become lifelines of support, calling and chasing relevant services such as councils and housing authorities to find people a place they can call home.
Away from family and friends, those experiencing homelessness can feel lonely and socially excluded. This is where Crisis and its team step in and lend an ear. “A good part of the job is to just spend time with people and listen to what they’re going through,” says Forbes.
Despite working in London, where homelessness is expected to rise further as a result of the cost of living crisis and rent increases, Forbes is far from sombre. He is full of heartwarming stories of people he has supported to change their lives: the man who had a mental health breakdown and was rough sleeping, but with Forbes’s support was able to get a job at Pret A Manger, accommodation, and the medication he needed; the man he encouraged to attend regular arts classes hosted by the charity, after discovering his love for the arts; the person he referred for specialist training on a building site, meaning he could gain much-needed skills and secure a job.
“One older gentleman I worked with earlier this year was temporarily living in hotels as he had lost his accommodation that was tied to his employment,” says Forbes. “He didn’t know where to turn. We worked with the council to find him accommodation and it agreed to pay the deposit so it was affordable for him.”
But it can be a struggle to find people accommodation in areas they’re living in or are from. “I don’t believe any of the people I’ve worked with this year have been allocated accommodation where they are from. I certainly push and apply for it. It’s a shame, especially if their networks are in that area. It can cost a lot of money to travel.”
Crisis is often a lifeline for people who are homeless at breaking point, but there’s still so much to be done – living on the streets can be scary and dangerous for many. People sleeping on the street are almost 17 times more likely to have been victims of violence and 15 times more likely to have suffered verbal abuse in the past year compared with the general public, according to Crisis.
“Rough sleepers will tell you they have been urinated on, kicked, abused and generally treated as vermin,” says Matt Downie, chief executive of Crisis. “There’s a very dark nature to being homeless.” The early death rates are alarming, too – the average age of death for people experiencing homelessness is 46 for men and 42 for women. “It’s grim stuff,” says Downie.
Rough sleepers are often seen as the face of homelessness, but hidden homelessness is equally pressing. “Around 220,000 people are hidden homeless, which includes sofa surfing, staying in a shed, and sleeping on public transport,” says Downie.
The experience of homelessness can leave deep psychological trauma. “They say it never leaves you,” says Downie. “The years of being on your own and being blamed for the situation really is damaging. We saw it during the pandemic, with people saying: ‘I don’t deserve this,’ when they’d previously had their own home. Their self-worth had been eroded.”
Crisis is working tirelessly to put a stop to homelessness. The charity has teams up and down the UK who are brokering deals with landlords and housing associations to secure people a home. “Anyone at risk of being homeless can come to us,” says Downie. “We don’t put up a barrier. We help create a personalised plan to make sure people can get a home of their own, and if they need help with immigration or help reconnecting with parents, or need skills, or a job, or someone to have their back or welfare services, we will be there for them.”
Although Forbes says his job is stressful and challenging – “you’re constantly up against it with local authorities” – he describes it as the “best in the world”. “Ending somebody’s homelessness is fantastic,” he says. “Ideally, this charity shouldn’t exist, but in the world we’ve found ourselves in, one of the best things to do is to help people. I have the ability to do that and it’s incredible. It’s very rewarding.”
If you’re interested in ending homelessness by volunteering, campaigning, fundraising or making a donation to Crisis, and want to find out more, visit crisis.org.uk
