One of the highlights of our year outside our Guest Centre is the talk that Ops Manager, Rosie, gives to the Year 7 pupils at Cheltenham Prep School.

Rosie visited the school recently and talked to the pupils about many of the issues our guests face. There was a lot of lively and thoughtful discussion around how people cope when they are living on the streets : Where do you go to the toilet? How do you receive important letters if you don’t have an address? Where can you take a shower and get your clothes cleaned? They also talked about family, receiving medication and having keys to a place you can call your own. 

One of the important messages Rosie shared was that bad things happen to good, ordinary people. How do people end up living on the streets, taking drugs or spending time in prison?  Fighting the narratives that say “They should just get a job” or “They’re lazy” and encouraged understanding of how quickly someone can go from living a ‘normal’ life with a job, friends and pets to being on the streets.

It was inspiring to witness the considered responses from the Prep School pupils to these complex issues and to feel hopeful for the future where we can all be considerate towards those who find themselves in desperate and distressing situations.