Walk in my shoes with Caring in Bristol 

The BaseKit team recently participated in a ‘Walk in my shoes’ initiative with our charity of the year, Caring in Bristol. 

Inspired by the charity’s mission – to create a city empowered to solve homelessness – our team walked the streets of Bristol with Caring in Bristol’s Storytelling Coordinator Alv Hirst to discuss, learn and break down misconceptions about the causes and situation of homelessness in our local Bristol community. 

Caring in Bristol  works in imaginative and creative ways with people experiencing or at risk of homelessness to help solve and importantly prevent homelessness in Bristol. They are involved in some incredible projects across the city. 

The morning started with Alv and Chrissy from Caring in Bristol introducing the day’s activities at BKHQ. The team was then split into four groups to discuss different questions about homelessness.

Common misconceptions

“Young people, people of colour and the LGBTQ community are disproportionately affected by homelessness.”

As we walked to Castle Park, we considered common assumptions about homelessness and talked about who experiences homelessness and what it looks like for them. 

We discussed the false perception that it mainly impacts middle-aged men struggling with addiction and how it’s young people, people of colour and the LGBTQ community that are disproportionately affected. 

Citing a recent rough sleeping count, Alv and Chrissy highlighted how the problem is getting worse in Bristol. In the most recent city count, 90 people were sleeping rough, up from 67 in 2023.

Red flags 

“Currently, 60,000 people are on the waiting list for council housing.”

As we headed to our next destination, we considered what can lead to homelessness and possible red flags. On route, the team stopped  at Cabot Circus to consider Bristol as a city of two halves— those who can afford to shop in upmarket department stores,  juxtaposed with those who struggle to put a roof over their heads.

Arriving at Portland Square, we talked about some common causes of homelessness. These can include relationship breakdowns, financial hardship, the cost of living crisis and bad landlords.

Some landlords use  Section 21 legislation and no-fault evictions to get rid of tenants paying less than the market rate. Others who are letting out properties with mould, insulation, or other issues, use it to evict tenants who complain before getting a tenant who will make do with the poor conditions. 

The supply of houses across Bristol is so low that landlords are in a powerful position and can pick and choose who they want in their properties. They can, and do discriminate against different groups of people, and young people are often overlooked.

Across the city of Bristol, there are 30,000 council houses, with 2,500 becoming available every year. Currently, 60,000 people are on the waiting list. 

Solutions 

“Mindset shift: A home is a foundation for a good life, not a financial asset.”

Heading to our final stop at Caring in Bristol HQ, we considered possible solutions to homelessness. 

We discussed the need for more affordable housing, a change in the language used when discussing social housing, the importance of a mindset shift to think about a home as the foundation for a good life rather than a financial asset.

The Caring in Bristol team highlighted their Early Doors initiative, which aims to identify potential signs of trouble before it’s too late and stop a crisis before it happens. They also showed us handbooks on housing rights distributed to people who can benefit from them.

Visit Caring in Bristol to learn more about some of its current projects, including the  Z House.

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