Stories

Homelessness: A personal story

After three years as Chair of Luton Homeless Partnership, Matthew Bushnell steps down and passes the baton over to Tim Archbold. Matthew was a great support to Street Support Network and his presence will be missed. However, after our last few connections with Tim and getting to know him more, we feel our partnership will […]

GO! Southampton initiative for rough sleepers

New contactless charity donation points have been installed across Southampton as part of the ‘Change the Way you Give’ campaign. Two Saints, No Limits and Society of St James are the three local charities benefiting from the campaign, launched by the Street Support Action Group Southampton and funded by GO! Southampton to help support people […]

Beyond bricks and mortar

Southampton Street Support Action Group held their seventh conference last week and the second one held online. It was well attended by agencies, local government, the voluntary sector, councillors, and our local MP’s. The conference gathered to hear reports of the work with those sleeping rough over the last year of lockdowns and to look […]

Change the way you give

Homelessness is something we wouldn’t wish on anyone. People in Southampton who are homeless and on the street are often wet and freezing cold and very vulnerable. They are at risk of verbal and physical abuse and have increased health risks. They are a very diverse group and are there for a variety of different […]

A New study investigates why homeless dog owners are choosing to sleep rough rather than be parted from their pets

By Jenny Stravisky from Vets in the Community in Nottingham Published in Anthrozoos, the research was an interdisciplinary collaboration between the University of Nottingham and The University of Southampton, and funded by Dogs Trust. Louise Scanlon, one of the lead researchers on the project, interviewed twenty homeless or vulnerably housed dog owners, aged between 23-65, […]

2020 The year for Big Difference

Sanjay Mall has been nominated for the Police and Crime Commissioner Volunteer of the year in the South for his work with the homeless in Southampton. Sanjay has worked with the Big Breakfast at Above Bar Church for 12 years and this year set up the Big Difference to provide meals for the homeless. The […]

Somewhere to call Home

Matt Nelson is the newest edition to the It Takes a City team. He joins with a wealth of experience in community engagement and project coordination as well as having been homeless when he was younger. In this article, Matt shares his past and present experiences with the aim for our readers to get to […]