Guest post by Cllr Patrick Murray

Ten years ago, at the age of 19, I was homeless. I had been suffering from depression for several years and my life was really on a downward spiral. I lost count of how many colleges I walked away from and jobs I messed up. I had been in hospital at the age of 17, on an adult ward. I had lived in a halfway house. Nothing had worked. So when I got discharged from the hospital I was in, after an argument with one of the doctors, I didn’t have many options. I turned up at the door of the homeless shelter for young people in Oxford and stayed there.

What I saw on the streets were a lot of people who had been repeatedly let down by society and the state. People who had been discharged from the care system with nowhere to go. People who had left the army and been unable to cope with civilian life, to give two examples.

Some of the faces I see on Oxford’s streets now are recognisable from my time. They’re a lot older, and they disappear for stretches at a time, but they’re still around. They’ve fallen through the cracks in our system so many times by now. I’ll be honest – I feel guilty that I got out and somehow they didn’t. So why did I get lucky?

Part of it is just that – sheer luck. I still had friends, and managed to rebuild the bridges with my family. The mental health professionals didn’t give up. A good friend of mine at the time had a brother who had been addicted to heroin for almost a decade. Seeing how that destroyed everything kept me away from that side of things.

But there were things that were important. In the end I was only homeless for a few months, meaning that I managed to keep some kind of faith for long enough to get out of that world. That’s not to say it was instant. My first stage accomodation was worse than the shelter – basically a glorified bail hostel with doors that offered little security. I felt more afraid there than I ever did on the streets, and to seriously tackle the cycle of repeat homelessness these places have to go.

Most people in mainstream society won’t look at you twice when you’re on the streets. Hardly anyone is going to give you a chance at training or employment. The image for many people of homelessness is that of alcoholics or drug users. There were people who had lost their homes because of drug or alcohol problems, or had mental health problems that were exacerbated by them. There were also those who turned there once they were on the streets. Frankly I can easily see how that happens. You’re isolated from the rest of the world. You become almost institutionalised. You believe that you’re going to die in the gutter. There is no hope.

While I was homeless, I was involved with some services which pushed me, and some that didn’t. It is important to have a refuge, a place where you can go and sit in peace. But if that is all that is offered you end up on the streets for longer- and the longer you’re there the easier it is to fall prey to those negative elements. You need people to believe in you, to try to help you build up your confidence, and to push you back towards mainstream society. It’s not easy work, but from my experience, without that work you’re not giving people a chance to get out.

This is happening now in Oxford. I’ve been a councillor for over 5 years now, and was the lead councillor for housing services between 2006-8. We got rid of those first stage hostels. We’re investing in services that focus on empowerment and engagement. We’re due to open a Skylight centre in 2011 offering creative and cultural opportunities as well as training and employment. Hopefully some of those faces I recognise might get a chance now.

[Patrick has been a Liberal Democrat councillor since 2004, his website can be found here]

Reader comments

1. Liberal Conspiracy

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2. Gordon Thomson

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3. Vanessa Anton

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4. Naomi Smith

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