Jenny’s Insight: A Conversation about Homelessness!
Leah interviewed Jenny about her experience of working with people who experience homelessness. Jenny has been a social care worker in homeless services for the last eight years where she has worked in both Kilkenny and Waterford services. Leah had the pleasure of working with Jenny on her 3rd year placement and was incredibly inspired by how passionate Jenny is about the work she does and felt as though it was an area everyone needs to talk more about. In this interview Jenny talks about her experience of working with people who are homeless and what we can do to help.
“Homeless people are not bad people and it's important for everyone to remember that.”
“Understanding that it can happen to anybody or it can happen to you yourself, allows people to have less of a stigma and more of an awareness of those who can become homeless.”
Leah: Hi Jenny, would you feel comfortable starting off by speaking about what made you initially want to work in the area of homelessness?
Jenny: Yes of course, So I would have always had a keen interest in the area of homelessness and addiction. Understanding the reasons behind how people found themselves in those situations. I felt a high level of empathy towards anyone who I would have seen as street homeless when I was younger. I suppose my mother always had a saying, which kind of stuck with me. She always said “For the grace of God, there go I”, which I suppose means that when you see someone in a really tough situation, it's important to remember that that could easily be you. When I was younger my father would have always acknowledged anyone we walked past who would have been begging on the street or who would have been street homeless. He would have always said hello to them and I suppose that kind of stuck with me as well. I suppose throughout college then I would have wanted to seek out a placement in the area of homelessness, which I did and I suppose since doing my placement in third year in a homeless service I never really looked back and I loved to work from the start. I continued to work in it after college and I suppose I've been working in it now eight years. That's kind of how I got into the area of homelessness and yeah, I'm still in it to this day.
Leah: That's amazing Jenny. Can you tell me about the experience you have working with people who experience homelessness?
Jenny: Yeah, the experience I've had working with those who are homeless has been so eye-opening. I've learned so much about people in general and about the people who access homeless services and both from like my team of colleagues and also more importantly from the people themselves. I suppose the biggest thing that I've taken from working in the area in homelessness is just expanding my own knowledge of the area itself and more importantly of the people who access the services that are in need of homeless services.
Leah: Brilliant. What are the most challenging and rewarding aspects of the work you do?
Jenny:There are lots of challenges and rewards to working in the area of homelessness. Looking at the challenges first, for me the most challenging aspect is seeing those we work with going through such a tough experience in their life and the horrific things that they may have gone through. That can be very hard to see and can be very hard to leave at work and not bring home with you. Another challenge is, the times when services can be at capacity and those who are most in need of the homeless services and who are sleeping rough can't access the beds, due to capacity levels. So knowing people are out in the elements is a massive challenge, especially when you are, I suppose, secure in your own home, it does bring a level of, a feeling of guilt that those people are experiencing such a tough situation. The rewarding aspects of the work in homelessness always far outweigh the challenges, in my eyes anyway. Seeing people exit homelessness and move into their own home and move into independent living is the most rewarding part of the job and is obviously the end goal. Along with this, seeing the small day-to-day positive steps that the service users take in the direction of their goals, whatever those goals may be, is a massive, massive rewarding part of the job and just seeing those small improvements day by day whether that is in the area of addiction or harm reduction or access to training and employment. This is a massively rewarding part of working in the homeless services and I suppose as well being able to give a person coming off the streets a safe space and a warm bed and always seeing the relief on someone's face when they do come into a warm environment is always so fulfilling.
Leah: Yes 100% the work you do is crucial. What do you think are some of the misconceptions about people who experience homelessness?
Jenny: Yeah, so a massive misconception of those who are homeless, by the general publicis that they are in this position as a result of their own actions or due to it being their own fault. And this is not always the case. Many people are victims of the housing crisis. Many of those in homeless services are working full time and they just have no access to housing. And as well, many of those in homelessness have gone through terrible traumas and come from disadvantages and adversity in their lives and as a result has led them to homelessness. Homeless people are not bad people and it's important for everyone to remember that. They're just people who are on the margins of society and are often the most vulnerable in our society and it's so important that they are supported through the homelessness that they are experiencing.
Leah: So true, Jenny. What do you think is the most important thing to remember when engaging with someone who is experiencing homelessness?
Jenny: I think the most important thing to remember when engaging with someone who is homeless is to ensure that they are treated with the most respect and dignity, to always see the person first before the issues. That they may be presenting with and ensuring a person feels seen, respected and heard is vital to their self-esteem and to build trust and a rapport. Also ensuring you use a non- judgmental approach will allow someone who's experiencing homelessness to accept help and support more easily, from my experience.
Leah: Very true. What services and supports are out there for people who experience homelessness?
Jenny: Many people actually don't know how to access the services that are available to them, should they become homeless themselves or know anyone who is in a homeless situation. The first step is always to contact your local homeless department in your local county council. From there, they will link you in and refer you to the most appropriate homeless service. There are many services out there, such as outreach services, advice and information services and then residential temporary emergency accommodation services. And from accessing a homeless service, you can then liaise with staff to be referred and further engage with other agencies to address whatever struggles or issues that a person may be presenting with. Some of these struggles may have been what have led them to become homeless in the first place, such as addiction and mental health.
Leah: I think that’s really important for people to know. What can we do in the community to try and help alleviate the stigma placed on individuals who experience homelessness?
Jenny: So I think as a community, we can alleviate the stigma of homelessness by educating people about homelessness and about the work that homeless services do. I think the most important thing is understanding the people who access the homeless services. The more understanding the community has, the less judgmental people will be about those who access homeless services. Understanding that it can happen to anybody or it can happen to you yourself, allows people to have less of a stigma and more of an awareness of those who can become homeless.
Leah: As they say, knowledge is power. What advice would you give fellow social care students about wanting to pursue a career in the homeless sector?
Jenny: I would advise any social social care student wanting to pursue a career in homelessness to go for it, to try it out and to use a placement opportunity to experience the area. One thing about working in homelessness is that you would never be bored on the job. Each day is different. And as an old colleague once said to me before, ‘When the work does get tough, always remember why you started it in the first place and why you wanted to work in the area in the first place’. I would advise anyone wanting to pursue working in an area of homelessness to just enjoy all of the rewarding parts, no matter how small they may seem because these are the days that will get you through the tougher days.
Leah: That's absolutely brilliant. Thank you so much Jenny for taking part in this interview.
Jenny: No bother Leah, Thanks for having me!