Falcon Support Services and World Homeless Day

October marks World Homeless Day, this year dovetailing with Mental Health Day.

World Homeless Day, on October 10, aims to highlight the issues facing homelessness and one of them can be mental health. The aim of the day is to raise awareness so people can do everything they can to prevent people sleeping rough and alleviate suffering.

Rough sleepers may feel anxious, depressed and even suicidal. But thanks to Leicestershire-based Falcon Support Services which helps the homeless and those in need find independence through housing, community and recovery support- there is hope.

Currently more than 300,000 people are homeless on any given night in Britain according to statistics. Being homeless can bring unsurmountable challenges to our service users. Many of them access services after experiencing a variety of mental health conditions and being homeless can amplify this. World Homeless Day is an opportunity to shine a light on how Falcon Support Services can help them.

Deputy CEO of Falcon Support Services, Rachel Hall said: “Our charity has been running for 20 years and has 115 beds across 34 properties including providing a shelter for those in crisis at The Falcon Centre. It also provides a haven in the form of a drop-in centre accessed by over 10,000 people a year at Loughborough Falcon Centre and Hinckley United Reformed Church. We have served over 30,000 meals in the past year.

“We are working hard to reduce homelessness and provide people with essential items to move into supported accommodation, provide healthy and nutritious food and provide personalised support for an individual to move from crisis into independence.”

Homelessness can happen to anyone. Rough sleepers are almost 17 times more likely to have been victims of violence. Falcon Services give their service users the dignity they need to achieve independence. Dave, a grandfather, had a job and enjoyed cycling before a life-changing heart attack and a stroke turned his world upside down. Overnight he lost his health, occupation and home, and it caused his relationship to break down overnight which forced him into homelessness.

He reached out to Falcon who helped him to get back on track, with a finance plan, a mental health assessment and assistance with his personal care needs as well as finding him accommodation that gave him the dignity he deserved.

People face a lot of traumas which are what led to things going wrong and the impact that Falcon has on homelessness in Leicestershire is huge. With winter approaching, we can do more to ensure more people don’t have to sleep rough.

But Falcon’s work is more than putting a roof over someone’s head, it is also about restoring dignity, rebuilding lives and giving people the opportunity to reclaim their futures.

Being homeless can be a matter of life and death, leading to feelings of despair and worthlessness. Without the support vulnerable people can find themselves feeling hopeless: One service user said: “The support is unmeasurable, if it wasn’t for The Falcon, I’d be dead, even now after you helped me get housed you continue to help me.”

Reaching out

Mental health challenges come in many forms, rough sleepers may find ways to cope and can become dependent on alcohol and drugs, some of the factors which lead to homelessness too. Falcon provides support to help those in need access services available to help them to cut down and manage their addictions, and many working towards independence. We have harm reduction officers that last year supported over 595 individuals on a one-to-one basis and the Recovery Team (Harm Reduction, Aftercare and Substance Abuse Navigators) held 1,039 one-to-one sessions.

Falcon Support Services now operate extended hours over evenings and weekends to help more people get off the streets, to help keep them safe. Furthermore, Falcon’s wellbeing services are available to residents, including sing and string music sessions, art therapy and even an allotment where people can enjoy the benefits of nature, all of which help to improve mental health.

Everything is rooted in the belief that where you are today does not define your future.

Anyone can access the Falcon Support Services website via Falcon Website