Leaving WLM

Last week, I left homelessness charity, WLM. My fixed-term contract came to an end and I reflected on my year there, my toe-dip into the world of charity fundraising. While at WLM, I had the opportunity of seeing, close-up, the work that goes into supporting London’s burgeoning homeless population.

WLM is the charity arm of the Methodist West London Mission. Founded by John Wesley, Methodism sees every person as equally valuable and it promotes social justice, particularly for the poor and the disadvantaged. WLM supports people who are homeless or are at risk of homelessness, including ex-military, ex-offenders and chronic alcoholics. You don’t have to be religious to work at WLM or, indeed, be helped by them. A WLM residence will serve a celebratory meal to mark the end of Eid as it would a Christmas lunch.

I met many residents and service users in the various WLM residences and community spaces and they were, in essence, much the same as people that I meet in other spheres of life. In other words, they were normal people. Normal people but whose environments had been less supportive, their experiences harsher, their circumstances less forgiving and their mistakes more consequential. Prior to Lockdown, I looked forward to seeing the familiar faces of those who used the community hub, where I was based, as much as those of my colleagues. I was humbled to meet people who were grateful for an opportunity to pick themselves up and move forward in their lives or to start over. It made me keenly aware of the security and comfort of the life I have been privileged to lead and grateful for family and friends who help keep me happy and healthy, safe and sane.

Before working at WLM, I found it easy to avoid thinking about people who have fallen off the social ladder and end up in poverty and extreme circumstances. I might silently reproach people for their own misfortune and lack of resilience or, perhaps, think of them as hapless and somehow unworthy of my compassion. Afterwards, not so much. I may choose to believe that someone affected by chronic alcoholism has only himself to blame for his inevitable liver and pancreatic disease and brain damage. But I can never know what he suffered to lead him to prefer an alcohol-induced oblivion. At WLM, I heard many tales of circumstances that resulted in people becoming homeless. Some of these are familiar, such as family breakdown, ill health and hospital stays or job loss that leads to debt. I also learned of many people who were not, technically, homeless yet were close to destitution: a working mother with no bed, who slept on the floorboards of her local authority flat; a woman who sofa-surfed with relatives for years with no privacy or space of her own. Being able to make a cup of tea at will and having clean underwear in the morning had never felt such a privilege!

I learned that best practice in supporting homeless people is evolving and has changed significantly in recent years. WLM used to provide ongoing day care services for homeless people such as meals and showers but there is evidence that this can risk sustaining people to stay on the streets. Sleeping rough kills! The average life expectancy of someone sleeping rough is a mere 44 years for men and 42 years for women. Greater effort is now put into seeking out rough sleepers and referring them to accommodation and services. WLM is developing its specific areas of expertise and working more closely, rather than in competition, with other charities. It has deepened partnerships with London borough councils and central government, the homeless outreach team and other organisations which support people at risk.

WLM recognises that homeless people have experienced traumatic events in their lives yet it aims not to characterise people by one particular set of circumstances. There is a greater focus on seeing the homeless individual as a whole person with skills, strengths and personal goals, rather than defined solely by their homelessness. WLM is putting particular effort into homelessness prevention and personal wellbeing by offering counselling, digital and money skills, help with online CV creation and job hunting, and by partnering with organisations that can provide support for problem gambling or set up a social enterprise. Staff do not blame or judge. Instead they focus, determinedly, on providing a roof and a bed, on offering support to people to realise their strengths, manage their money, find accommodation and look for work or obtain benefits. Under Lockdown, they also have to find ways to distract, engage and entertain residents who, typically, suffer from poor health and are particularly vulnerable to COVID

I thoroughly enjoyed working at WLM: My colleagues were fun but dedicated professionals and the leadership team works hard to keep residents safe and staff connected, even under COVID restrictions. As much as I genuinely enjoyed my role, I cannot honestly pretend to be passionate about working in the homelessness sector. But I am mighty glad that there are others who are. I am very happy that there are people who are motivated to spend their working day in providing a helping hand to others in need and I am proud to have worked with people who dedicate their lives to the service of those who find themselves at the bottom of the social pile. Wesley is attributed (without evidence) with the following quote and I think it’s fair to say that the work of WLM and its staff goes a long way to fulfilling this directive:

“Do all the good you can, by all the means you can, in all the ways you can, in all the places you can, at all the times you can, to all the people you can, as long as ever you can.”

As the festive season approaches and you want to support the homeless person on the high street, you can’t do better than donate to WLM. If you feel guilty when you walk past the local beggar, don’t feed their addiction, which will likely keep them on the streets, but give generously to an organisation with expertise in homelessness. If you still feel guilty afterwards it probably means you should donate some more! And to my, now former, colleagues at WLM, most of whom I haven’t seen in person for months, thank you for your work and, especially, for your warmth and friendship. Truly, I salute you.

You can donate to WLM at https://wlm.org.uk/donate