tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8773927762407203174.post7259810619950705932..comments2014-04-25T02:26:45.627-07:00Comments on The Pavement Perspective: A new campaign: Killing with KindnessAnonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04236462222672875441noreply@blogger.comBlogger5125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8773927762407203174.post-84838067462622644672014-01-11T03:52:12.490-08:002014-01-11T03:52:12.490-08:00Frankie - thanks. No problem with the old image be...Frankie - thanks. No problem with the old image being used on the blog and I wasn't asking for the blog to be amended as I thought that your points were all well made, even if I might not agree with them all. <br /><br />To avoid the stigmatising of homeless people as all being drug addicts we have consistently stated that the link is between begging and drug misuse, not between homelessness and drugs or even homelessness and begging. However I accept that this may not always get through to the public. <br /><br />Of course we would also be deluding ourselves if we ignored the fact that many people sleeping rough do have drug and alcohol problems with the figures in London over the last decade consistently holding at around 30% of people sleeping rough addicted to hard drugs and over 40% of rough sleepers having problems with alcohol (and notably addiction problems that involve super-strength lagers and ciders). We also know from recent and very convincing research that the problem precedes the rough sleeping - that is, the substance misuse problem arises before someone sleeps rough though, of course, rough sleeping is likely to exacerbate the problem, hence our determination to get people off of the street as quickly as possible. Jeremy Swainhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06483917462413015323noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8773927762407203174.post-51202955419371249942014-01-08T04:08:53.306-08:002014-01-08T04:08:53.306-08:00Thanks for your comments and clarifications about ...Thanks for your comments and clarifications about the campaign, Jeremy. They were very helpful and I have amended the post accordingly. If you have time, let me know what you think.<br /><br />I appreciate that in trying to critique the campaign I overemphasized the direction of funds rather than the obvious primary aim of helping people overcome substance misuse and addictions. <br /><br />The concern I was trying to express is that the general public en mass may conflate the often distinct groups of ‘beggars’ and ‘the homeless’. As a result, the campaign could be used as another excuse for people to disregard not only rough sleepers they see on the streets, but also the charities that help them, relying on the misguided assumption that ‘they are all drug addicts’ etc. I hasten to say that I do not think this is the correct interpretation, but it may well be the one some take, and if they do it may result in fewer funds reaching charitable organisations working with homeless individuals in the first place.<br /><br />Overall, I think the campaign is a very good one, and presumably having a positive effect. Conveying such complex messages, which necessarily do require a lot of explanation, is never going to be easy. I will send you an invitation to the first screening of our film, The Pavement Perspective, to see if you might be interested in more of our work.<br /><br />Are you happy for the old image to be used on the blog? If not, please do let me know.<br />Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04236462222672875441noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8773927762407203174.post-3551310192663978442014-01-07T10:23:30.699-08:002014-01-07T10:23:30.699-08:00Frankie - this is a very interesting and balanced ...Frankie - this is a very interesting and balanced assessment of the Killing with Kindness campaign, in my view. I thought it would be useful to provide a little more context. Rather than re-launching the Killing with Kindness campaign, what happens is that Thames Reach is approached by different local authorities and other bodies around the country who ask permission from us to use the image. We invariably agree and if it is being used in a a city or town where we don't work, we do not ask for any 'alternative giving' donations to be given to us but to local agencies. The Inside Housing article I penned recently on the subject was in a sense spontaneous as I had gone on the radio to discuss the issue the week before and it was fresh in my mind again. This is a campaign we have run since 2003, indeed I see that the version of the image you are using includes our old name of Thames Reach Bondway! <br /><br />But the main point I wanted to make is this: The objective of the campaign is first and foremost to make sure that we cut off the supply of money to the dealers and alongside this can assist people with substance misuse problems to seek help with our support, which becomes a more likely proposition when the supply of begging money reduces. Giving the public an alternative - i.e. supporting a local charity working with the homeless instead - is important but this will not generate much, if any, income for charities because, as you imply, giving to people begging is spontaneous and, I would argue, unthinking. So this is not meant to be a a fund-raiser but a life-changing campaign. Hope this is useful.Jeremy Swainhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06483917462413015323noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8773927762407203174.post-82496678584238706622014-01-07T07:25:51.195-08:002014-01-07T07:25:51.195-08:00Thanks Kirsty!
Well, all the organisations workin...Thanks Kirsty!<br /><br />Well, all the organisations working with homeless individuals in London (and beyond) do a fantastic job, but in the end it boils down to personal preference. <br /><br />If you are interested in solutions, a charity which does a lot of lobbying for more housing and better provisions may be up your street, (Shelter, Housing Justice, to name a few) whereas if you are interested in direct outreach work you needn't look further than your local shelter or day centre. You can just Google your area to find one close to you. <br /><br />The advantage of giving to a smaller organisation is that you are more likely to see the tangible benefits from your donation. However, sometimes the larger organisations effect the bigger changes - on both sides of the fence, donating will be money well spent.Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04236462222672875441noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8773927762407203174.post-58258054969663016992014-01-07T07:12:02.412-08:002014-01-07T07:12:02.412-08:00Great post! Like the poster too. If you were to en...Great post! Like the poster too. If you were to encourage people to donate to one of the many homelessness charities which would it be? Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12704094961146689934noreply@blogger.com