User:Christopher Bedford

Christopher Bedford is one of the Founder's of Rise And Shine Signpost a Community Interest Company for Eastbourne, Designed to outreach to those in need out of normal office hours - His belief is that everyone should have a home. His work is helping to make sure those who find themselves without one have the shelter and support they need to move on to independent living.

With England currently experiencing a homelessness crisis around 390,000 are now registered without a home according to leading homelessness organisations statistics shown in 2019 – Furthermore, with no dedicated research taking place to evaluate the impact of ‘Hidden Homelessness’, it is predicted that thousands more are experiencing homelessness in the form of sofa surfing, overcrowding or unsuitable accommodation.

"More needs to be done"

Christopher Bedford has said there is such a problem with homelessness and yes it is a very complex issue but only to those who have a lack of experience when dealing with these type of situations. The issue now at the stages that is at + is never going to solve itself overnight, As this problem did not happen over night, it has always been there but like most Problems!! it has been pushed aside and not resolved there are many ways that this situation could be helped. For many it is about adapting yourself to the individuals need and everybody needs that hope from another human being. I myself have experienced many different ways of homeless living, from sofa surfing to living in tents I have squatted in houses and slept on the cold hard floor of the streets im not by any means saying I was an angel or that I didn't deserve to be there because to be honest I was not a nice person, I was disrespectful and not considerate at all towards others but I was an addict and in my experience of homelessness and as an addict, it was awful now looking back I use to beg for my addiction but the real trouble was as an addict you do anything to get what u need to keep you going, this daily routine that it had now become from the doorway where I slept to the subway where I begged was all about drugs and the public were none the wiser on what was going on, quite scary really I mean because every day I was blessed with donations more than i could handle, on a good day £200+ was made and an average day in use to make around £100 but this was being used to support a habit and it was being supported by the public and I became so a custom to this life I didn't want to change. I mean think about it logicly for a moment when I was homeless I was in receipt of benefits for my food allowance + as I was given food by the public I was able to save money from my income that I had, this then ment I could use more substances as then an addict, I would probably get shot for saying this but this is the truth not just for me at the time but also for many other people who are homeless, I am just one to speak up I am worried guys as people are dying by the public's kind support had the public equipped themselves with knowledge of services and pointed me more to them and if they supported them to support me at the time I would of not received the donations that kept me homeless and as an addict. I'm not saying all homeless are addicts this is just my feeling and my view, but next time you want to help a homeless person please think is your donation going to cost them their life? or is your gift really the best you can do? , what if the homeless person was your brother your sister, your mother or your dad then what , a simple gift of food drink and money is the answer I think not please understand my cry for help.