Today is World Refugee Day.

As the theme this year is ‘hope away from home’, we wanted to share a story of hope, not homelessness in the face of despair.

There are currently 35 million refugees across the world. People with hopes, dreams and stories. People like Mobarak.

Watch Mobarak’s story in his own words >>>

Alone, homeless and traumatised

Mobarak was forced from his home in Sudan after fleeing war. Completely alone at 14 years old, he then fled from neighbouring Libya to Malta where her undertook back-breaking labour to pay for his journey to Calais. Hope was the only thing keeping him going.

After making the perilous journey across the channel in a plastic boat, Mobarak found Oasis Community Housing’s No.3 project in Southwark. Within two weeks of being in London he was learning to read and write in English.

Mobarak was paired with a mentor who introduced him to other young people across the service who had been through similar life experiences to him.

Use of a sim card, provided by Vodafone Charities Connected programme, has meant he has been able to contact the British Red Cross who are now supporting him to contact his parents back in Sudan.

Even in the darkness Mobarak found hope.

Find out more about what we do >>>

The Government will fail in its mission to end homelessness if it does not tackle trauma suffered by people facing homelessness. This is the stark warning from David Smith, CEO of homelessness charity Oasis Community Housing, following new research commissioned by the charity that reveals 94% of people facing homelessness have experienced one or more traumas that have left them unable to access the help they need.

The England-wide research ‘Trauma and Homelessness’, conducted by Northumbria University, showed half of people facing homelessness have experienced five or more traumas, such as sexual or domestic abuse, violence, family death or war.

Pledge your support for our new Tackling Trauma, Ending Homelessness campaign >>>

The research found each trauma increased the risk of mental ill-health, lack of self-care, substance misuse, the inability to concentrate or learn, and homelessness amongst others. All these effects of trauma, when unaddressed, also impact people’s capacity to remember to attend appointments or properly manage tenancies creating a vicious cycle of homelessness.

Former Oasis Community Housing resident Amanda Walton remembers, “My leg got broken at 18 months old, in the middle of an argument. After that, I had 15 foster placements in seven years. Lots of living out of bags. I didn’t want to empty my suitcase as I knew I wouldn’t be there very long.

“I remember getting my first council flat at 18 years old, which was fantastic at first, having my own independence. But drink and drugs were always a problem. I didn’t realise or want to admit that I was an alcoholic. That flat broke down.”

A single incident of trauma caused by a random event has a profound effect on the well-being of an individual, but multiple events or ‘complex trauma’ will pervade every aspect of a person’s being. It is this complex trauma that the research identifies as a defining factor for people who fall into homelessness.

David Smith, Oasis Community Housing CEO, comments, “We hear stories like Amanda’s every day; it is futile to try to solve the issue of homelessness without addressing the trauma people have suffered. Frontline staff working in homelessness services must have trauma-informed training to offer appropriate support, as well as helping to protect themselves from vicarious trauma.

“A national trauma-informed training programme, delivered by Government, would save lives as well as taxpayer’s pounds.”

The new research launched at a Parliamentary event this week, hosted by APPG for Ending Homelessness Vice Chair The Rt Hon Sir Stephen Timms and supported by Homeless Link. The launch was attended by almost 50 Parliamentarians, sector partners and other homelessness and trauma experts this week – including Shadow Minister for Homelessness and Rough Sleeping, Paula Barker, Lord Kerslake and Bob Blackman.

Dr Harding of Northumbria University, who co-authored the research, said, “The impact of trauma has been an increasingly important theme in homelessness research in recent years and there is a growing realisation that, for the majority of people for whom homeless is a longer-term issue, trauma is always there in the background of their lives, whether that is from childhood, adolescence, as an adult, or throughout their whole lives.”

The research provides evidence that specialist and timely trauma-informed support offers a real chance to end cycles of homelessness. However, almost half of people surveyed had not been able to access specialist help for their trauma and some reported only being “taken seriously” after reaching a crisis point.

Northumbria University researcher, Dr Irving, added, “One important finding which came out of the research is the value of a trauma-informed approach to service delivery which is mindful of the traumatic experiences someone has gone through.

“This isn’t about creating new services. There are already housing, mental health, and substance misuse services available. However, we need to ask why some individuals are unable to access or engage with those services and why some are returning to those services again and again. But a trauma-informed approach may be key to making it easier for those who need support to access those services.”

Establishing trauma-informed care as best practice would drive real change by ensuring trauma is recognised as part of people’s pathway into homelessness, as well as providing significant social and economic benefits. The Fulfilling Lives programme, which was scrutinised as part of this research, estimated that the reduction in use of public services following trauma-informed care interventions was equivalent to a saving of over £700 per year, per person.

For residents of Oasis Community Housing’s projects, trauma-informed support has been a literal lifesaver, as Amanda recalls, “When I moved into my Naomi flat it was the first time I’d unpacked a bag in years. I felt safe. I unpacked everything! It was the start of Amanda’s life.”

David Smith concludes, “We saw a concerted effort to put a roof over every rough sleepers’ head during the pandemic, but only by recognising and committing to tackle the trauma that is deep-rooted within our homeless population can we even begin to hope to end entrenched homelessness in this country.”

To read a summary of the research or find out more about our associated our calls on the Government, visit our Tackling Trauma, Ending Homelessness campaigns page.

The government must continue to prioritise rough sleeping services, matching the enhanced investment made during COVID-19, Oasis Community Housing’s Chief Executive, David Smith, has written in recent letters to MPs.

The plea comes as restrictions ease in order to prevent a ‘cliff edge’ of homelessness provision, and to ensure charities and agencies are ready to respond to the needs of those becoming newly homeless as a result of the pandemic.

Writing to Members of Parliament in constituencies in the North East of England, where the Oasis Community Housing supports people and vulnerable families facing homelessness, the charity’s Chief Executive explained:
“The last 18 months has demonstrated an extraordinary commitment and drive across central government, local government, and the voluntary and community sector – as they worked together to support those both currently, and at risk of, rough sleeping.

“… The decisions made throughout the pandemic and the funding made available to deliver on this has saved lives and has supported tens of thousands of people into secure accommodation.”

The government’s ‘Everyone In’ initiative helped not only safeguard the health and well-being of people at risk of homelessness during the pandemic – moving 37,000 people into temporary accommodation – but also demonstrated that, with the right level of focus and investment, progress can be made in tackling rough sleeping.

The current government have pledged to prevent and end rough sleeping by 2024.

In the letters, David Smith explains:
“As we start to emerge from the crisis mode of the pandemic the Spending Review is a vital opportunity to ensure that we build on the successes and provide the needed funding to prevent and end homelessness for good.”

Oasis Community Housing has written to MPs as part of Homeless Link’s campaign #EveryoneInForGood. Homeless Link is the membership body for homelessness charities and agencies across the UK.

Read more about our response during the pandemic and the recent opening of our emergency accommodation, The 58:7 Project.

Oasis Community Housing has joined the many voices welcoming the news that legislation around domestic and intimate abuse is being strengthened to include more severe sentences for non-fatal strangulation, greater capacity to prosecute for coercive and controlling acts with non co-habiting partners and laws to target so called ‘revenge porn’.

Lynne Livsey who manages the charity’s Empower Team said of the new Bill.

“We are delighted to see additional protections included in the Bill and we would like to thank everyone who has lobbied and campaigned for these important changes.”

Non fatal strangulation had previously been classed as common assault with perpetrators receiving a short or no sentence at all, but the new bill will provide appropriate route to recourse for survivors and up to seven years judicial sentence.

The new Bill will also criminalise threats to share intimate images with perpetrators receiving up two years jail term. With cases rising by 73% in recent years, according to The Independent in January 2021, this legislation has been sorely needed. Holly from our Empower team added:

“Many of those we support endure coercive and intimidating behaviour once their relationship has ended. Threats to share intimate images can leave women humiliated, scared and bound to their abusive ex-partner.

“We are therefore delighted that in the Domestic Abuse Bill, the government are committed to include those no longer living together in their definition of controlling and coercive control, as well as making it a criminal offence to threaten to share intimate images. This legislation enables practical action to be taken by survivors of abuse and the Police.

“These are great steps forward in protecting and empowering women to regain control of their lives without fear from abusive ex-partners post separation, and ultimately important steps towards ending domestic abuse.”

Oasis Community Housing’s Empower project has supported approximately 70 women since September 2020 and are seeing recent increases in referrals for support. The charity commonly works with women who are no longer in their abusive relationships, but abuse does not always end when the relationships do.

The Empower Team run groups and 1-1 sessions to help women move forward and find hope. They work with medium risk women in Gateshead and can be reached on 0191 477 3535, ask to speak to Empower.

If you or someone you know is a victim of domestic abuse national support can be found though the National Domestic Abuse line 0808 200 0247.

Oasis Community Housing is rolling out the next phase of its response to the impact of COVID-19, as the charity strives to continue offering the best possible support to the people it serves. The latest ‘Coping with COVID’ project is being made possible thanks to a generous Community Match Fund grant from The Vardy Foundation and DCMS.

Lockdowns and prolonged restrictions, resulting from the spread of COVID-19, have had a major impact on charities frontline services; hindering – if not altogether preventing – the face to face contact that had been at the centre of Oasis Community Housing’s crisis (Basis), supported accommodation (Home), domestic abuse (Empower) and employment (Aspire) services.

As the charity has had to adapt to more remote ways of working, digital exclusion has been a major issue for many of the people who it supports. With the Cambridge Centre for Housing and Planning Research (CCHPR) at the University of Cambridge highlighting that COVID stands to make the impacts of digital exclusion worse for the millions of people affected, and the poorest will be hit the hardest.

One of the outputs of Oasis Community Housing’s ‘Coping with COVID’ project is digitally-enabled devices to help get people online looking for work, accessing benefits, education and training and enabling them to keep in contact with their Aspire Coach. Delivering vital support at a time when national unemployment levels are rising.

The charity’s Head of Programmes, Lynne Livsey, said, “The Community Match Fund grant will also enable us to work with the National Domestic Abuse Charity Safe Lives to commission specialist domestic abuse training for all of our frontline staff to increase our capacity to deal with a growing need for support.

“Our experienced team have provided vital support to women who are dealing with domestic abuse, often alongside other major health risk factors such as homelessness, substance misuse and enduring mental health problems in the context of a global pandemic. But it has been a year of unprecedented challenges.”

‘Coping with COVID’ will deliver: training for the charity’s residents; additional training of its housing staff; further improved standard of the housing; specialist domestic abuse training; specialist emotional support for those in severe need; digital inclusion for beneficiaries; and improved digital access for staff.

To find out more, follow @oasiscomhousing on its social channels (Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and LinkedIn) throughout March as they follow its Resettlement team, which was established in response to the COVID-19 outbreak.