2014 Homeless Awareness Panel
Event @ Belfast Met
Grace Price’s Presentation
Grace Price
1
Opening slide
My talk today will cover;
Self introduction;
My history of:
1)
2)
3)
4)
As a woman who was Homelessness;
Self-harming;
My involvement with Social Work?
My involvement with other agencies / services;
Road to hopefulness 
Grace Price
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As a woman who was Homelessness:
1) How I became Homeless…
2) …And started self-harming;
3) My experiences of living in homeless:
I. Hostels;
II. Night Shelter;
III. …and streets!
4) How did SW do?
5) How did medical professionals do?
6) How did Homeless professionals do?
Grace Price
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My Road to Hopefulness  1/4
• Where I am today;
• My Hopes;
• How this event draws awareness to
homelessness and helps me;
• My 3 key ‘take-away’ ’messages:
1) Treat the person as a human being not a label,
number, form to be filled in, or to be judged, etc;
2) Have a better understanding of homelessness and
self harm.
3) Be ready and willing to help people like me!
Grace Price
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Hopefulness 2/4
My work with Gerry 1/2
• Meeting Gerry (approx. 3 years ago)…my new life
begun…and got very busy!
– Getting involved in his campaign about raising homelessness as
a real issue;
– He campaigns about…Everything!
– And other campaigns (Community relations, anti-bullying, selfharm and suicide prevention, mental health awareness…
– …If you know Gerry you know work isn’t 9-5 and everybody
matters to Gerry…
– …he just doesn’t do the talking he does the walking – what he
says you can depend on and him…and that really matters to me
and other service users!);
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Hopefulness 3/4
Gerry has become my agent 
• My public appearances addressing
homelessness and various audiences as a
service user have included:
• 3 HAPs at Belfast Met (2012;2013; and today);
• 2014 HAP Event @ QUB;
• NISCC User & Carer Participation Group;
• Anti-bullying initiatives;
 And outside of Gerry, I Work with Zest in
Londonderry/Derry.
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Hopefulness and new career!!
…And I his bodyguard!
• Attended 2013
SW Awards
ceremony as
Gerry’s guest
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Something for you to think on!
• Here is a few quotes I like you to think about in helping you
understand self harm.
• I'm the same as you but when you hurt you talk…when I hurt,
I cut.
• Words hurt…I have the scars to prove it!.
• These scars help me know that I can get through this!
• I self-harm because I am hurting inside;
• Don`t misunderstand self harm as attention seeking act,
because we don`t do it in public…we do it when we find
ourselves alone.
Grace Price
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Conclusion
• Thank you for listening to my story and I hope it has
helped you understand:
 Homelessness;
 Self-harm;
 And how as a social worker, journalist, or helper of any
kind, YOU can help me and others like me a bit more /
better!
• The reason I do these presentations is:
• A Thank you to Gorgeous Gerry….
• …If we had more Gerrys in this world we would have a
lot more positive change, especially in this area of
homelessness!
• Thank YOU!
Grace Price
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