2013 Annual
Homelessness Awareness Panel
(HAP) Event @ Belfast Met
‘The Voices of
Homelessness’
Gerry Skelton
OPENING WORDS  1/2
Good morning…and my gratitude for your presence 
Welcome to our contribution to ‘Homeless Awareness
Week’ which started on Friday past (and continues to Dec
1st)…coordinated by the CHNI.
Introduction: Gerry Skelton:
Originator of Annual Homelessness Awareness Panel Event;
Compere for this morning.
Today is about marking HAW and our HAP theme this year
is ‘The Voices of Homelessness’ .
Our speakers will present a mixture of professional and
personal inputs; revealing many of the impacting themes,
issues and lived experiences within homelessness.
But let me thank a few of the often unsung people first…
Gerry Skelton
2
Attitude of Gratitude
 I will return to all my speakers shortly…but my thanks to them in
advance 
 Homelessness input:
– Nuala Dalcz;
– Declan Morris;
 College input:
–
–
–
–
–
–
Graham FM staff and Michael and Alison in particular;
Mary Coffey;
Peter Carolan;
Library staff (visit stands );
Sean Daly.
Colleagues here today.
 Student input:
– HAPV Team (the T-Shirt crew )
 Prior and current service user input:
– Grace Price;
– Man Choi;
– Michael Murray.
Gerry Skelton
3
ANNOUNCEMENTS / REMINDERS 1/2
I will return to our honoured Panellists shortly but beg
your indulgence as I sort out a few ‘In-House’ issues.
SW Year 1 Student ‘Signing-in’ sheet is circulating & return to
Debbie;
This session will break @ Approx 10.45 for 15 minutes
and conclude @ Approx 12.45 (Depending on Q&A).
I have a wee cuppa for the Panellists, helping Team,
etc…BUT not all of you…Sorry!
The audience will make your way to ground floor and
refresh your taste buds in our ‘Culinary Village’ one level
down…follow the exodus (or T-Shirted Crew directions)!
This mini break will be an opportunity for you to speak
with Panellists, Carers, Service Users, Providers,
Students, etc. over the break…and again at the
conclusion of this event…please make good use of this
offer 
Gerry Skelton
4
Announcements / Reminders 2/2
 Health, safety and consideration issues:
 Exiting!
 Toileting!
 If you require any assistance during this event, your first port of call
are the HAPVTeam crew…those wearing distinctive T-Shirts
 Please turn mobiles off / silent…and ensure they are not visible!
 We are locking this door to minimize disruption to our speakers.
The other door is open! And please Exit / Enter quietly!
 The photos taken will be available to those requesting them over
the next working week.
 Please think through and jot down questions (and own
notes) for the Panellists as their inputs are delivered.
 Question time will follow.
 Panellists may have questions for you!
Gerry Skelton
Group energizers 1/1
 As we are all involved in the communication engagement
business, I have a wee exercise (or 2!) coming right up!
 This will help me, Panellists and all of you:
 Establish a climate of welcome and positivity 
 Feel good about being in Belfast Met 
 Begin to break the taboo surrounding homelessness;
 Bridge-build between the various experiences we are
about to have!
 Process a bit of our nervous energy!
 Remind us all that we are gathered as people among
people…not just actors on a stage, performers and
audiences!
 So ‘first things first’!
Group energizers 2/5
 No: 1: Increasing confidence and reducing unnecessary
barriers exercise’…
 And this might be more difficult for some more than others!
 We are going to practice a few things…let’s start with:
1. Smiling!
2. Clapping!
 Smiling and Clapping will be used to communicate:
 Hospitality (you are warmly welcome to Belfast Met);
 Appreciation (for coming here today and sharing in this contribution
to addressing homelessness);
 Power of personhood (you are here as a person of worth,
irrespective of apparent status) 
3. No: 2: So in this HAP spirit…please turn to a person
behind you and / or in front of you…that you don’t
know…and introduce your self (remembering to smile) 
OPENING WORDS  2/2
 And now to the more formal welcomes and
addresses 
 I would like to invite the following speakers to
share some opening words…
 So please welcome warmly:
 Elaine Hartin [Deputy Director of Belfast Met];
 Paddy McGettigan [Co-Director of Simon
Community NI & Supporters of this years’ HAP
Event].
Gerry Skelton
8
ESTABLISHING A BROAD CONTEXT
“The myriad issues confronting the Social
Work, Social Care, Health and related
professions generally, and practitioners
specifically, can be readily viewed through the
prism of homelessness.
Indeed, arguably homelessness is not simply a
practical reality but goes to the very core of
one’s physical, psychological, emotional and
spiritual identity; and resultant self esteem”
(Gerry Skelton: Opening address to HAP, 2011)
Gerry Skelton
9
Homelessness…
 Is a local, national and international issue.
 Has many causes (coercion, eviction, violence (domestic /
communal), earthquake, flooding, loss of job, own choice,
etc)!
 Has many consequences!
 Has many faces (perhaps a family member, friend,
colleague, service user, you)!
 Comes in many guises (literal, geographical, metaphorical,
symbolic, etc).
 It is an emotional, physical, psychological, spiritual reality
and concern!
Gerry Skelton
WHAT TO DO / WHERE TO GO
So Imagine:
Being homeless!
1)Where would you turn?
2)Who would you turn
too?
3)Who would turn
towards you?
4)Who would turn away!
Gerry Skelton
11
THE ARROGANCE OF IGNORANCE!
Homelessness is often
a taboo subject!
 This was one of the primary
reasons I established the annual
Homelessness Awareness Panel!
 This initiative is driven by a
profound and deeply held desire to:
Gerry Skelton
12
THE HAP IMPETUS / DRIVERS: 1/3
 Highlight the issue of homelessness in Belfast / NI.
 Challenge the taboo of Homelessness (and
associated taboos);
 Challenge professionals to take homelessness
seriously and tackle it accordingly!
 Challenge the academic community to take
homelessness seriously and reflect this by ensuring
it is explicit in and embedded throughout the
teaching and learning curriculum / experience;
 To provoke the Professional Social Work, Social &
Health Care, Housing and Homeless, Journalism
fields, organisations, agencies, groups and
practitioners, etc., etc., to cooperate in a meaningful
and purposeful manner;
‘The competitive working environment is often not
conducive to advancing the resolution of many
homelessness-related issues’.
Gerry Skelton
13
THE HAP IMPETUS / DRIVERS: 2/3
 To ensure the experience of the Carer and Service
User is heard as they have an important part to play in
shaping policy, education, training, practice, etc.
 To highlight, share, promote, endorse, celebrate and
showcase good / innovative practice examples and
practitioners;
 To encourage the homelessness sector in the good and
often unrecognised work they do.
 To touch the heads, hearts and spirits of staff, guests,
and especially students in this room who will soon be
the practitioners (and managers) of tomorrow!
 …Or may well need to access services because of their
own homelessness!
Gerry Skelton
14
THE HAP IMPETUS / DRIVERS: 3/3
 To help us all identify the dots...And join these up!
 To provide a platform for those who have been or
remain homeless – to have their voice meaningfully
heard and validated!
 To challenge current and past service users to
become more active in assuming their responsibility
in helping themselves, and also others who are
homeless…towards a better way.
 To remind us all that caring matters and that we
must “Never lose the Care in the
Caring services”! (Gerry Skelton)
Gerry Skelton
15
Some of the causes of Homelessness can Inc:
 Poverty;
 Abuse;
– Child / adolescent /
adult / elder;
– ‘Domestic’ abuse /
violence.
 Illness;
 Repossession;
 Intimidation;
 Unemployment /
redundancy;








Low wages;
Relationship issues;
Addictions;
Offending;
Care Background;
Vulnerability;
Seeking asylum;
Refugee;
 And many more…
Gerry Skelton
EFFECTS OF HOMELESSNESS CAN INCLUDE…
Threat
?
Fear
Loss of
identity
Isolation
Person
NFA
Loneliness
Stigma
Helplessness
Despair
Distress
Gerry Skelton
17
HOMELESSNESS CAN LEAD TO…
Poor
Education
ill
Health
Limited
Opportunities
Worsening
Of
Vulnerability
Instability
Poverty
Increased
Danger
Gerry Skelton
18
MEANINGFUL INTERVENTION WILL INSIST
ON AN ECOLOGICAL APPROACH
Emotional
Surrounding
Factors /
Systems / etc.
Psychological
See me
in MY
entirety!
Physical
Intellectual
Spiritual
Gerry Skelton
19
CORE SYSTEMS THAT CAN HELP / HINDER
Family
Media /
reporting!
Employers
Community
Help
me!
Training
Housing
Homeless
services
Health and
Social Work /
Care
Services
Education
Gerry Skelton
20
VARIOUS SUBSYSTEMS EXIST TO ASSIST INC:
Social Care / Work, Health,
education, etc INC:
Gateway and Family
Intervention Teams;
16 + Services;
Looked After Children Services;
‘Homelessness’ Social Workers;
Schools, Colleges, Universities,
etc;
Health Services;
Mental Health Services;
Disability Services;
VOYPIC;
Fostering/ Adoption.
Etc!
Related services / resources
INC:
Housing Executive;
Supporting People;
Homeless providers;
Youth Work Service;
Youth Justice;
Employers;
Training providers;
PSNI;
Community;
Family and Friends;
Voluntary Services;
Mediation services;
PCC (H&SC!);
PCC (Media!);
Etc.
Gerry Skelton
21
SOME CORE RESOURCES TO FOLLOW UP:









www.nihe.gov.uk
www.nihe.gov.uk/index/advice/supporting_people
www.chni.org.uk
www.homelessni.org
www.simoncommunity.org
www.housingadviceni.org
www.swap.ac.uk
www.homelessinternational.org/Home_1.aspx?id=0:907
HRC (2009) Report: ‘No home from home’ (focussing on nonUK nationals living in NI) available from…
 www.nihrc.org/index.php?page=subresources&category_id=25from=1
&resources_id=115&search_content=&Itemid=61
Gerry Skelton
22
STAGE 2
Now that I have covered the broad overview
in the short time available...
We move on to the other guest Panellists.
But first a word about the format...on
following slides
Gerry Skelton
23
Reminders about the format 1/2
 A running order has been agreed with the panel;
 Panellists will introduce themselves and their role;
 The speakers are divided into policy, managerial,
practitioner and service user groupings, and will
address you accordingly;
 Presentations made available on SCNI website;
 The session will then be open to this large group
for questions, reflections, etc;
 Time permitting, the session will conclude with
each speaker offering a ‘take home’ concluding
challenge emanating from their input and this
session;
 Elaine will also offer some concluding reflections.
Gerry Skelton
REMINDERS ABOUT THE FORMAT 2/2
As you all appreciate, speaking can be a
daunting experience, so hopefully we have
created a warm and welcoming atmosphere for
the speakers.
However, each speaker has a limited time to
address our theme (and apologies again for the
time limitations!).
...and someone has to remind them ‘Time up!
So that job goes to me!
Please remember…don’t shoot the poor bellringer!
So lets have the next of our speakers...
Gerry Skelton
25
Choreography Re HAP Event Speakers:
1) Ricky Rowledge [CEO of the Council for the
Homelessness NI];
 Congratulations on 30th Anniversary of CHNI 
2) Declan Morris [Simon Community NI Homelessness
Prevention Coordinator];
3) Lyndsey Rafferty: [Acting Manager; MUST Hostel);
4) Dr John Coulter: [Journalist and Belfast Met Lecturer];.
5) Michael Murray [Current Service User];
6) Grace Price: [Service User, former NISCC Participation
Group and member of ZEST];
7) Rory Gervin [Former Service User];
8) Man Choi [Former service user and NISCC participation
group].
Gerry Skelton
26
Q&A
 So as we prepare to hear your questions,
pleae take a moment with the person to your
right or left…
 And reflect on what you have heard and
prepare what you want to ask
 Some of you may simply want to express
your individual gratitude for what you have
heard...and that is more than welcome 
 So let’s begin…Q&A.
Gerry Skelton
27
GRATITUDE ATTITUDE
Tremendous gratitude to:
All those previously named as helpers, supporters 
College for providing this space free of charge;
SCNI for supporting this year’s HAPEvent;
All the speakers;
Every single one of you who gave of their time to assist me and
us 
You for turning up 
Reminder Re chatting to Panellists, guests, etc .
HAP challenge from today:
What is MY contribution to Homeless
Awareness Week’?
Gerry Skelton
28
Closure
And I invite Elaine
Hartin [Deputy Director
of Belfast Met] to close
our event…
Gerry Skelton