A woman is outraged after her attempt to help a homeless man find accommodation was foiled because he has a pet dog.
The woman, named Sophia Jama, was attending an event in the city centre of Hull on the evening of December 10 when she spotted a rough sleeper sitting nearby a bank.
Although Sophia is not affiliated to any homeless charity, she decided to take it upon herself to try and find somewhere for the man to stay amid the falling temperatures, as reported by Hull Live.
However, after getting in contact with Hull City Council's emergency homeless number, she was told that there was nowhere for the man to stay due to his pet dog.
She said: “I often stop and speak to homeless people. I have been brought up to chat with rough sleepers and treat them as human beings.
“After speaking to him I found out he had been sleeping rough somewhere near the Anlaby Road flyover. He had this tiny dog, like a Jack Russell.
“He had a bad leg and he was freezing but he told me he could not get in anywhere because of his dog.
“I didn’t think this was right so I called the council’s emergency number but they confirmed to me they could not find anywhere for him because of his pet.
“What struck me was there seemed to be no empathy from the man I spoke to. He told me he had never come across a rough sleeper with a pet before but I have seen a few all over Hull.
“Surely the man’s welfare comes before any policy relating to pets. He could have got hypothermia.
“I felt the council representative was not pragmatic, by not offering any solutions or signposting me to anyone who could help.”
“I was left with nothing else to do and I told the man I would be back to see him the next day.”
Although Hull City Council says there are hostels that will accept pets, Sophia is concerned by those who turned the man away.
Other organisations have offered to help including homeless charity Emmaus and Hull BID.
“A guy from Hull BID told me they know the guy but didn’t realise he was back sleeping rough,” Sophia said.
“He said he would try and help the man while I also contacted Emmaus who said they would try to find accommodation for him too.
“Emmaus said they knew the man who was already on a waiting list for accommodation.
“They are an amazing organisation who go out in all conditions throughout the year to help the homeless.”
Sophia has also taken to social media to raise the issue of rough sleepers being turned away because they have pets and she says she has attracted the attention of the likes of Look North presenter Peter Levy and MP Emma Hardy.
“It is an emotive issue,” she said, “but I feel turning someone away because they have a pet is immoral.
“Emmaus is looking into this issue and also trying to address the individual rough sleeper’s needs.
“But I would like to see this policy changed and urgent action for the most vulnerable in Hull as we are a caring city.”
But Sophia does not entirely blame the council. She believes it is a wider issue of funding.
“I feel the problem of rough sleeping has been exacerbated by the local government cuts made by the Conservative Government which have hit rough sleepers in Hull hard,” she said.
While Sophia was born in Hull, she is half Somali and was brought up to respect people from all walks of life.
“My Christian family has always encouraged me to help the homeless,” she said, “especially my mum who often befriended rough sleepers.
“That highlighted to me that companionship and positive communication are vital.
“Also pets as therapy is so pivotal for people’s well-being so to deny a rough sleeper an emergency hostel if he doesn’t part with his dog is not a compassionate approach.
“A lot of cafes in Hull allow people in with dogs - why should it be different with rough sleepers accessing emergency accommodation with pets?
“It’s good that Hull is getting more investment and businesses opening but that shouldn’t mean there is a real disparity with the most vulnerable.”
Hull City Council says there is provision for rough sleepers with dogs but admits more could be done.
A council spokeswoman said: “While the council doesn’t comment on individual cases, we welcome this feedback and have reviewed our emergency accommodation arrangements as a result.
"While there are already temporary accommodation options available where dogs are accepted, including two hostels, the rough sleeping assessment hub, supported lettings flats and new “crash pad” facilities, this case alerted us to the need to review our arrangements in our emergency winter night shelter provision."
But the council says those who are not comfortable around dogs also need to be considered.
The spokeswoman said: "We have been able to arrange for access to this provision for people with a dog, but also need to balance this with the risk that other residents may be frightened of or allergic to dogs.
"We will do all we can to work with individuals who are rough sleeping with a dog to provide an offer of accommodation when possible to do so.”
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