Norfolk Street, central Manchester. The former stock exchange building, with its marble columns and domed ceilings, has become one of the most unlikely homeless shelters in the country, thanks to Gary Neville and Ryan Giggs’ selfless gesture, telling squatters they can stay for the winter.
The building was taken over, seemingly in response to the increasing problem of street homelessness in Manchester, to provide shelter, food and warmth for vulnerable people with few options left. The occupation demonstrates a feeling that a new approach to tackling rough sleeping is needed, but as anyone working in the sector will tell you, an effective route out of homelessness is about a whole lot more than simply putting a roof over someone’s head.
The reality is a lot more complex, and the situation inside the so called “Sock Exchange” presents some difficult challenges that activists, local charities and the authorities must come together to address.
Sleeping rough is extremely dangerous, especially during the winter, so anything that prevents people from bedding down on the streets is, of course, welcome. Most people sleeping rough have a range of complex needs, such as poor mental health and substance abuse, and the number one priority should be connecting people with professional help for these issues.
We know that where this happens it is extremely effective; there are several innovative and highly-skilled agencies across Manchester supporting people out of homelessness every day. With the best will in the world, the activists behind the stock exchange takeover are simply not equipped to provide the support its current residents need.
There have been reports in the media that the group aims to refer people on to specialist services, but the hard truth is that without utilising the expertise of homelessness support services in Manchester, these vulnerable individuals are likely to end up back at square one when they are inevitably evicted in February.
So why is this happening now? If the right services are already in place, why has this situation come to be?
We know that many homelessness services across the country are being asked to do a lot more with a lot less. Statutory homelessness and rough sleeping have both risen year on year since 2010, yet in the time of growing demand for help, our annual review of homelessness support showed that 41% of services in England had their funding reduced in 2014.
The very existence of the stock exchange shelter shows a desire to act, and a growing feeling that current approaches are not working. However, services in the city such as the Booth Day Centre, and Riverside’s new hostel for entrenched rough sleepers, demonstrate how homelessness services are adapting and developing new approaches to providing support.
There is a real challenge in Manchester, as there is across England, but it cannot be overcome through concerned groups working in isolation. It is right that people are outraged about homelessness, but unless this is channelled into providing sustained, professional support the damaging cycle of repeat homelessness will continue.
Rick Henderson is the chief executive of Homeless Link
Sign up for your free Guardian Housing network newsletter with news and analysis sent direct to you every Friday. Follow us: @GuardianHousing
