Her Story Missing
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the FREE mag for homeless people November / December 2018 Her story Missing Cass Walker Michael Whinham Cass went missing from Streatham, Michael has been missing from London on 30 June 2017. He was 31 Newcastle upon Tyne, Tyne and Wear years old at the time. since 14 November 2015. He was 31 years old when he went missing. Cass, we’re here for you whenever Michael can call our free, confidential you need us. We can talk through your and 24/7 helpline for support and options, send a message for you and advice without judgement and the help you be safe. Call/text 116 000. opportunity to send a message to It’s free, confidential and 24/7. loved ones. Call/text 116 000 or email [email protected]. If you think you may know something about Michael or Cass, you can contact our helpline anonymously on 116 000 or [email protected]. Alternatively, you can send a letter to ‘Freepost Missing People’. Free, confidential, 24/7. A lifeline when someone disappears 2 | the Pavement November / December 2018 WELCOME Cover: Dresscode is by Chris Her story Bird, who has a history of mental illness and was “Many women feel they have nowhere previously homeless. The Farsi to turn so often return to an abusive is an Iranian slogan for human relationship, whether it be mental, sexual rights for women. © Chris Bird or violent,” says Jean Hindry in this From The Ground Up takeover of the Pavement. “They may turn to alcohol or drugs, or sink Contents into a deep depression, as they can see no About us.....................................4 way out. And there is the constant feeling News ......................................5–9 of guilt and fear – the worry that children can be taken away from them at any time, HER STORY despite trying to do your best. Even asking for Her story intro ............ 10–11 help can seem like you are a terrible person Sister act ...................... 12–13 or a failure.” That’s why Kesia Reeve from What now ............................14 Sheffield Hallam University, and others, are Art... .......................................15 calling for a gender agenda, to better support Night shelters .....................16 women experiencing homelessness. We say Cartoon ................................17 the sooner the better. Until then, anyone can Journey ......................... 18–19 use the list in the centre of this mag to find a Mother's love .....................20 bed, food and support. Stay safe. Ask us ....................................21 The Pavement team Mat's column.................22–23 • twitter.com/thepavementmag Bullring memories ........24–25 • facebook.com/thepavementmag Home for Xmas .............26–27 • instagram.com/pavement_magazine Women & prison ................28 Scottish arts .......................... 29 London/Scotland Issue 117 November–December 2018 Banter ...................................... 30 Published by the Pavement Registered Charity Number 1110656 The List (centre) ............... A–P [email protected] Editor: Nicola Baird [email protected] The Pavement is written for your Web editor: Val Stevenson [email protected] entertainment and information. Writers/Researchers: Mat Amp, RC, Jake Cudsi, Polly Whilst every effort is made to ensure Evans, Jamie Jackson, Samir Jeraj, Ian Kalman, Julz the accuracy of the publication, the Watt. FTGU: Anne Cooper, Yusif Farah, Brian Fuggle, Pavement cannot be held responsible Jean Hindry, Sarah Hough, Lady, David Lawrence, for the use of the information it Samantha Love, Ruby, David Silverman publishes. The contents should not be Cartoons: Denise Collins, Jean Hindry, Ruby, Ken Pyne relied upon as a substitute for medical, Design: Marco Biagini legal or professional advice. The Pavement is a forum for discussion, and London Co-ordinator: Mat Amp opinions expressed in the paper are not [email protected], tel: 07595 602 324 necessarily those of the Pavement. Scotland Co-ordinator Marco Biagini The Pavement (print) ISSN 1757-0476 [email protected], tel: 07701 093 643 The Pavement (online) ISSN 1757-0484 November / December 2018 the Pavement | 3 ABOUT US Welcome to the Pavement: a magazine for homeless readers We’re a small charity, founded in London in 2005. Now we produce 8,000 FREE bimonthly magazines for homeless and insecurely housed readers in London and Scotland. You can find the Pavement at hostels, day centres, homeless surgeries, Meet our third group of From The Ground soup-runs and libraries. Up writers who created this issue on We use volunteer journalists and women and homelessness (Her story) photographers to create exclusive and the first issue of 2019 on working content that’s written with our while homeless. In the pic: (back row) readers in mind. Find out more from Sarah, Brian, deputy editor Mat Amp, [email protected] David (front row) Ruby, journalist trainer We believe that sleeping rough is Veronique Mistiaen, David, Samantha, physically and mentally harmful, but Jean (missing Yusif, Anne and Lady). reject the view that a one-size-fits-all FTGU is an innovative project devised by approach to getting people off the Groundswell (the homeless health charity) streets works. and the Pavement to help people who’ve You can fundraise or donate, see experienced homelessness put their story how at: out there. • www.thepavement.org.uk © the Pavement Join us Pavement update We are always looking for volunteer Up in Scotland our team have journalists with experience. We been focusing on the arts and particularly welcome those who’ve homelessness and plan to join With been homeless. One Voice’s Manchester summit in • [email protected] mid-November. The Pavement helps people on Fundraise or donate so we can keep the street right now, but back issues providing the Pavement free to have just been requested for the homeless people. Mags that help University of the Arts' world-famous them at moments of crisis, as well as zine collection because “they want a giving the info people may need to record of less-well heard voices”. All in move on. all, plenty to shout about. • www.thepavement.org.uk 4 | the Pavement November / December 2018 NEWS Written by Jake Cudsi and the Pavement team £100 million investment The Government is planning to invest £100 million to end rough sleeping by 2027 throughout England. The Rough Sleepers Initiative, announced in August 2018, aims to help homeless people turn their life around and offer support and help with addictions, mental health and accommodation, writes Jean Hindry. The money will be solely targeted at rough sleepers. Local authorities will not be able to spend the money elsewhere, for example on refuse collection or lowering the council tax and they will be made accountable. The aim is to unlock more homes, Memorial service: You are invited work with charities and councils, find to attend the annual Service of new ways and new initiatives. But it Commemoration for those who have is obvious that we are in for the long died homeless in the past year. It’s at haul and cannot eradicate these St-Martin-in-the-Fields on Thursday 8 momentous and sensitive problems November, 11am –12.30pm overnight. suffer from anxiety or depression as Ending period poverty women. Previous research conducted on behalf of Always found more than Stevie-Jo Pasing, a 27-year-old 130,000 girls had missed school due homeless woman being interviewed to period poverty. on the Victoria Derbyshire • Find free pads/tampons for programme on BBC, spoke of school students across the UK her family’s struggle to afford via Facebook groups on www. sanitary products. She says the redboxproject.org. embarrassment she felt over her • The Tricky Period and Bloody plight led to skipping class. Research Good Period also provide free commissioned by the brand Always pads, see their websites. Also try suggests girls who have experienced asking if your local library stocks period poverty are more likely to free items. November / December 2018 the Pavement | 5 NEWS TURN to pages A – P FOR THE LIST OF SERVICES All talk Sleep out season Through a freedom of information request, Inside Housing magazine Youth homelessness charity Rock has learned that local authorities in Trust held its 25th annual sleep out England have increased spending in October. The charity raised over on temporary accommodation for £65,000 in 2017, and asks each homeless families by 56 per cent in participant to aim to fundraise five years. £250 for the sleep out. This year the Local authorities now spend fundraiser was held in St Andrew about £1billion a year on temporary Square in central Edinburgh. Rock accommodation. Meanwhile, Private Trust’s website says the charity Eye says welfare reforms have houses 400 young people a year, and increased the number of homeless will use the sleep out’s raised funds people, stating that: “measures such to keep the doors open to young as Universal Credit, the bedroom rough sleepers, and invest in projects tax, benefit cap and benefit freeze to help fight homelessness. amount to a homeless creation policy.” Glasgow rethink Botched proposal Glasgow city council aims to form an alliance designed to tackle Nottingham City council has been homelessness, in what they call a forced to defend its plans to tackle “UK first”. The council is currently anti-social behaviour. According recruiting partners to join the to the Huffington Post, it will ban project, and will work with them people from asking for money, for between seven and 10 years on personal items or other donations various schemes submitted by the by implementing Public Spaces partners. The alliance’s key aim Protection Orders (PSPO). PSPOs will be to reduce the time spent by have been controversial across people in homelessness services, England since their pilot in 2014. and to provide homeless people They allow councils to create a with an easier route to mainstream framework intended to curb anti- tenancies.