A GROUP of people from Launceston are hoping to spread an important message about helping others this Christmas, as two homeless people have been supported in the town recently, writes Rosie Cripps.

As many were making last minute preparations for Christmas Day — placing presents around the tree, ordering the last of the Christmas food and sending season’s greetings to our friends and family — a group of people from Launceston hoped that people might take a moment to think about those who have been forced to homelessness due to poverty, addiction and/or lack of support.

Social media recently saw an influx of posts highlighting that two homeless people were sleeping on the streets of Launceston. One man, aged 32, was found crouched in the doorway of Pat’s Greetings Cards on Westgate Street, while another man, 26, was sleeping in a tent at Priory Park. Launceston’s community spirit soon became evident as local residents pledged to offer support and help in whatever way they could.

Michael Carpenter, from Central Methodist Church in Launceston, was one of those who dived straight in to helping the young men.

The Post met Michael on a bitterly cold day in December, where he was able to tell us more about the support that has been offered to the two individuals, and what people can do to help a situation that surely should be unnecessary in modern-day Britain.

Michael said: “We as a church try to be involved in serious issues and homelessness is one them. We used to have a little night shelter many years ago and it got into misuse, so we stopped doing it. Obviously homeless people do not stop coming and we have to respond.”

Central Methodist Church is part of Churches Together, which sees churches and organisations in Launceston come together for different purposes and issues taking place locally.

It was when the first post about one homeless person in Priory Park went online that Michael received numerous messages asking for support.

“You find yourself thinking, what do we do? Where do we start? You have got to find your way through the bureaucracy to make things happen,” Michael said. “We are involved in a government strategy called Streetlink, allowing people to make a referral which will mobilise someone to offer support to a homeless person. They did that with this case, but not everybody wants to be in that system.

“The first one was known and was familiar around these parts. Once you get to know them, it’s absolutely fine. He was quite competent with sleeping. Once you have someone who is visibly homeless, the amazing citizens of the community start coming forward, offering you food or money for them.

“But he knew the system. He was in a well-lit space underneath the CCTV. He has been homeless since he was 14 and he’s now 32, and he’s spent a lot of time in prison. He was nice to me. On that particular occasion, I just asked how he was, he said he didn’t need anything else. He was very good, clearing up after himself.

“You’ve got to get to know these people. They’re not commodities, they’re people like you and I.”

Michael said that this man had contacts in St Austell, so he offered to give him a lift and the pair then said their goodbyes.

But this, sadly, wasn’t the last person Michael and the team at the church have had to help. Another young man was found with a tent pitched up at Priory Park, and then again at Market House Arcade.

Michael said: “It’s just finding out what he needs. He wants to stay local. He’s pretty resourceful.”

Central Methodist Church have provided a room to the 26-year-old man as a location to store his belongings and to keep him out of the cold.

“We decided a room would be offered,” Michael continued. “It’s still lacking in basic amenities, but it’s somewhere to store his belongings and come back late at night.

“He was up at the Gateway Centre. He just sat there for a while and had a cup of tea, and up there if you don’t have enough money they’ll just buy you a hot drink. They had a chess set there and he’s very good at chess — we just sat there and played a few games. We also got someone to get him up to the medical centre to get an inhaler.

“They tend to gravitate to where they’re going to get help. They tend to be very resourceful and very resilient, but they often have issues which can be mental health, drugs or alcohol-related.”

The past few weeks have been a big wake-up call for Michael and his peers. He said: “You become more aware of how much homelessness there is in society. These two are very visible but for one of those there are probably ten or 20 more who are sofa-hoppers.”

Launceston Foodbank, led by Yvonne King, has also been working closely with the Central Methodist team. “Yvonne has been a great point of contact for us. This year she has dealt with 32 homeless persons. She has two on the books right now and two more pending because they’re being evicted from their properties for whatever reason. I would speculate that is a fraction of what is there.”

Michael’s message to anyone wondering whether to help a person on the streets is: “Every homeless person is a person. Be careful because you don’t know what reception you are going to get, but feel free to speak to a homeless person and see what you are going to get. Do send people along to us at Central.

“I think the visible man on the street is a visible symbol of a much wider issue in society. This includes loneliness, issues surrounding Universal Credit, addiction and more.”

Central Methodist Church try to be involved in the community as much as possible. They host community breakfasts, a childrens’ club and drop-in sessions. “A church should be an open door,” Michael said. “This is a living and vibrant community. Launceston Refugee Support Group meet here, along with yoga classes and the Cornish Language Society — sometimes we don’t have enough space for ourselves.

“The room we have for the man is somewhere safe for him.”

But Michael believes the real question we should be asking ourselves is, why is homelessness rife in a modern Britain?

He said: “I was told that we are something like the sixth richest country, and it’s shocking this is still happening. Sometimes it’s happening for social reasons. But I think people like this man have given us all a kick up the backside and shown us that something needs to be done.”

Michael encourages anyone who is concerned about a homeless person in Launceston, or has spotted someone sleeping on the streets, to contact Central Methodist Church or any of the town’s churches for advice.

Launceston Foodbank, supported by the Trussell Trust, opened in December 2011 and is open every weekday morning from 10am to 12pm. The foodbank requires donations from the public in order to provide food to those in the community who need it.

Currently, the foodbank needs tinned meat, tinned fruit, tinned vegetables, instant mash potato, sponge puddings and tinned fish.

For more information on how to help Launceston Foodbank, visit launceston.foodbank.org.uk/give-help/donate-food