"Who are 'the homeless'?"
It is as pointless to talk about "the homeless" as one homogonous group as it is to paint all men as selfish, all blondes as dim and all teenagers as hoodies. So many different factors have to come together in a multitude of ways to create each individual circumstance.
Here, some of the Hub's regulars tell just a little bit about themselves. There would never be enough room to tell all their stories in their entireties.
Dean is relatively young amongst the men sitting around the dinner table. He has been coming in for two years. He does have shelter of sorts - an unheated caravan with no water - and he calls himself lucky. Without the hot water, laundry and hot meals at the Hub, he knows he would be ill, depressed and what is more, scruffy! He takes pride in the fact he can keep himself clean and presentable.
At this point, S. joins in: "If it wasn't for this place, half of us wouldn't be alive." He has just been re-housed and he sees this as an opportunity to start changing his life around, have a job and become a member of society again. (Hub volunteers know this is not as easy as it sounds, but no one would dampen his optimism. They know that the recently re-housed need continued support, helping them learn what it actually means to run a home.) Up to a few years ago, S. was working, had a wife and kids. Then life went pear shaped and he lost everything. He met up with old friends and started drinking. It has taken two years to regain his hopes and aspirations, and yes, he does have them like everyone else. He knows drink has been his problem, that whilst it helped him forget, it also got him into trouble loads of times. The Hub has helped him see a doctor and several medical conditions have been diagnosed. When he has sorted out the drink problem, his greatest hope is to see his children and grand children again.
M., laid off and homeless, actually saw re-offending as a way of getting warmth, food and security. Now, with help from the Hub, he is attending college and he hopes they might also help him find work now that the Job Centre is only open two days a week. His wants seem simple enough: to be able to get up, go to work, get home, eat, sleep and maybe meet up with his mates at the weekend. How many of us would actually moan about a life like that and want more?
Workers and regulars take a break in the warm.
About The Hub
Most people in Dorchester have heard of the Hub. Not all of them know what it is except "It's that place for the homeless." In fact the Hub is a day centre, hidden away between the Build Centre and Focus, on the way to the West Station, that offers friendly practical help to those who sleep rough. It has both an open access and an appointment service and it aims to work with each person individually to help them tackle their problems and work towards a more settled lifestyle.
The Hub first opened in December 2002 in the Salvation Army Hall, for two mornings a week. In February 2003, it became a registered charity and in June 2005 moved into its small but purposebuilt premises, which are rented from a private landlord (at £8,000 pa) Read more . . .
