Blogs

‘Let’s be proud and look after each other’ by Laura Ashcroft.  


Published on Wednesday, March 31st, 2021

Accommodation Community Trauma
Blogs

‘Let’s be proud and look after each other’ by Laura Ashcroft.  


Published on Wednesday, March 31st, 2021

Accommodation

Community

Trauma

With new strains of this virus showing up, we, as a nation and world, are seeing the true insights of growth, care towards others, and passions that are being realised. But on the other side of things people are losing their livelihoods, their businesses and worst of all their loved ones.  One thing is for sure, there are have been many examples during the pandemic of our humanity and spirit prevailing through difficult times.

If we look at Captain Sir Tom, who did the amazing 100 laps of this garden to raise over £34m to support the NHS with its fight against COVID, he has shown the nation just what we can do if we are proud and act together. With the love and passion generated by this amazing veteran, we stood arm in arm with him when he passed. As a nation we will never forget what this Captain did for us and what all veterans have done for us in their time of service to this country.

As the numbers of people homeless climbs every year, we are seeing more and more ex-service personnel out on the streets, forgotten by the forces and forgotten by the people they protected. We need to stand up and protect them, show them the love and passion that we have as a nation. As humans with a heart we can show that we care, and tell people they are not alone in this fight.

Councils and government need to open their eyes and say ‘we will help, we will not see you out on the streets, we will support you.’  As a Veteran and someone who served in the army, as someone who has experienced homelessness, I’m telling you that we do need the love, the care and support that we fought for, so that we can all enjoy the right to live the same as everyone else. I would be lying if I told you that we aren’t petrified by thought of being out on the street due to our military training, because we all are.

The unknown of someone coming up to you at night, releasing them selves all over you, pouring water over your only cover, in the winter days, the unknown of someone who may sexually abuse you, beat you or even kill you, would get any one worried and is often the cause behind someone turning to drink and drugs that feed the cycle of deterioration, exacerbating mental health issues that drive drug use that exacerbate mental health issues. We need to stand up and show the world what the UK can do for its people, across our four nations, England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland, that we care for the people out on the streets, that we care for our loved ones.

With this pandemic, we are seeing what can be done, but also that more needs to done, more needs to processed, to offer support, homes and somewhere safe to stay. Someone needs to be there to hold the hands of the homeless and guide them, someone needs to be there to say it’s ok. People think that homelessness doesn’t happen to people – instead they say it’s a choice –  but it does. What is a choice, however, is people who have plenty of money but chose not to help. Instead, they turn a blind eye to what’s ever out there.

People without money are showing that they care more. These people have got to be thanked for all their kindness to the homeless community and stand side by side with our amazing veterans as the true heroes that our country needs, that our homeless community needs.

That small thing called compassion is so important for a lot of people. We need to express our love more than we do and change the way we think about wealth distribution. Rich people certainty seem to need a life lesson in compassion.

If tycoons weren’t so greedy then we could end homelessness, have more homes to give to our homeless community, put more people into work, build local communities that are the backbone of our amazing country. It’s not the big companies out there that are the spine of this country’s economy but small, passionately run small businesses like mine and  owners like myself and our local religious communities that make this country, the country I call home, work.

We need to stand as one, to fight for every right each person has, we need to support each other and support the people that need it most.

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