Life on the streets can be a tough and dehumanising experience – but one Bristol woman is seeking to challenge the bias surrounding homelessness, one cup of tea at a time.

Sarah Jade plans to open a ‘Humanitea Cafe,’ which she hopes will act as a hub for the wider community, as well as a central point with facilities, food and clothes for the city’s rough sleepers.

The concept is simple – anyone who buys a hot drink is handed a token to give to someone they think needs it, be they homeless, at risk of being homeless, or in need of help and support.

www.bristol247.com/news-and-features/people/i-just-want-people-to-feel-like-people-again/

Hundreds of deaths of vulnerable homeless people in England and Wales are going unexamined, an investigation has found.

The Guardian article:

www.theguardian.com/society/2018/may/24/hundreds-of-deaths-of-homeless-people-going-unexamined

Another news item about Jasper and Help Bristol’s Homeless:

www.bristol247.com/news-and-features/news/volunteers-needed-transform-double-decker-bus-homeless-shelter/

The Salvation Army compares public attitudes to the reality.

“More than half of people in South West do nothing when they see someone who is homeless”

“…a worrying gap between the reality of what it’s like to be homeless and the perception of the general public.”

“..a lack of understanding around who can be affected by homelessness…”

“Our extensive experience has shown us that homelessness can affect anyone, and so it is surprising that the Ipsos MORI poll has revealed 46 per cent of people in the South West don’t think that they, or someone close to them could ever experience homelessness. “

Another article from B24/7 …

www.bristol247.com/news-and-features/news/steep-rise-number-people-sleeping-rough-bristol/

The Bristol Post explains some significant aspects of the new approach to homelessness in Bristol …

http://www.bristolpost.co.uk/news/bristol-news/how-new-53-million-project-781612

This is an article in Bristol 24/7 about Jasper’s latest project, converting a bus to provide emergency accommodation.

https://www.bristol247.com/news-and-features/news/shipping-containers-double-decker-bus-alternative-solutions-bristols-homeless-crisis/

It also gives an update on the earlier work using shipping containers.

A Guardian article about the cause of the current crisis:

We had dealt with homelessness. Why has it now returned?

According to The Guardian, the disco soup concept started five years ago in Berlin as a “protest soup” against food waste, and fed 8,000 people; it has since become an international phenomenon. The idea has now spread to the UK.

UK’s largest ‘disco soup’ attracts 1,000 people to London market