Homelessness in the words of children

     



Pupils from four primary schools across the district - Castle Hill, Stella Maris, Brenzett and Hythe Bay - have been taking part in special workshops looking at the issue of homelessness.

They have been working with Clare Linkin, Shepway District Council's Housing Options Co-ordinator to talk about homelessness and the work the council does for people who present themselves as homeless. At the end of the project, pupils were encouraged to write a poem about homelessness and the winning writers were presented with certificates this week.

The project is in its second year and many other local schools took part in its first year.

"Homelessness is often defined as people sleeping on the streets and it is true that this is the most visible form of homelessness. But many homeless people in Shepway never sleep on the streets." said Clare. "To understand the problem you need to consider that is meant by a home. A home means being able to live somewhere long term that is sound and secure."

Using HOUSEmate - a programme produced by the homeless charity Shelter - the pupils completed exercises and games to challenge stereotypes, establish what a home is, how the type of housing people live in affects they way they live and the difference between a house and a home.

Cllr Keren Belcourt, Cabinet Member for Housing, said the children had been encouraged to write a poem about what they had learnt. "The results were excellent and in many cases, very moving and showed that the pupils felt deeply about the issue," said Cllr Belcourt.

Winners were:
1st Lisa Wells - Hythe Bay
2nd Alicia Tutt - Castle Hill Primary School
3rd Poem written jointly by Fern Goff and Alene Rayamajhi - Hythe Bay