Report: Our Managing Director, Milly Boylan, recently visited the Winter Night Shelter in Hereford as a “Mystery Shopper”. This is her first-hand experience of the service for homeless people and street sleepers in Herefordshire.
I went to Lee’s Place in Hereford on Saturday evening at 6.15pm. It is a venue where homes and hungry people can get a warm meal. It is staffed by volunteers and Healthwatch (Council) staff who do this outside and on top of their normal working day.
Immediately I was approached by a volunteer who offered me hot drinks and food, and asked if I wanted to have a chat and if I was OK. She offered a snack to take away as well. They were very caring and thoughtful. It was a clean and welcoming environment, with a really nice nurturing atmosphere.
One of the other service users offered to walk me down to the Winter Night Shelter. It is a Council-commissioned service, run by CCP, a charity.
On arrival I was invited to sit in the foyer, and answer a questionnaire. I was speaking with a young female staff member, she didn’t introduce herself and had no name badge. She came across as uncaring, there was no eye contact or respect given.
I gave my age, and my name, and said I suffered from depression and anxiety, difficulty sleeping, panic attacks, COPD and asthma. She asked where I had slept the previous night – I said in Ross-on-Wye. All true.
The volunteer then introduced himself and offered food and drinks. He was wearing a name badge, and was lovely. He clearly has empathy and cares about his role and the service users.
I was shown into the female area of the shelter. There are 4 bunk beds, which are more than adequate. The room was cold. The volunteer said the heater wasn’t working, and suggested the door was left open to allow heat to permeate through from the main room. I asked if this had been reported, he said it had. I was given a box from a storage area which contained a sleeping bag and pillow. The sleeping bag was extremely thin, and the pillow was damp. I tried to bring this to the attention of the male staff member, but was ignored completely. So I then asked one of the other service users if I could put my pillow on the radiator to dry out.
At approximately 9pm, the female staff member, after all service users were booked in, went into the staff area. The male staff member then brought an office chair out of the staff area, and placed it overlooking the main communal area.
I noted that there was no television or anything out for the service users to engage with. I did find a deck of cards, and I started a game with the other service users. One of the other users asked the female staff member to join in, she declined. I asked the male staff member, he gave no response at all. I tried to engage him in further polite conversation, and got no response to any questions I asked. He just blanked me.
A manager came in at approximately 9.30pm. I said hello three times, but got no response. The other service users were very nurturing and caring towards me. I noted a sign on the wall saying that the Outreach team would visit every morning, and I asked the other users if they had seen anyone. They said no. They had never met anyone from the Outreach team. One male came in who had clearly been attacked that night. I asked what had happened, he said he had been attacked on the way to the night shelter. No staff members asked about his welfare.
The volunteer then left at 10pm. Some of the service users were starting to go to bed. I went to use the bathroom, there was urine all over the floor, the radiator was off the wall, there were dirty cloths on top of the radiator and the whole place was extremely unhygienic. The kitchen area was filthy, the surfaces and the floor covered in detritus, and the cleaning equipment clearly unused for days or weeks.
There was another toilet, the disabled facility, which had a notice on the door that said Staff Only. I asked why the disabled toilet had this sign on, but was ignored. There were no sanitary products anywhere in the building and no bin to dispose of soiled sanitary items.
At 11pm the lights went out and I went into the female room.
At 12pm I was woken up by a telephone call from a service user who was sleeping in one of the Pods, outside the building. He explained that the pod was freezing, the heating wasn’t working, and could I get someone to let him in to the shelter. This male had spoken to me earlier and explained that his PTSD caused him to struggle to sleep in the communal area, but he had got so cold that he felt he had no option. He had tried to raise the staff with no success. He did finally manage to get someone to let him in.
I slept in three layers of clothing plus my coat. The outside temperature was 1 degree, and there was no heating at all in my room. Due to this I did not sleep very much. I felt unsafe as there was no lock on the door, the female staff member was asleep in the staff room on a cot-bed she had taken in there, and looking through the door, I could see that no other staff member was present in the main room.
At 5.30am I heard something outside and decided to investigate. I went out of the female room, and could see in the office the female staff member was still asleep. The main door was open. I went outside, and saw the male staff member away from the door by the fence, on his telephone. I sat down outside the main door and had a cigarette. I was fully aware this was a breach of rules. I then cried as I was feeling extremely wretched, having had no sleep, and been freezing cold for hours. He looked up, saw me in tears, and then carried on his phone conversation.
After about 5 minutes I went back into the hallway and sat by the heater in the foyer. The male staff member came in and asked what I was doing. I said I was trying to get warm because it was freezing in the female area. He told me this was a staff area and to get back to my room now. To reiterate – I was in the foyer, not the staff room. He was abrupt and overbearing. He then told me that he wanted to have a discussion with me about my behaviour. He informed me that I had breached the rules, that I should not have gone outside, that the door is to be kept locked at all times. I explained to him that the door was open as he was outside on the phone. He reiterated that I was not to go outside again, or there would be repercussions. I found him to be intimidating, and felt this behaviour was threatening. He did say there would not be repercussions tonight, which just left me with a feeling of dread for any further nights. I went back into the female room until 6.15am, when I came out to try to sit next to the radiator again, and was told to return to my room again.
I was told that I was not allowed out of my room until 7am, and that I had to leave at 7.30. Between 7am and 7.30 you are allowed out to have a cigarette, get yourself ready and then go.
Two young male service users both confirmed that the male staff member is intimidating and aggressive with everyone, and one said “He’s got up in my face a couple of times”. The volunteer stated that he should not be working at the shelter as he is constantly vile to the service users.
One male approached the shelter late at night, and although he was admitted, and his name was taken, he completed his medical questionnaire and other paperwork in the morning. I am concerned that this was a safeguarding risk – he was not a regular user and the paperwork should have been completed on arrival to protect other users of the shelter.
When people approach a night shelter they are quite often at their lowest point in life, in an extremely vulnerable position and one would have hoped that some form of compassion would have been shown. In my time at the shelter, I felt like I was treated with such contempt, that even with the knowledge that I had a home to go to, I felt completely wretched.
At 7.30am on a freezing Sunday morning, there were very few places to go. No information was given for where to get help, or a wash, or hot food and drink.
I believe this facility is completely sub-standard and not fit for purpose. With the exception of the volunteer, it is staffed by people who clearly lack training, and/or empathy, which should be mandatory to fulfil this kind of role. It is unhygienic, uncaring and a frankly dangerous place which needs an immediate overhaul before there is a death attributable to the shelter.