A film tour of Wrexham Town Centre – Substance misuse and homeless
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The link below will take you to a short film showing some of the reality of Wrexham Town Centre – (Wrexham is not unique and it could have been taken anywhere).
Many people talk about the homeless and substance misuse in the town but don’t know what may be happening behind what they see.
The attached short film gives a brief insight into what it really looks like. It does not make pleasant viewing and may upset some people.
As discussed earlier this week there are meetings taking place to address some of the issues but everyone has a responsibility if they have anyone in their family who is at risk from substance misuse.https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B9hJQZsY92nAU1MzekVUQ1Ixdzg/view?usp=drive_web
While I have some sympathy with some of the unfortunates of the town/country I do not see the message of this film. Its not a new thing, its possibly more widespread these days, but what do the images show? Rubbish? Left personal items? These things are everywhere and not just left by homeless/druggies. Like the film, even this post has no point! The empty tablet/medicine packets are just rubbish, cause their wont be any drugs left behind but the discarded needles are an issue, but only for the innocent person who may come into contact with them and certainly for any cleaners who have to deal with it, the pricks who leave the pricks don’t care. I don’t know what the answer is, but to ‘some’ they don’t want help.
[quote quote=119488]A few £75 fines could be issued here.
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And how do you think the homeless, drug addicts etc would pay these fines, if at all ?
Many thanks for the video which highlights the plight of our town’s homeless but this is an issue which has been known to many of us at the Guildhall for sometime. Whilst the video I’m assuming is to prod everyone’s conscience I for one would of found it helpful in the interest of a balance discussion if it had highlighted how much the state spends on these individuals by way of NSP, methodone, drying out clinics, the various Tier 2 agencies such as CAIS soup kitchen, Arches, Elms, Champion House, Ty Nos, Ty Croeseo, Richmond House, St Johns House, Drugs and Alchol Engagement Officers etc etc. There is also the price paid by shop-keepers by way of shop-lifting and the pressure criminality places on insurance premiums.
Also I have learnt this week that the Wallach have received a WG grant to fund the purchase of a bus to go out and engage with the homeless and I guess to man it to.
There are also the hidden cost of repairing damage to property carried out by rough-sleepers breaking into publicly owned properties.
From my engagement with the homeless I have learnt that a number of them are receiving Disabilty Allowances/other state payouts, paid via the address of a friendly Tier 2 agency. This information was volunteered by a rough-sleeper. This individual then uses the system of hand-outs to I guess to maximise the money he has to feed his habit. In All likelihood this person probably has a greater disposable income than me.
As you know I like many are trying to make Wrexham town-centre a place for law obidding folk to feel happy to work, shop and play in. At present this feels like an uphill struggle as there seems to be a proliferation of rough-sleepers, alcoholics and drug addicts frequenting our town-centre.
As you have members of staff who are employed in this field and have a great understanding of drugs etc I would welcome your views on how we collectively solve the cause rather than symthoms.
FYI I did ask our countries First Minister at his Q&A session whether he would engage with various agencies in Wrexham to address the issue of HMO occupants who are associating with the homeless and in so doing are making our town centre their Social Club. The answer sadly was NO, as he believes the issue is a police/ council matter. Anyway rest assured heads are about to be banged in Wrexham without Carwyn Jones’ input on how to deliver a more coherent solution for those whose lives are dysfunctional and therefore find themselves sleeping rough.
I meet an alcoholic/drug addict today,who was until recently a street-sleeper. For him he has fortunately been housed in a HMO, which is located in the ward I represent. Having chatted it was obvious to me that his Tier 2 agency have succeeded in getting him off the street, even though misery has been inflicted on the lives of those living on the street, but his days are empty as he confirmed he does the rounds of the Tier 2 Agencies in the town during the day. The sad thing is he was a painter and decorator before living on the street for five years and would welcome the chance to practice his trade once more. As such the question I will be asking his Tier 2 support officer is has he been offered assistance to achieve this goal.
I am sure I am not alone in finding it helpful to understand how any donations to AVOW are to be used in assisting the homeless. I for one would not wish to subsidise the habits of many of the homeless, who seemingly think very little of their fellow town folk, who pay their taxes to fund the various agencies who are paid good money to address this problem?
Kind regards
Phil
Cllr P. Wynn________________________________________
Cllr Wynn emailed me direct so I have copied my response is shown below – apologies for length-
Dear Phil
Many thanks for your response and your thoughts. The film in no way is intended to ignore all of the work that is currently being undertaken by a variety of agencies as you have highlighted.It is intended to put a visual interpretation on the many written reports that are available which I am sure you and fellow Councillors must feel frustrated at reading without solutions being found. Reports are produced on a repetitive basis but the reality is that conversation into action to achieve change that makes a difference seems quite limited and were it does occur is incredibly slow. You heard at the Guildhall meeting this week that there are only two detox beds allocated to Wrexham- that’s like putting a sticky plaster in the side of the titanic!
Although the imagery reflects the homelessness in Wrexham the issue over substance misuse goes far deeper into our society and is not exclusive to the homeless/roofless but is occurring in many homes across Wrexham which will undoubtedly have a knock on effect to our children and young people. An example being a very young child turning up at a childcare setting with a ‘cuddle blanket’ stinking of cannabis what is that doing to the child’s breathing (before anyone asks yes it was reported through the appropriate Safeguarding process).
The cost implications of treatment and street support are huge and I in no way underestimate the costs to agencies and private sector retailers- I would however point out that intervention at a preventative level is far more cost effective yet with budget cuts preventative activities are the first to go as they are not statutory- is that really the best way to invest in the future.
On Tuesday you would have also heard Tony Ormond speak about the need for dry houses as part of the stability package that is required – where will they come from as homelessness by itself is not a priority on the housing waiting list. Unfortunately Wrexham no longer has the exclusive knowledge and expertise that Tony could bring as his post went from be Wrexham only to being part of a North Wales project. Tony is a living example of a transformation that 5 years ago no one would have said could happen. Since he came to Wrexham there are a number of people that now owe their life to him for the work he did with them. You asked for ideas on how to tackle the cause – the starting point I would advocate is having meaningful dialogue with people who are or have gone through the 10 Steps to Recovery programme and other recovery projects and the agencies they work with – many of whom will already be engaged in various Partnerships and setting some very clear and measurable targets.
The other way is to raise awareness – statistically 10% of the adult population have a substance misuse problem (drug or alcohol) but as the report “Swept under the Carpet” – “Alcoholism is hidden because it’s legal – it’s swept under the carpet” Girl aged 13– just think how many of the staff or families across all the partners at the Public Service Board are affected and if not supported could be the street drinkers of tomorrow. Should the PSB through its needs assessment be looking at this as a priority due to the level of potential influence?
There is a need to start tacking many of these issue at a far earlier stage – the introduction by the Welsh Government of ACEs- Adverse Childhood Experience should start to establish a pastern of predictability for our next generation to develop targeted intervention. The Council and Partners have an ideal opportunity to adopt this methodology as part of the implementation of the Social Services and Wellbeing Act and the Wellbeing of Future Generations Act to ensure we start thinking beyond the life span of a funding stream or the elected period of the National Assembly or Local Government.
As you highlighted in your email the plight of the homeless person who was a painter – agencies need to be looking at how to get that person back into employment to use past skills — this will be the case with a large number that they have had jobs before. The lack of a speedy response for those with mental health needs is almost setting a person up to deteriorate – a low level of mental health problems can fast become major if someone is waiting 6 plus months for full diagnosis irrespective of homeless or living under a roof. The issues over children and young people accessing CAHMS is equally dire.
I have complete sympathy with the retailers in Wrexham and the impact of shoplifting and ASB- having in the past run a businesses for a number years in Rhostyllen I also know first hand the impact on the surround areas when action takes place in the town centre to purge shoplifting there is an immediate ripple effect to other shops on the edge of town and close surrounding villages. I would be interested to know if the new CCTV installation actually uses facial recognition technology the same as some nightclubs do to identify known trouble makers at the entrance as this would be a significant boost to ‘eyes on the ground’ to supplement the Police, PCSOs and other agencies.
I would like to point out that the film has gone out in a personal capacity as I have other interests in the town.
The donation link to AVOW was added for anyone who felt they wished to contribute to the Annual Homeless collection which has run over the past few years including a sponsored sleep out by staff and volunteers which various colleagues of yours when Mayor have attended. The funds have been used to provide emergency items such as sleeping bags and blankets which are not provided by the Council as part of any homeless support, basic toiletries, sanitary products and other essentials.
I was incredibly disappointed at your suggestion that AVOW may use the funds to ‘subsidise the habits of many of the homeless’. when through the work of staff and volunteers at AVOW they have fought long and hard for the opposite. If this was a suggestion from anybody then I would appreciate you providing that information so an appropriate response can be given.
I trust this give a level if assurance to you and fellow Councillors about the purpose and lets all work together and not allow it to be “Swept Under the Carpet”.
Regards
Councillor Phil Wynn, I salute you. This film has not made me feel one iota of sympathy for the people who leave this mess behind them. Dog poo, although disgusting, is probably nowhere near as dangerous as the stuff these people leave behind. Who has to clean up this mess? Decent, hard working, tax paying individuals that’s who.
John
Many thanks for this dialogue in a public arena which allows the facts to be placed on record in hopefully balanced fashion.
I like you realise we can no longer carry on spending millions of pounds on dealing with people who have addictive habits along with diagnosed and undiagnosed mental issues. This is such a major problem that as a society we may well need to spend millions more to get ahead of the game. It’s probably for this reason that our First Minister ducked my invite to become part of a permanent solution but hey ho.
I and a small number of County Councillors have served on a Task & Finish Group of WCBC’ Wellbeing Scrutiny Committee to review and recommend solutions on the proliferation of discarded needles and drugs paraphernalia on the back streets of Wrexham. The report is due to be made public in October and all being well the Srutiny Committee will be covered by web-cam.
I believe this and the pressure town-centre ward members have been putting on WCBC’s Lead Member for Community Safety and our responsible Strategic Director has finally resulted in some movement in this “rock” of an issue being looked at with fresh eyes.
This is such a mamouth task to try and deliver a coherent solution for the homeless that I believe WCBC will need to set a T&F Group to focus on the issue and thereby take evidence off as many individuals as is necessary. I have put a call in to the Chair of the Wellbeing Scrutiny Committee so hopefully this may well happen.
Many thanks for clarifying how AVOW spend the money raised for the homeless. Spending money on tents and sleeping bags is something I could happily support as I believe the homeless who are in receipt of benefits would find it impossible to fund assuming they are in receipt of benefits.
I assume you are aware that there is a well established trail of Tier 2 agencies which provide food for free to the Homeless. In so doing they are therefore allowing such people to spend their limited funds on drugs and alchol and this is what I was referring to if you had confirmed AVOW are also a provider of food. I accept some of these individuals and let’s not forget they are individuals have no access to money or have had their benefits stopped because they missed their allotted signing on appoitment so a free food handout is needed until we can resolve this counterproductive process adopted by the JobCentre.
I hope my explanation has demonstrated that I am not accusing AVOW as an organisation of propping up the addicts supply.
This issue is not going to go away and I for one will no longer allow the issue to be swept under the carpet so I very much look forward to working with you and other interested parties to collect the Wrexham data on homelessness and those living in HMO’s whom I feel the system has abandoned so we can then come up with a coherent solution to our Wrexham problem. It’s a shame Carwyn Jones didn’t commit himself to joining arms with us but I guess we still have time for him to be convinced to reconsider his stance.
Regards
Phil
Cllr P. WynnFor clarity the message I wanted to put across is we can’t carry on spending millions in Wrexham on dealing with this issue with no clear outcome of turning vulnerable people’s lives. It may need a short-term additional injection of money to get ahead of the game but ultimately as a society we cannot spend more as country than we earn or all we are doing is racking up a national debt which future generations will need to handle.
Phil
I was sad viewing this film as unfortunly when I walk around town and see lads I was in school with off their heads. It just makes you think how the path in life can vary so much through different situations.
Clealry lots of people trying to help but does not seem to be any solutions for those that dont want to change- I for one am guility of crossing the road to avoid even the ones I know – lets hope for the sake of everyone the cycle can be brioken befire the next generation are dragged into the gutter.
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