By Laura Giannini
Photo courtesy of Blue Triangle
Did you know that Blue Triangle is 50 years old?
What is Blue Triangle?
If you have to ask, you may consider yourself fortunate; it means you have probably never been homeless, because Blue Triangle is a national provider of shelter to those who find themselves without a roof.
I find being homeless a terrifying prospect, so I was interested to meet with two of the dedicated, caring team who help run local Blue Triangle services: Sarah Louise McQuilter, Area Manager and Pauline McEwan, Assistant Service Manager in Alexandria.
“We offer different services in different areas, but our core is to give those with no other possibility a safe shelter,” Sarah Louise told me.
Pauline added: “In our area we have housing or shelters in Bonhill, Alexandria and Clydebank, including six shared occupancy flats for females only.
“You wouldn’t think it, but we could have double the numbers and still be looking for more.
There is such a need and, at the same time, such a shortage of housing, our self-referrals and Council referrals rise each year.”
“We try to be as open and fair as possible with our allocations. It is, essentially, a first come first served basis, though women fleeing domestic abuse and those with additional support needs are prioritised a little,” Sarah Louise explained.
“There are so many in need, young people too; in 2023 38% of our clients were in the 16 – 25 age group.”
Anyone Can Become Homeless
Pauline said there are lots of stereotypes about people who donʼt have a roof over their heads.
“People think of ‘the homeless’ as a kind of group who, due to bad choices or bad behaviour, like not paying rent or damaging property or being in some way anti-social, have been ‘put out’.
“The truth is anyone could end up homeless: women who have taken one punch too many or who fear their kids being at risk, someone living alone whose company closes down,
relationship breakdowns can mean one partner can be left with nowhere to go.
“Some people just haven’t been taught how to budget and end up choking in debt.
“There are lots of reasons.”
“There is still a heavy stigma attached to ‘the homeless’ that feeds from the idea of ‘deserving and undeserving poor’, truth is many of us are only a few weeks away from being unable to
afford a house on our own,” Sarah Louise explained.
“Even if, big if, you can find one – and that includes ever more expensive private rentals – the chances are one person could struggle to pay for it.
“If that person hasn’t the skills to budget, has additional needs, an addiction, the chances shrink even further.
“That’s why Blue Triangle is still needed,” Pauline added, you can hear she is passionate about her work.
More Than Just Shelter
And the service provided doesn’t stop with a shelter.
“To help we need information. It takes time to gain the trust of someone who has never had anyone who would help. We’re usually at the end of a long, difficult road,” Sarah Louise
continued.
“Our clients are hurt. Sometimes they don’t even know what they’ve been through is abuse.”
How do the staff cope? How do they deal with being close to so much pain daily?
“We get training and counselling is available if we need it, but mostly our support is from and for each other.
“We learn to celebrate small wins – someone who had stopped washing to keep others from coming too close, has a shower; that can mean a major break-through,” Sarah Louise explained.
“It’s a hard job, every day has its own challenges, big and small.
“You couldn’t do it if you didn’t care, so you find rewards on the job with colleagues, with the clients.
“Each time someone leaves ready for a fresh start, itʼs a win, so satisfying to have been part of giving someone another chance,” Pauline is enthusiastic, then realistic.
“It takes time and sometimes it doesn’t work out, so we learn to take the positives as and when they come.”
Many Needs
The Blue Triangle staff network extensively with other organisations to help meet the often complex needs of their clients.
“There are so many different needs, it would be impossible for one service to cover them all,” Sarah Louise added.
“Someone might come to us with nothing more than what they stand in; others might need to be kept away from those enabling their addiction.
“It might be they need to learn how to budget or how to keep their space clean and tidy, how to cook…
“There are so many parts to the puzzle of living alone, so we have a lot of interaction with other organisations. Most of the voluntary help we get is through partners.”
Future Hopes
I asked about their hopes for the future.
Sarah Louise said: “I’d love to say we won’t be needed, but truth is the demand is greater than ever.
“We have received funding for more houses and for staffing, so hopefully we’ll be around to help for awhile yet.”
Pauline added: “It would be wonderful to say poverty driven despair, people with nowhere to go will disappear, but they won’t. Not in my lifetime.
“What we do is a drop in the ocean but we’ll keep trying to make life a little better for people, some of whom have had to fight for everything they have.
“That’s why we offer a few extras, a trip on the subway, a restaurant meal or a Christmas gift and dinner to someone who’s never had one.
“Little things we all take for granted can mean so much. It can mean life is changing for the better at last.”
What would you like those reading this article to do?
Sarah Louise immediately answered: “I’d like to make people aware that being homeless isn’t just something that happens to ‘those people’, it can happen to the best of us.
“To all your readers I say, please don’t frown on people who need help, be thankful it’s not you.”