Simple gestures

Where has the year gone? Only a few more weeks till Christmas. A time for kindness and generosity, mulled wine, Christmas crackers, parties and spending quality time with loved ones? or is it?

For some of us it?s a wonderful time of the year and we are blessed to be in a position to share gifts, spend time with family and friends, eat, drink and be merry. A time of happiness and fun. However, for many this is not the case, and rather it?s just another day. Or even worse, a time that causes increased pressure and stress in their personal environment.

Some don?t have a roof over their head and, where they do, they struggle to survive, forced to make harsh choices about how they spend their limited income. We?ve sadly become too familiar with the ?heat or eat? phrase in recent times. At the Placeshapers 2016 conference we heard that rough sleeping has doubled since 2010 and every night around 3,600 people sleep on the streets. This is truly a disgrace in our so-called modern society.

?We don?t need to have huge budgets and resources to act.?

Living with domestic abuse is all too common. Remember one in four women and one in six men will experience domestic abuse at some point in their life and two women are killed each week by a partner or ex-partner. In terms of domestic abuse and Christmas, the evidence confirms that it escalates during the festive season.?Financial pressures, free-flowing alcohol and being cooped up for long periods of time all contribute to the increase in violence and other forms of abuse over the Christmas period.

Then there?s the issue of loneliness and isolation. Loneliness can be experienced by all age groups, however as people get older the risk factors that contribute towards loneliness increase. Loneliness is one of the main issues older people worry about and two-fifths of them say television is their main company.?Research shows loneliness can be harmful to our physical and mental health, contributing towards anxiety, stress and depression and increasing the risk of illnesses such as stroke and coronary diseases.

So what has this got to do with the social housing sector? I believe these matters have everything to do with us and we should play our part in tackling these issues, which impact on customers and staff alike ? because we can.

We don?t need to have huge budgets and resources to act.?Here are four simple things we can all do which won?t break the bank but will have successful outcomes at scale if we all do our bit:

1. We can all train our frontline staff on how to spot the signs of domestic or other abuse or neglect, and report it safely
2. We can encourage staff and customers to volunteer to befriend a lonely person either via an external partner agency or your own in-house befriending service
3. We have the ability to provide a home for the homeless and think differently about our exclusions and suspensions policies which often marginalise the most vulnerable
4. We can ensure those in financial difficulty have the opportunity to access services to support them in maximising their income and learn the skills to budget effectively for the future

In addition, as individuals, we can all be mindful and considerate of our own neighbours and others around us, wherever we are.?How about we all carry out one random act of kindness this Christmas? A cooked meal, a warm drink, a card with a special message maybe? Every small act of kindness with someone is an opportunity to have a positive impact on both parties. If we all did this, imagine the difference we could make.

I?m sure lots of organisations already engage in some or all of the points mentioned above, however, if you are reading this and don?t actively do them all, please give them some thought. These interventions always need buy-in from the top, so come on all you leaders out there, let?s embrace these simple gestures and make a real difference this Christmas and beyond.

Michelle Meldrum, executive director (operations), Gentoo Group?