Sheffield Tent City

Sheffield Tent City is going up again tomorrow. In brief, Tent City was first put up in 2016 to provide much needed shelter for the homeless in the city centre. Problems with addiction, misguided choices, bad luck, financial problems cause homelessness and the man heading up the band of campaigners, Anthony Cunningham has himself been homeless.

I've never seen anyone campaign for others so selflessly. He makes regular Vlogs online, often passionately drumming up support and deriding a system that seems so uncaring about vulnerable folk. 

https://www.facebook.com/shefftentcity/

The group run a breakfast club, fundraisers in addition to providing moral and practical support to vulnerable people. The group has asked many times for a building to create a night shelter/cafe for homeless people, and an agreement was made to fulfil this with Sheffield Council. The month of June was cited as the month of action but sadly, halfway through June already with no sign of a night shelter. 

It seems really odd that the council are not investing or even recognising the humanitarian work being done here. I'm sure the public would prefer homeless people off the street as would shopkeepers. We know social care has slid backwards by 60 years but still - the lack of enthusiasm is alarming. Charities appear to be hog tied and gagged. They aren't allowed to rock any boats.

Then .. Boom! The Sheffield Star - amid serious abuses of humanity around the world, poverty and injustice - prints this story;

https://www.google.co.uk/amp/www.thestar.co.uk/news/sheffield-man-in-court-after-cannabis-house-blaze-find-1-8593656/amp

A neighbors chip pan fire had sparked a police check to see how much neighbors' houses had been affected. There was no evidence of 'production' and a misquote has been emphasised which Anthony feels former life has been brought into the picture to exploit a bias against him. Anthony has never hidden the fact that he has walked in the shoes of addiction and homelessness and this is what makes him such an impressive campaigner now; he is a big hearted family man who clearly values all that is good in the world.

To give the Star it's due, the paper did print one or two stories supporting Anthony and Co.s efforts, and admittedly the law as it stands was broken. Just seems odd that such a minor offence has been seized upon and made glaringly obvious - when the council have yet again missed their own opportunities to do something to support the vulnerable?
And the fact that this event happened around 5 months ago ... strange timing. Could it be possible that this is a smear campaign to reduce the considerable support the Tent City team have amassed over the past two years? (Ironic question).

It just makes me laugh - the people who throw stones probably wouldn't want folks poking about in their closet skeletons. It's hypocritical. 

Fact is - the promised night shelter has not materialised. The authorities may well plant a distraction to take the focus on the continuing deterioration of social support, but Anthony and crew are going about their business as usual - supporting the homeless.

Please support him and his team;

https://www.face-book.com/shefftentcity/

Stages of Acceptance

A good old Yorkshire saying is that; 'If tha wants summat doing, do it thisen'. True it is.
The internet has a plethora of SEN blogs currently..some are angry, some are descriptive, some are advisory. Some of us parents navigating the education system as an advocate for the neuro divergent child have been at it for years and have come out scarred and battle worn but intact. Others are new to it and really believe that their child's needs will be recognised and supported. And some actually ARE supported, usually when a learning difficulty and IQ score of under 72 is present.

And there are also a massive number of families in limbo. They know the law is on their side but actually accessing support is strangely effervescent and never put in place. Many different scenarios. Often with parents accused of some sort of wrongdoing - impacting on an existing problematic lack of support.

Along with this number of families are an alarmingly large, and growing number of children who are not able to access mainstream - or any formal education. Due to austerity, cuts in budget or rather the misuse of public money to criticise families and prevent support being given, these children are being under privileged on a shocking scale. It would appear, time and again that families are forced to their knees without appropriate and legally due support, then children are the recipients of less choices and negative outcomes.

So when one finds oneself in such a situation, what is one to do?
Well chasing the LA is a full time job and has to be done. The astonishing number of psychological strategies used to avoid supporting children would be impressive if it weren't so damaging and depressing.
What about campaigning? - yes, that's an option. Social and educational reform are very much overdue.
Alongside this, the children's needs are still being ignored. One scenario; the child has a breakdown and unable to manage much at all. A year goes by ... then 2 years go by. Childhood is receding and puberty occurs adding another dimension and distraction to fighting for changing needs and the avoidance of support by the authorities.

Meanwhile, despite all this costing a huge amount more in the long run, not just in disintegration of social values, trauma, damage to families incomes and employment opportunities for the neuro divergent young people... there is an insidious message which has been fostered and proliferated within right wing politics ... vulnerable people are BAD, they are EXPENSIVE and a BURDEN on society. Therefore must be ignored and will hopefully go away some time soon.
Thing is, what politics is saying is a load of bollocks. The number of people inhabiting the earth IS rising, along with the old people and the disabled..... Surprise! Under our current government, so has the number don people earning money and paying taxes. Not that difficult to work out. The government reckons there is less unemployment and hence more employment - hooray! Doesn't matter that these figures are based on highly dodgy statistics based on 0 hours contracts, self employment resulting in losses etc etc. The authorities would have us believe that they are massively successful whilst also suffering the hardships of the plague known as the Vulnerable. It doesn't make sense.

So to counteract the myth that vulnerable people are bad for business, I am setting out to raise the money for my child's educational and social support mostly myself, whilst also being the full time Carer and Non Elective educator. Like many more.

Hence the birth of Indigo Child. I don't want to rant on forever, I aim for a positive outcome. and I aim to explode the myth that the vulnerable are a burden on society.
Do you want to know the real truth? The vulnerable are CREATED in part by society.
Have a wonderful evening all.