VIEW issue 9

Independent voice for community/voluntary sector

Issue nine, 2012

Website: viewdigital.org

VIEW

BEDROOM TAX

Coming to a home near you Story on pages 4-5

VIEW

VIEW, issue nine, 2012

Homeless rise

Website: viewdigital.org

CONTENTS

Page 2

Helping out

Pages 6-7 Warning of a ‘perfect storm’ ahead after rise in the numbers of homeless people in Northern Ireland

Pages 16-17 VIEW talks to Bill Morrow about why he is still offering his services as a volunteer at the age of 81

World Cup goal

Big Picture

Page 8, Players from Northern Ireland (right) are hoping to take part in the Homeless World Cup in Poland for the first time ever

Page 18 See who we have chosen as our Big Picture from a variety of community/ voluntary images which were sent in to us

Norman’s tale

Donor demand

Pages 14-15 Ex-boxer Norman Stewart (above) tells VIEW why he wrote a book about his struggle with depression and alcoholism

Pages 20-21 Friends of the Earth held a protest (above) at Stormont recently as part of their ‘Who pulls the strings’ campaign

Editorial

VIEW, the online publication for the community/voluntary sector in Northern Ireland.

By Brian Pelan, editor

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ast Thursday, November 8, Cameron Watt, chief executive of the Northern Ireland Federation of Housing Associations (NIFHA), called on Social Development Minister Nelson McCausland to delay the under-occupancy penalty – or as it better known, the ‘bedroom tax’ – for six months.

He warned that thousands of people could face “severe hardship” if the policy was implemented next year.

‘Bedroom tax’ is a new welfare reform policy that the government says protects the taxpayer from having to pay for a two or threebedroom house for a single person.

The extra bedroom is a luxury, the government says.

But critics say it ignores the circumstances of divorced or single parents with part-time access to their children.

Hardly had the ink dried on Mr Watt’s speech at the NIFHA conference when Mr McCausland told the event the next day that he was opposed to any delay.

Mr McCausland said: “There would be a very significant cost attached to a delay and I don't think it is necessary.”

As separate articles in this issue of VIEW point out, Northern Ireland seems to be heading for a ‘perfect storm’ of misery for

thousands of families and individuals who rely on the State for support.

Sandra Moore of the homeless organisation, Welcome, said: “The current situation has been likened to ‘The Perfect Storm’.

House prices are falling, people are caught in negative equity and unemployment is high – especially among our young people,” It seems as if various warnings have fallen on deaf ears when it comes to the political parties who have supported the Welfare Reform Bill legislation.

But crocodile tears will be useless when the unemployed, the homeless and the disabled suffer further under this austerity onslaught.

VIEW TO GET SMART WITH NEW MOBILE PHONE APP. ON THE WAY SOON TO A MOBILE/IPAD NEAR YOU ...

VIEW, issue nine, 2012

Profile

Page 3

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We talk to Kerry Anthony, chief executive of Depaul Ireland, about her work and the challenges facing the organisation

1, How long have you been with the organisation and what you attracted to the position?

5, Is there light at the end of the tunnel concerning the problem of homelessness or will we still be struggling with it in 1020 years time?

I’ve been with Depaul Ireland for seven years. I have been the chief executive for five years now. It is an outstanding organisation and that’s why I was attracted to come and work for them.

I absolutely believe that ending long-term homelessness is achievable. It rests on how we get access to housing stock for people and put the supports in place to maintain it.

2, What differentiates Depaul Ireland from the other organisations who also deal with the issue of homelessness?

Most of the services that we have opened in Ireland have been the first of their kind, such as ‘wet services’ or services for young people who are active drug users, women leaving prison and people with mental health issues. We’ve always been committed to working with that hard-to-reach client group. One of our core values is action over words.

3, How has the present economic recession impacted upon the work of your organisation?

The cuts have had an effect and we also know that there has been an increasing need in relation to homelessness.

One of the challenges for us is how do you continue to provide quality services when your resources are being cut.

We had to reduce staff salaries in the Republic this year and our salaries in Northern Ireland have remained static. Hopefully we are doing something right though as we recently got the Investors in People Gold Award.

4, What are the main issues concerning homelessness which need to be addressed by the Northern Ireland Assembly and the Dail?

We need a housing-led approach to the problem. We need to consider how to get access to affordable housing and how we put support around people so that they can maintain that. The idea of keeping people in hostel accommodation on a long-term basis is totally unacceptable.

6, What are your views on recent government figures that showed a rise in homelessness in Northern Ireland?

It’s disapppointing to see an increase in homeless figures but it’s not surprising when you consider the current economic environment. We will continue to argue that resources and funding should not be cut further.

7, Do you think the community/voluntary sector should do more to raise the issue of homelessness?

I think it’s incredibly important that we work in partnership with other agencies to bring the issues concerning homelessness to the surface.

8, What do you like most about your job? What do you like least?

The thing I like the most is going to visit our services and spending time with the people I get up every day to work for. The thing I like the least is, that despite the fact that we are working as hard as we can, is that people are still homeless.

9, Who or what has inspired you the most in your career to date?

I worked as a volunteer in the John Kirk Centre in London in 1996 which was managed by Corri Summerton. She was the person who most inspired me because she recognised my potential and really encouraged me.

10, What is your favourite novel and movie?

My favourite novel is Eureka Street by Robert McLiam Wilson. I really loved the film, The Good Man, directed by Phil Harrison.

11, If you could be or do anything else – what would it be?

I would love to write children’s travel books. I am also presently enjoying trying out Olympic weightlifting after someone recommended that I should try it out.

VIEW, issue nine, 2012

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Page 4

‘Bedroom tax to affect t

Writer Paul Flannagan looks at the under-occupa

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y now must people will have heard something about the new welfare regime due to kick in next year. The range of the welfare bill is so vast that it almost defies summary.

The implications for many people are profound. To the unwary the welfare changes are of little importance because they think it will not impact on them, after all, they are in steady employment.

Yet the changes will impact on the whole of the working class.

First of all, steady employment cannot be guaranteed in the recessionary economic cycle that we are in, and secondly, because most workers have family circles, especially parents and children, who will be severely impacted.

It should also be noted that the number of unemployed in receipt of welfare benefits are in fact

the minority; just more than 60 per cent of those in receipt of significant welfare benefits are in fact not unemployed. Let’s pick out just one item that has gone largely unrecognised, changes to housing benefit, and let’s be specific about it.

In Northern Ireland there are currently 63,000 people registered as unemployed, however there are a lot more - 161,634 households to be exact - who are in receipt of essential housing benefit. In fact, 67,500 out of a total of 90,000 of Housing Executive households get the benefit, another 23,600 with Housing Associations, and then another 70,000 renting in the private sector.

In addition there are another 34,800 on the social need waiting list; 20,000 of these are classified as in emergency need. It is a reasonable assumption to make that most on that list would be in receipt of

housing benefit if they could find a place to live.

Life is about to get a lot more difficult for many of those in receipt of housing benefit. For a start, if you are single and under 35 you will only be allowed enough benefit to cover the cost of only one bedroom in a shared property. Where are you going to go to find this prized one bedroom? Certainly not to the Housing Executive with its evergrowing waiting list and reducing building programme, down to less than 2,000 planned properties.

What then of the private rented sector? Here rents are rising due to the mortgage crash, people who in the recent past could expect to get a mortgage are now no longer able to get one.

The typical rent on a small house starts at about £600 per month, fine for some who have only just missed out on the mortgage

‘The Prime Minister is on record as saying that nobody has a social right to a home financed by the taxpayer’ bonanza but not for the poor benefit claimant who is facing a £400 cap which can only get progressively worse in relation to nonbenefit tenants, the likely outcome being that private landlords refused to rent to the poor and thus we will witness a steady increase in homelessness.

Let’s move on now to the ‘bedroom tax’, or as the government calls it the under-occupancy charge. From April next year those

VIEW, issue nine, 2012

Page 5

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thousands of families’

ancy penalty aspect of the Welfare Reform Bill

McCausland rules out calls for six-month delay NORTHERN Ireland's Social Development Minister Nelson McCausland has ruled out any postponement of the ‘bedroom tax’, due to be introduced in April next year.

Housing Associations in Northern Ireland had called for a six-month delay, warning that thousands of people could face “severe hardship”.

But Nelson McCausland said: “There would be a very significant cost attached to a delay and I don't think it is necessary.”

in receipt of Housing Benefit will have to pay a charge of 14% relative to the cost of rent for the audacity of having too much living space; i.e, having an extra bedroom, and others a stiffer 25% charge for having two extra rooms.

From April 2012, only one bedroom in a council property will be covered by housing benefit per person or per couple. If you have anything extra you will have to pay for it out of your universal credit.

You see, the new legislation has moved on from merely targeting single people for penalty, it now reaches right into the working class family itself. If the person or couple have children the following rules will be applied: • A child aged 16 or under will be expected to share a single bedroom with another child of the same sex.

• A child aged 10 and under will be expected to share with another

child regardless of their sex.

You will be deemed to be over occupying your home if, for example, you are a single parent family living in a three-bedroom council house with two teenage sons below the age of 15, or if you are a couple without children living in a two bedroom council flat, or again you will be deemed to be over-occupying if you are a couple who have to sleep in separate bedrooms due to disability of sickness needs, or again you are a divorced or separated parent living in a two or three bedroom property who needs the rooms for children who only stay at weekends and holiday periods.

Tenants would see their Housing Benefit payment reduced by 14% of their rent for under-occupation by one bedroom, and by 25% for under-occupation by two or more bedrooms. Based on the current average rent of £58.76, a tenant who

receives full housing benefit but who is under-occupying by one bedroom would see their Housing Benefit reduced by about £8.25 a week.

A tenant who is under-occupying by two or more bedrooms would see a reduction of about £14.70 per week. If your Housing Benefit is cut you will have to pay your landlord the difference between your Housing Benefit and your rent.

How many of those facing the under occupancy penaltly will be able to afford to keep the roof over their heads? Some will try and succeed, but others will fail and will sooner or later be up for eviction.

But for those scrimpers and savers who manage to make the payments there is a looming threat to their existence, the impending bedroom charge is not a final instalment, rather it is only a first instalment. Just a year ago it was only the under 25s who were

forced into one bedroom accommodation in the private sector, this has already changed to the over 35s.

The Prime Minister is on record as saying that nobody has a social right to a home financed by the taxpayer. Chancellor George Osborne recently said that he wants another £10 billion worth of cuts on welfare spending. In other words, it won’t be very long before the charge is increased and more fall prey to the eviction notice.

By the way, the small number of people who know about the new charges think that those who may fall into the classification scheme will be offered an alternative home if they can’t pay it. They are mistaken, there is no legal obligation on the housing authority to offer you something more suitable, this may be because these homes don’t actually exist.

VIEW, issue nine, 2012

Website: viewdigital.org

Page 6

‘Perfect storm’ warning as

Recent figures released by the Department for Social Develop to the same quarter last year. VIEW spoke to a number of or

By Jilly Beattie

S

IXTY families become homeless in Northern Ireland every day. The majority of people end up out on the streets as a result of marital breakdown but many others have nowhere to go after being released from hospital.

A total of 5,047 households presented themselves as homeless to the Northern Ireland Housing Executive during April to June 2012 and the shocking figures show a rise of 21 per cent compared to the same quarter last year.

Sandra Moore, director of the Welcome Organisation Homelessness Services in Belfast, said: “Homelessness is simply not the preserve of the unemployed. This is affecting every social area of the country. Houses are being repossessed, people are being made redundant, others get sick or fall into debt and just can’t meet their bills.

“And the stress of living in the figures released are a cause of great concern, although not a great surprise.

“The current situation has been likened to a ‘perfect storm’. House prices are falling, people are caught in negative equity, unemployment is high – especially among our young people.

“The social housing programme doesn’t meet the need presenting on an evergrowing housing waiting list.”

VIEW can reveal that homelessness has risen more than 20 per cent in a year, and given the current trends, by the end of 2013 almost 25,000 people can expect to find themselves

Concern: Sandra Moore, director of the Welcome service in Belfast without a roof over their head.In the three months from April to June this year, a total of 839 were listed as homeless but the government has no information on why or how they became homeless and therefore cannot find a way to help.

The biggest single cause of losing a home is the breakdown of a family unit, including marital collapse, or a single person no longer able or allowed to live in the parental home. A total of 917 family homes fell apart from April to June of this year, including 410 couples splitting up.

A total of 799 families were made homeless after their homes were described as ‘accommo-

dation not reasonable’. The highest number of people included in this category are older tenants who are no longer physically or mentally able to live independently in their current home.

The third largest category was loss of rented accommodation where 707, or 10 per cent, of family units or single people were told to pack their bags and leave.

They included families living in rented properties that were being repossessed or sold and others that were unfit for habitation due to damp or other structural problems.

Sandra said: “We see homelessness growing at 21 per cent this year already; a dramatic increase, and this is before we throw welfare reform, Universal Credit and Housing Benefit restrictions into the mix.

We at the Welcome Organisation work with single people, the largest group presenting as homeless, like the rest of the voluntary sector we are bracing ourselves for the turbulence to come.”

• Other reasons for homelessness include: • Domestic violence: 213 • Social intimidation: 140 • Release from hospital or prison: 99 • Fire, flood other emergency: 18 • Mortgage default: 121 • Bonfire damage or civil disturbance: 10 • Neighbourhood harssament: 247 • No accommodation in Northerm Ireland such as travellers returners or asylum seeker : 343 • Other issues: 184 Kerry Anthony, chief executive of Depaul Ireland, said: “Whilst it is disappointing to see an

VIEW, issue nine, 2012

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s homeless figures surge

pment showed an alarming rise in homelessness compared rganisations to get their response to a grim set of statistics

increase in the homeless figures, this does reflect the fact that our services continually operate at full capacity.

“Many individuals and families are facing very challenging times in this current environment and this can often place significant stress on not only finances, but also relationships.

“This increase clearly indicates the need to continue to provide much needed resources to the sector in order to address the needs of those presenting and to focus efforts on preventative work.”

The Department for Social Development (DSD) figures also revealed that total number of new dwellings being started was 990, a decrease of 24 per cent on the same period in 2011.

And the total number of new dwelling being completed was 1,313, a decrease of 34 per cent on the same period the previous year.

Cameron Watt, chief executive, Northern Ireland Federation of Housing Associations, said: “The picture is that the market for new homes remains depressed and we are not getting the number of homes built that we need.

“I think that as far as the social housing sector is concerned there is a government target of 8,000 social and affordable homes delivered between 2011 to 2015.

“Although it will be challenging for housing associations to met that target, I still think we are still on course to deliver these homes,” said Mr Watt.

“These figures suggests that the market continues to be depressed by lack of new private home starts and this is reflected in the decrease

‘Homelessness is simply not the preserve of the unemployed.

This is affecting every social area of the country’ in new dwellings completions.”Alliance MLA Judith Cochrane said: “The figures have revealed local people are now worse off than they have been for some time, and this is before any welfare reform impacts take effect.

“With the Welfare Reform Bill currently with the Social Development Committee, and despite only having flexibility around the edges to enact changes, it is more important than ever for the committee to work together ensuring the bill is correctly scrutinised.

“It is a complex process as we have not yet seen all the details, especially relating to housing costs, and this can make it difficult for the committee to make informed decisions.

“We must also focus our efforts on amending the delivery options and ensuring there are adequate numbers of trained staff to offer advice

and assistance to those affected as the new system rolls out.”A spokesperson for the Department for Social Development said: “While the number presenting as homeless has increased, there has been a marked decrease in the numbers accepted as homeless by the Housing Executive, currently 2,001 compared to 2,310 for the same period last year.

“While the key reason given for homelessness is relationship breakdown; financial and housing pressures can contribute. The Department recently published a homelessness strategy and will be proactive in taking this forward.

“Assessing the impacts from the changes to Housing Benefit are a priority for DSD and in recognising that some private sector tenants may have difficulty in meeting their rent, the Minister has made additional funds available for Discretionary Housing Payments.

“In addition, we provide financial support to the Housing Rights Service to provide advice to homeowners at risk of losing their homes.

Longer term we have stated, in our recently-published Housing Strategy, our ambition that everyone in Northern Ireland can have access to a decent, affordable home.

“We have proposed to set up a Housing Supply Forum to greatly expand the long-term rate of construction of homes here to meet our growing population’s needs.

“We will also work with the Housing Executive and Housing Associations to ensure we make the best use of the social housing stock that we have and also work to bring empty homes back into use.”

VIEW, issue nine, 2012

Website: viewdigital.org

Page 8

‘Our goal is to be picked for Homeless World Cup’

On the ball: Players from Northern Ireland’s Street league teams who hope to be selected to play in Poland

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TEAM from Northern Ireland will take part in the Homeless World Cup tournament in Poland next year for the first time ever.

The competition was set up to help homeless people change their lives. It was founded by Mel Young from Scotland and Harold Schmied from Austria.

They came up with the idea at a conference on homelessness in Cape Town in 2001.

They both believed that it was possible to change the lives of homeless people through football and two years later in 2003 the first Homeless World Cup tournament took place in Graz in Austria.

The 10th Homeless World Cup, backed by UEFA, took place in Mexico City in October this year, It was won by Chile.

To play in the Homeless World Cup, a Street League has to be set up in countries taking part. Eight players are then selected to play in the competition. Every Friday, a number of young people play in the Northern Ireland Street League at the Shaftesbury Recreation Centre in south Belfast. They all dream that they will be chosen to represent Northern Ireland at the Homeless World Cup in Poland next year.

A meeting was held with Michael Boyd from the Irish Football Association and Peter Shaw, BCSDN, and they were able to initially fund the league, which was co-ordinated by Justin McMinn and Aiden Byrne from East Belfast Mission.

The success of the programme has led to the establishment of a North West Street League which is managed by Sarah Keys, Football For All development Officer, who is based in Derry~Londonderry. With continued support from Peace III and UEFA RESPECT funding, the league has continued to grow from strength to strength, and this year funding was secured from Comic Relief to run a ‘Beyond Football’ project.

This project will run alongside the league and will give participants the chance to take part in a coach development education programme which is supported and mentored by Michael Boyd IFA and Diane McMullen, FASA. At the end of the programme the young men will have achieved an accredited football coaching award and be helped into volunteer roles which will build up their skills and confidence Footballer Steven Weldon, aged 27: said: “I'm now living over in the Falls in a bedsit. I was in Queens Quarter Hostel for nearly a year.

They found me the bedsit because I look after my disabled brother and it's closer to him. I had been homeless for over a year-and-a-half. Initially, I was staying in various friends' houses, but after a while there is only so many times you can ask to sleep on someone's settee.

“I have been playing the football here for over a year. It was through being homeless that I got into this. It’s the only little bit of enjoyment that I look forward to every week. I look after my brother and my granddad, so this is actually my wee day of the week where no one can intervene. It's a great way of getting rid of stress.

“I'd love to go to Poland and play in the Homeless World Cup. I have even stopped drinking to get myself much fitter.”

Belfastman Colm McCallan said: “I was homeless for about three years. It ended when I was able to move back in again with my father. I was living on the streets in Belfast, Doncaster, and Glasgow. It's much better to have somewhere to stay now, especially during these cold winter nights.”

Sean O'Neill (23) said: “I was homeless for about six months. I'm now back at my mother’s home until I find a place to live in. It was terrible when I was homeless. I had to go to various friends' houses looking for a place to stay for the night. Family problems led to my situation.

Martin Donaghy said: “I'm from Divis. I was homeless for about seven months but I've got my own flat now. I was living on the streets for a while before getting into a hostel. It was hard living in a hostel. So many people are staying there with their own problems. It was nearly easier being on the street. It would be a fantastic experience to be selected to play in Poland.”

Justin McMinn, who works at the Hosford House Hostel, said: “There was a lot of guys in the hostel who wanted to play football. We started off with homeless guys in different hostels playing football against each other. But the funding of it was difficult, such as £35 a hour to play on a pitch. It's obviously hard to get money from homeless hostels. We then heard of Street League, which is played in many different countries, and then we heard about the Homeless World Cup. “We met Peter Shaw from Sports Development Network and Michael Boyd from the IFA. They helped us out with funding. We then launched our own Street League three years ago.

“Benefits which flow from Street League are self-esteem, confidence, motivation, discipline and improvements in mental health.”

Paul Kane, from the Bytes Project, added: “We have seven centres in Northern Ireland.

Young people from the Short Strand, Poleglass and Tullycarnet areas in Belfast, who have experienced being homeless, are taking part in this league. I’ve been bringing these young boys to the Street League for the last two-and-a-half years.”

Watch VIEW digital video on the Northern Ireland Street League at http://bit.ly/viewdigital For more details on the Belfast and North West Street League contact Maria Wilson at: mwilson@irishfa.com

Practical advice and a sensitive personal approach. We pride ourselves on our unrivalled commitment to clients’ needs.

Edwards & Co. solicitors advises charities and the voluntary sector in Northern Ireland on a wide range of legal issues including charity creation, charitable status and constitutional matters, trading and commercial arrangements, employment law, finance, fundraising and property law, as well as dealing with the Charity Commission for Northern Ireland.

Our team offers a full range of legal services including mediation, criminal law, clinical negligence and personal injury claims, as well as family/matrimonial work.

Contact Jenny and Teresa: Edwards & Co. Solicitors, 28 Hill Street, Belfast, BT1 2LA. Tel: (028) 9032 1863 Email: info@edwardsandcompany.co.uk Web: edwardsandcompany.co.uk

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VIEW, issue nine, 2012

Anti-racism message delivered to pupils

Rural Respect Week: Children taking part at the Derrygonnelly anti-racism workshop in St Patrick’s Primary School

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uilding a respect agenda remains an important principle for the work of the Rural Enabler Programme operating in Northern Ireland and the six border counties in the Republic of Ireland.

Rural Respect Week, held recently, brought more than 2,000 people together from all backgrounds, ages and beliefs to consider the value of respect as an integral building block in developing a shared peace for everyone.

In Fermanagh, one of the highlights of Rural Respect Week was bringing three local primary schools together in St Patrick’s Primary

School in Derrygonnelly to learn about racism and consider how to adopt a positive attitude to cultural diversity.

This aspect of racism awareness training was very important to all school principals in the area.

Eileen Glynn, principal of St Patrick’s, said: “Rural communities are often left behind in terms of opportunity for anti-racism training.

These workshops allow children to learn about cultural diversity in a fun and educational way.”

Neville Armstrong, Fermanagh Rural Enabler, said “The Rural Enabler Programme seeks

to address sectarianism and racism in rural communities through active engagement and directly challenging prejudice where it occurs.”

The training, led by Anita and Rani from Women of the World, involved Key Stage Two pupils from Derrygonnelly Controlled Primary School, Killyhommon and St Patrick’s Primary School Derrygonnelly.

Participants included children from Eastern Europe and South East Asia and took the form of a diversity challenge session, music, dance and food, as well as the opportunity to look at clothes from other countries.

Open College Network Northern Ireland t: (028) 90 463 990 e: customersupport@ocnni.org.uk tw: @OCNNI w: www.ocnni.org.uk

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VIEW, issue nine, 2012

Page 11

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Therapy help for cancer patients

PHoToLinE Photographer Kevin cooper has more than 25 years experience in Press and Pr photography. Kevin works to a wide range of clients in community and voluntary sector organisations as well as the trade union movement.

For quoTaTions conTacT Kevin cooper

Complementary therapist facilitators Tracy McAloney (left) and Patsy McDaniel will train and support volunteer therapists to deliver complementary therapy to patients and carers in their own communities

E: photoline@supanet.com T: 028 90777299 M: 07712044751

A

new project, funded by Friends of the Cancer Centre, is providing an opportunity to develop a complementary therapy service within local communities. It will offer people affected by cancer an opportunity to have treatments closer to their own homes.

Currently this service has been delivered by Friends of the Cancer Centre therapists in partnership with the Belfast Trust within the Cancer Centre inpatient wards and for outpatients in the Macmillan Support and Information Centre. Some clients currently have to travel from many parts of Northern Ireland to benefit from this service.

Complementary therapy is the name given to a num-

ber of therapies such as massage, aromatherapy and reflexology, which can help to reduce stress, tension and anxiety, improve sleep and improve quality of life.

Janet Morrison, centre manager of the Support and Information Centre, said this service will provide valuable support to patients who have cancer.

Pilot projects headed up by Tracy McAloney are already running in the Greater Belfast area. Patsy McDaniel is developing pilot projects in other regional areas.

• For more information, contact Tracy.mcaloney@belfasttrust.hscni.net or Patsy.mcdaniel@belfasttrust.hscni.net

The award winners with UTV’s Frank Mitchell

Six local people honoured in Leap of Faith Awards $ $ $ $ $

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A NUMBER of people from the Colin area of west Belfast were honoured at an awards ceremony which celebrated good parenting and parenting support services.

The first ever Leap of Faith Awards, hosted by UTV’s Frank Mitchell, took place in St Colm’s High School in Twinbrook.

The awards, organised by the Colin Neighbourhood Partnership and supported by the Colin Early Intervention Community project, received more than 100 nominations from the public for those individuals and organisations that have made a positive impact in the world of parenting and care-giving.

Six awards were presented in five categories. The Main Man Award was won by James Broderick from Poleglass, who was nominated by his grandson Frankie McFarlane for his caring responsibilities. The Main Woman Award was won by Denise McClinton, who was nominated by friend Fiona Campbell. The Foster Carer Award was won by Marion Corr of Twinbrook, who was nominated by Sammy Jo Murphy who was fostered by Marion from a young age.

The judging panel found it so difficult to select one deserving winner of the Parent Award that they chose two worthy winners, Ciara Reid from Lagmore and Deborah Maguire from Twinbrook. The final award, for Parenting Services, was won by Mary Leonard, who provides courses in St Luke’s School in Twinbrook and was nominated by the school’s principal, Claire Robinson.

For more information about the Colin Early Intervention Community or Colin Neighbourhood Partnership visit www.newcolin.com.

VIEW, issue nine, 2012

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Workers at the factory in its early days in Belfast

Providing employment to people with disabilities

U

lster Supported Employment Ltd (USEL) was established in 1962 to provide supported paid employment for people with disabilities within its Belfast manufacturing base.

However, its origins can be traced back to nearly a century earlier to 1871, when Mrs Mary Hobson founded the Workshops for the Blind, prompted by an interest in the plight of a Broughshane man who was totally blinded as the result of an accident and therefore unable to support his wife and eight children.

Unable to secure him work in England and Scotland, she acted upon the question of James Chambers, the honorary secretary of the Workshops for the Blind in Liverpool: “Why not have workshops of your own in Belfast?”

Premises were sourced at No. 6

Howard Street in Belfast for £75 per year and were adapted to provide working room for 20 to 30 blind people.

When Workshops for the Blind moved to Lawnbrook Avenue in Belfast USEL rented premises from it and in 1980 USEL merged with the organisation to become the largest supporter of people with disabilities into open employment within Northern Ireland.

In 2001 it moved from Lawnbrook Avenue to a large modern factory in Cambrai Street, Belfast, to achieve its mission “to expand the choice of paid job opportunities for people with disabilities and health related conditions and by means of training and development assist with progression into and within mainstream employment”.

Visit http://www.usel.co.uk

Richard Chambers, who joined the Workshops for the Blind in 1972, still works at the factory in its present location at Cambrai Street, Belfast

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BROADCAST MEDIA WORKSHOP

VIEW is hosting a broadcast media workshop led by award-winning broadcast journalist Julia Paul in EGSA (4th floor, 40 Linenhall Street, Belfast) on Wednesday, November 28.

Julia, along with a cameraman, will film you at the workshop and then discuss how you could improve your performance.

To book a place on the one-day workshop – which costs £125 with discounts for organisations sending more than one participant – please email: unamurphy@viewdigital.org

BROADCAST MEDIA WORKSHOP

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VIEW, issue nine, 2012

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A tale of courage: Norman Stewart standing outside Belfast City Hall

‘Talking to other men is like a

light coming on in the dark’ VIEW hears the story of former boxer Norman Stewart who wanted to write a book after struggling for years with alcoholism and depression and the death of his son Gary, who took his own life in 1998. The Big Lottery Fund and the Workers Educational Association supported Norman in his honest account of a life of struggle

A

Long Journey to Now: Memories of My Life is a short book but it tells the tale, harrowing at times, of why Lisburn man Norman Stewart.

“I decided I wanted to write a book because I wanted to tell my story. I can’t read or write but I want other people to understand how hard it is to deal with bullying, depression and suicide,” explained Norman A schoolteacher helped Norman to put his words together.

“You know why I decided to write this? I said to a friend one night that my son Gary (who committed suicide) had achieved more in 10 years than I have in my life. I said to myself ‘I would love to write a book about him.’ Then I thought, if I could write about him, I could write about my illness to try and help others.

“Maybe some good would come out of it all. I want to do this because I want to help other people who might be depressed. It has been a long journey to now.”

Norman has battled with depression and alcoholism throughout his life, but particularly after the sudden death of his brother, the deaths of his parents in quick succession, the death of

his wife Noreen from a brain tumour and tragically the death of his only son Gary from suicide.

Norman said: “I’ve dealt with so much sorrow and pain. I’ve dealt with depression and low self-esteem my whole life and I turned to alcohol to numb the pain.

“I tried to take my own life on a number of occasions because I just couldn’t cope. Losing my son was just unbearable.”

Since 2010, Norman has been a member of the Colin Men’s Group and has taken part in some courses provided through co-operation between the Man Matters project and the Colin Neighbourhood project, both funded through the Big Lottery Fund’s Live and Learn programme.

This has made a huge difference to Norman’s life.

“The support that comes from having other men like myself to talk to is like a light coming on in the dark,” he said.

“We can be open and honest with each other and it’s okay to say you feel down, tired and afraid, and yet you’re no less of a man for saying so.”

Diarmuid Moore, assistant director of the Workers Educational Association, felt that Norman’s story was so powerful that it deserved to be supported and the book was published with help from the Man Matters project.

Diarmuid said: “The Man Matters Project is honoured to help Norman tell his story.

Although the book is an emotional and sometimes difficult read, it is nonetheless important for that.

“It deals with many issues that too often remain hidden, but perhaps most importantly it shows the power of getting involved in groups and how that can help.”

Norman said: “Men are just as vulnerable as women, they have weaknesses, they feel pain, fear and suffering and they should be encouraged to be open about those things.

“Hopefully this book will encourage them to look for help and get involved in community groups like this one.”

• A Long Journey To Now can be downloaded from the WEA website at www.wea-ni.com.

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A kiss is just a kis VIEW talks to Belfast man Bill Morrow (81), who recently received a Diamond Champions Award for his outstanding work as a volunteer

W

riter Mark Twain once wrote: “Age is an issue of mind over matter. If you don't mind it doesn't matter.” Belfast man Bill Morrow is a living embodiment of that

philosophy.

Born and bred on the Ormeau Road, south Belfast, Bill has a an easygoing manner. He describes himself as “happily divorced” and has two daughters.

He spent his working life as an engineering draughtsman in Harland and Wolff before accepting redundancy from the shipyard which was being wound down, Bill, who had worked at the shipyard for more than 40 years, referred to this period in his life as an “early retirement”.

“At 58 years of age where was I going to start looking for a job? I can remember during this period that I signed on for unemployment benefit for a while. I don't tolerate bureaucracy too well. I recall saying to a supervisor at the office. 'I actually don't need a job. I live on my own with no dependants. If some young man, aged 35, with a wife and children and a big mortgage, needs a job, he should get it before me.'”

He ascribes his work in volunteering to when he was a young boy in the cubs. The philosophy of doing a good turn to somebody every day appealed to him.

“After retirement, I decided to take up volunteering with the Voluntary Services Bureau, which later become part of Volunteer Now. “The number of hours I do every week varies. I drive a number of elderly people, including some who are blind, to clinics, appointments at the dentist, etc. It sounds conceited if you say to people, 'I like to feel like I’m making a contribution.’ The way I look at it is; the more you put into it, the more you get out of it. It’s great for my mental health and physical well-being, and I also get the opportunity to mix with a lot of different people.

Bill is also involved with a self-help body called Men United which is supported by Volunteer Now. The group, which involves men aged over 55 in Belfast, organises a range of activities, including a men’s pampering day, home safety discussions, information sessions about prostrate cancer and a day out at the dog races. A mailing list with more than 150 names has been set to inform the members of upcoming activities.

Bill played down getting a Diamond Champions award for his volunteer work, and an upcoming meeting, along with nine other Northern Ireland award winners, with the Prince of Wales and the Duchess of Cornwall at an event honouring their achievement at St James's Palace.

Diamond Champions, run by older people's charity WRVS, recognises the contribution that people over the age of 60 make through volunteering.

• For more information on Men Utd, contact Deirdre Murphy on 02890 232020.

Congratulations: Joan Christie with Bill Morrow and Dame Mary Peters

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ss as time goes by

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The Big Picture Volunteers taking part in a recent fire-walk outside the NICVA building in north Belfast to raise funds for the suicide prevention organisation PIPS Image: Kevin Cooper, Photoline

If you would like your community/ voluntary organisation to be selected for The Big Picture in the next issue of VIEW, send images to editorial@viewdigital.org

VIEW, issue nine, 2012

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VIEW, issue nine, 2012

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Who is pulling

By Stephen McVey

I

n the theatre, a curtain call at the end of the show enables the audience to acknowledge the performance of the actors, whilst also offering the opportunity to recognise the work of those who operate behind the scenes.

No better place, then, than on top of the dramatically scenic setting of Stormont hill for Friends of the Earth to present a piece of performance art in a campaign to end the anonymity of political donors.

The ‘Who pulls the strings’ campaign has called for an immediate end to the ban on public access to the political donor register, in an effort to bring more transparency to the political system in Northern Ireland.

James Orr, director of Friends of the Earth Northern Ireland, was a speaker at the rally.

“We are the only part of Britain and Ireland where this information is withheld, but Northern Ireland’s democracy is not for sale,” he said. “It is becoming clear that there is a strange relationship between big business and politics, and we need to know who is funding our political parties.”

MLAs Steven Agnew and Phil Flanagan joined the small crowd of around 30 people to watch a group of ‘actorvists’ bring some drama to the campaign. A 10ft cut-out of a ‘fat cat’, designed and constructed by cartoonist Ian Knox, held a small puppet of a politician suspended from one of its arms. Performers wielding a giant pair of scissors cut the strings, to symbolically sever the ties between big business and politics in Northern Ireland.

Friends of the Earth activism co-ordinator Niall Bakewell believes there are benefits in branching out into theatre and performance art.

“It is getting increasingly difficult for organisations like ours to get our message heard.

Our troupe of ‘actorvists’ is helping us reach new audiences, and adding humour and humanity to what could otherwise be perceived as a rather dry subject.”

More than 400 people have already signed the Friends of the Earth’s petition calling for an end to donor secrecy. Anyone who wants to take action should go to http://bit.ly/foe_wpts

Right: A giant pair of scissors and a 10ft cut-out of a ‘fat cat’ outside Stormont were used to hightlight the ‘Who pulls the strings’ campaign which calls for an immediate end to the ban on public access to the political donor register in Northern Ireland Image: Declan Allison

VIEW, issue nine, 2012

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VIEW, issue nine, 2012

Why ending poverty starts with women

V

olunteers, donors and partner organisations had the chance to hear first-hand why Ending Poverty Starts with Women at an event Oxfam Ireland hosted at the Ulster Hall recently.

Fatima Shabodien (pictured right), former executive director of Women on Farms, a South African NGO supporting the rights of women who work and live on farms, Oxfam’s chief executive Jim Clarken and chair Lynn Carvill from the Women’s Resources and Development Agency attended the event.

Some of the facts which emerged at the meeting were:.

• Women work two-thirds of the world’s working hours, yet only earn 10% of the world’s income and own 1% of its property.

• If women farmers had the same access to land, seeds and tools as men, they could grow enough extra food to feed more than 100 million of the world’s hungriest people.

• As many as seven out of every 10 women experience physical or sexual violence in their lifetime.

• Rural women produce half of the world’s food and 60-80% of the food in most developing countries, but they receive less than 10% of credit provided to farmers.

• Women in Africa own 1% of the land, compared to 25% in Latin America.

• Worldwide, women receive 30% to 40% less than their male counterparts for comparable work.

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VIEW, issue nine, 2012

Comment Dr Beth Breeze, from the Centre for Giving and Philanthropy, University of Kent, looks at the reasons why donors choose charities

Urgent need to understand the thinking behind giving F

undraisers work in a crowded market with a huge number of charities chasing a shrinking pool of donors. So understanding why donors pick one cause over another is of increasing importance.

The urgency to understand the process behind giving decisions led us to focus on this question in one of the first research projects in the newly established Centre for Giving and Philanthropy at the University of Kent.

We interviewed 60 donors to explore how they assess the merits of competing good causes and go about making their giving decisions.

The interviewees had all set up a charity bank account with the Charities Aid Foundation, which was important for two reasons. Firstly, as committed donors - the sort that sustain charities’ voluntary income rather than the sort that occasionally chuck a few coins in a tin - they were likely to have more considered opinions about giving. Secondly, having already taken the decision to earmark some of their income for donations, these donors can concentrate on deciding ‘what’ to give to, rather than going through the more complex multi-level process of deciding: ‘Shall I give? How much shall I give?

To what shall I give?’

What we found was that most people tend to support charities that have in one way or another touched their lives, rather than supporting the most objectively needy causes. In sum: people donate to charities that they like, that they feel some affinity with and that relate to their own life experiences.

Despite widespread beliefs that charities exist primarily to help the needy, these nonneeds-based factors had the most influence on the distribution of donations.

The research also found that giving decisions are really quite tricky. Donors find it very difficult to make choices between the vast number of potential beneficiaries.

The overwhelming amount of choice makes it impossible to rationally assess all possible alternative destinations for donations.

Strategies to cope with the overload of giving opportunities include the creation of classifications and ‘mental maps’ to sort out which bits of the charity sector people care more or less about, for example making binary distinctions between ‘animal’ and ‘people’ charities, or automatically excluding certain types of causes and organisations, such as the arts or overseas charities.

One very strong theme that emerged in the interviews was the importance of donors’ backgrounds. People draw on their personal and professional experiences and let their ‘philan-

Deciding to donate: Most people tend to support charities that have in one way or another touch their lives. thropic autobiographies’ shape their giving decisions. Examples include donors who support medical research after loved ones suffer from health problems (hence the enduring popularity of cancer research) and donors signing up for child sponsorship schemes after having their own children.

Geographical and environmental factors can also play a part, as one donor said: “I grew up by the sea so I support the RNLI.” One of my favourite examples of the strong influence of personal experience on giving decisions is a man who chooses to support butterfly conservation because, in his words: “When I was a boy I collected butterflies and I’m trying to give back, if you like, the damage that I did so to speak. In those days you were encouraged to kill butterflies and collect them, so that’s an important one.”

This quote is a good illustration of how donors support things that are important to them, selected for their own personal reasons that are rooted in their unique experiences.

They do not claim that they are picking the causes that are the most important in any global or objective sense, rather giving is shown to be a highly subjective and personal matter.

Given the voluntary nature of charitable giving, it is not really that surprising that donations can be more accurately characterised as ‘taste-based’ rather than ‘needs-based’. The freedom to support things that people care most deeply about is what differentiates charitable giving from paying tax.

Donors value the control they have over their giving decisions, and expect to distribute

their money according to their own judgements about what is important and worthwhile.

Yet fundraisers often persist in asking for donations on the basis of a more objective appeal, emphasising the extreme importance or urgency of the cause. I hope this report will help charities and fundraisers to re-consider their assumptions about donors’ rationalities and think about what a ‘taste-based’ rather than ‘needs-based’ appeal might look like.

• Beth worked as a fundraiser and charity manager before taking up a post as a researcher in the ESRC Centre for Charitable Giving and Philanthropy. She recently co-founded the Centre for Philanthropy at the University of Kent, where she also teaches courses on fundraising and philanthropy.

• You can download a free copy of How Donors Choose Charities here: http://www.cgap.org.uk/uploads/reports/HowDonorsChooseCharities.pdf • For further information on the research and activities of the national ESRC Centre for Giving and Philanthropy, please see: http://www.cgap.org.uk • For access to free research reports from the Centre for Philanthropy at the University of Kent, please see: http://www.kent.ac.uk/sspssr/cphsj/

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Conference reports by Una Murphy

Standing up for young people T

he government’s NEET label - ‘Not in Education, Employment or Training’ - moves responsibility for lack of opportunities for young people away from the government, according to a leading academic.

But Dr Robin Simmons from the University of Huddersfield told the recent Include Youth conference that the NEET acronym may be an improvement – these young people used to be categorised as ‘status zero’.

Youth unemployment is now worse than the early 1990s, he said. But the way the government describes young people who are ‘Not in Education, Employment or Training’ has changed.

It is more useful to talk about youth unemployment figures than ‘NEET’.

“The unemployed young worker is a problem for the state. The NEET young person is a problem for the individual”, Dr Simmons said.

He said that young people not in jobs, training or education were not from the poorest communities with – what UK government minister Ian Duncan Smith has called - “intergenerational worklessness.”

“Reasons for being NEET are complex.

Evidence suggests that young people are not drawn from a moral ‘underclass’. On the contrary, most NEET young people tend to come from families making up Nick Clegg’s ‘alarmclock Britain.”

Dr Simmons said the “social and economic matrix” in which young people now find themselves was “at least as important” as a young person’s “individual characteristics”.

Keynote speaker: Dr Robin Simmons, University of Huddersfield, with Sara Boyce and Sheri Chamberlain from Include Youth.

The conference heard from Sara Boyce, Include Youth’s policy officer on employability, that the unemployment rate for 18-24 year olds in Northern Ireland is 21.1 per cent, up three percentage points over the year and was costing £250million a year in Northern Ireland.

She said young men who were Not in Employment Education or Training were three times more likely to suffer from depression, and five times more likely to have a criminal record, than their peers.

Ms Boyce quoted a young person who had taken part in Include Youth’s Give & Take

Scheme and got a job: “Two years ago I used to think life was s**t, but now I’ve got a job things are better – life’s still s**t, but it’s a better kind of s**t!”

And she said questions that needed to be asked about the Northern Ireland Government’s Pathways to Success Strategy Youth Employment Scheme – aimed at 18 to 24-year-olds – included what role was envisaged for the community and voluntary sector?

See includeyouth.org for more details.

Women’s voices need to be heard W

omen experience conflict in different ways, according to a new short film ‘Women’s Experiences of Conflict' made in Belfast and screened at the recent Hanna’s House conference in Dublin.

Ireland’s President Michael D. Higgins – who addressed the conference – commended the short film as providing important information for on-going peace-building.

He also praised Inez McCormack, the first woman to lead the Irish Congress of Trade Unions, and former leader of public sector union UNISON in Northern Ireland, for her support for human rights and a more just world.

The conference looked at UN Security Council Resolution 1325 which came from the women's movement for women's rights in post conflict reconstruction And the short film at the conference set the tone for the rest of the day.

Women were killed, injured and bereaved during the Troubles on the island of Ireland.

They were heads of families, combatants, activists, members of trade unions and political parties unions.

But the conference asked whether women’s voices were being heard in Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland since the Troubles ended?

Speakers highlighted the injustice when decision-making was only made by one group in society and the need for a democratic approach to peace building that includes equal numbers of women and men.

Organised: Women at the Hanna's House conference with the Republic’s President Michael D Higgins at the Croke Park Conference Centre, Dublin Image: Derek Spiers See ‘Women’s Experiences of Conflict' Hanna’s House is a feminist organisation at http://vimeo.com/52665569 or that supports women’s participation in visit Hanna House at leadership and decision-making bodies across http://www.hannashouse.ie the island of Ireland.

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Actor Shane O’Reilly, taking us on a journey through a rich theatre vocabulary of light, sound and gesture, all to impart the experience of being deaf.

‘Follow totally defied my expectations’ Deborah Cochrane, an employment adviser with Action on Hearing Loss, was invited by VIEW to review Follow at the Belfast Festival, which dealt with the issue of deafness

I

recently went to see Follow at the Belfast Festival, as I have a hearing loss myself and had heard that it was a show about deafness.

Before I went to see Follow, I thought it was going to be a regular theatre performance with British Sign Language interpretation provided – so when I arrived, I was worried when I couldn’t see any interpreters.

However, my expectations were soon changed when the performance began.

The show was one actor, Shane O’Reilly (who is a child of deaf adults), portraying lots of

different scenarios from the experiences of different types of deaf people.

The actor signed fluently and also spoke within the language of BSL, showing what a sign language user’s experience of language is like.

Some of the scenes were very funny; others were extremely emotional, to the point that my mum, who came along with me, had tears in her eyes.

It is hard to pick out just one moment as the whole show was amazing.

In one scene, the actor took on the role of

a TV channel, including American soap operas and nature programmes. This was quite surreal but also very engaging.

Another moment which stood out was the scene in which four deaf boys went to Lourdes.

I was even more surprised when I found out that each scenario was based on a true story, which I found out when my mum spoke to the actor after the show.

Follow totally defied my expectations – I would love to see it again and would recommend it to both hearing and deaf people.

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