What have you achieved today?

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I'm off into Hammersmith in a minute... volunteering at a homeless shelter for the next few days. Giving out food, bedding etc... feeling almost nervous about it now! Think it's going to be a bit of a shock when I get down there! Don't really know what to expect.
 
I'm off into Hammersmith in a minute... volunteering at a homeless shelter for the next few days. Giving out food, bedding etc... feeling almost nervous about it now! Think it's going to be a bit of a shock when I get down there! Don't really know what to expect.

Will you be sleeping rough while you're down there?
 
That was really good! I was quite nervous before I went, but I really enjoyed it!

Was with my friend to start with, but then got split up and spent the rest of the afternoon mingling with different volunteers, and then chatting to various guests. They were nearly all really polite, well spoken and very friendly!

Didn't see anyone drunk or on drugs or anything.... for the most part it was quite difficult to tell the homeless people apart from the volunteers!

Amazing to think that some of these seemingly normal people can end up on such hard times. One guy that my friends spoke to had 3 University degrees! Yet things had gone wrong in his life and he ended up on the street.

Really enjoyed it, and most of the people there seemed to as well. Looking forward to going back the next couple of days :)
 
That was really good! I was quite nervous before I went, but I really enjoyed it!

Was with my friend to start with, but then got split up and spent the rest of the afternoon mingling with different volunteers, and then chatting to various guests. They were nearly all really polite, well spoken and very friendly!

Didn't see anyone drunk or on drugs or anything.... for the most part it was quite difficult to tell the homeless people apart from the volunteers!

Amazing to think that some of these seemingly normal people can end up on such hard times. One guy that my friends spoke to had 3 University degrees! Yet things had gone wrong in his life and he ended up on the street.

Really enjoyed it, and most of the people there seemed to as well. Looking forward to going back the next couple of days :)

Fair ****s to you Graz, there but for the grace of god and all that, well played brother, bet it was an eye opener
 
Finished! Last day today (shelter is just open in the morning tomorrow for people to go get breakfast and some goodie bags, but I'm not there then)

Don't want to go on about it too much, but at the same time I want to share a bit, because it was such a fantastic experience! An amazing eye opener!


Met so many interesting people in the 3 days (both guests and volunteers!), that I'm sad it's over!

The perception of homeless people that most of us have is so far off for the vast majority, it's incredible! There are obviously a few drunks, and a few people on drugs... but they were a tiny minority of the people there.

Nearly all of them were so friendly, a lot of them educated to a good level, and just had things go wrong for them. Everyone was really keen for a chat and just someone to spend some time with them!


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Some of the people there were amazing.
I met a guest on the first day, a guy called Anthony... just started off talking to him about football, because he wanted to know the Arsenal score! Found out he used to be a chef, but things had turned sour with his landlord after he lost his job and he's now roughing it on the street. He had a broken wrist, and I asked what had happened and he said he was sleeping in Covent Garden a few weeks back, and a group of people coming out the clubs picked him and attacked him, and stamped on his wrist and broke it. While he was asleep! No provocation. He said he was lucky, because another group of non-homeless people came along and helped him and fought the other guys away, otherw*s* who knows where they would've stopped!
He told me he has never done drugs, and he doesn't drink or anything else, because even though it's an easy option, he knows if he did it he would never, ever make his way off the street back into mainstream society, and he doesn't want to just give up.
He must've had a conversation with every person there I think lol. Every volunteer seemed to bring up a conversation they'd had with him! He spoke to one of my friends as he was leaving today, and told her how grateful he was for the centre and the volunteers' help, and that he wishes he could give something back. He said he hopes to be back at the centre next year - but as a volunteer... said he's so grateful to it for the support he's been given that he wants to be able to pay it forward when he's sorted himself out.


Another guy, Ray... must've been in his 60s/70s... looked very bedraggled and like he'd been out for a long time... but didn't really have any complaints the whole time I was talking to him... instead just spoke the whole time about his 87 year old friend, who he was looking after, as he'd recently had a stroke. Said this friend wasn't very welcoming at the moment, but they'd been together 13 years and his friend is very sick, and he didn't want to abandon him now after so long, despite the guy giving him abuse most of the time. He just wanted to talk about the best way to help and be there for his friend! And... even though he was back outside every 5 mins it seemed for a cigarette lol.... he was spending all his time at the shelter, the whole week, in the ICT rooms, learning computer skills that he hoped he could use to make a bit of money!


Then 2 guys today... incredible, just the nicest guys. One from Mexico, one from Argentina. They'd been having a big chess tournament, and these 2 guys that were friends ended up against each other in the final, but they needed a break and came to chat with us for about an hour. Discussing anthropology (most educated, English people don't even know anything about it!) and debating Descartes and Darwin! The Mexican guy (Michel) had been travelling over to Germany with a political organisation, but got as far as London and they told him that there were problems with his place and they couldn't put him up for 4 months! So all the money he had saved for travelling around Europe and for Germany had now gone on hostels etc here, so he was now homeless and in desperate need of a job to get enough money again to get to Germany! Amazingly intelligent and such a nice guy. He ended up winning the chess tournament and came and had lunch with me and my friends. He was very interested and what we did, and the 2 of them had to run off to make it to the hostel in time (because if you're even 5 mins late they gave away your place, and you go to the bottom of a very long waiting list!). My 2 friends were telling him they want to travel S.America in a couple of years... before he left he asked for our details, but we told him that the organisation's rules were very strict we couldn't give out details... but, my friend took his email address instead, and he's said he'll be back in Mexico by the time they get there and to look him up when he's finished his education :)
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Incredible people, and massively changed my perception! (I expect no one has read all of that, but I just wanted to share lol)


Definetely, 100% going back next year! :) Would recommend it to anyone, real eye opener and you meet some fascinating people.

Every person as they left tonight thanked us for our time, and wished us a Happy New Year :)


**Wow... just realised how long that was! Sorry lol. Just buzzing!
 
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Sounds amazing Graz, I wish to do something like that some time!

Today I have taken Notts Fox's advice and invested all my savings in a property in Bulgaria. Time will tell if I should have gone for Dragon Oil instead.
 
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Sounds amazing Graz, I wish to do something like that some time!

Today I have taken Notts Fox's advice and invested all my savings in a property in Bulgaria. Time will tell if I should have gone for Dragon Oil instead.

You bastard :icon_lol::icon_lol:

You'l wish you had taken my advice when you realise what you've gone and done. :icon_wink
 
Sounds amazing Graz, I wish to do something like that some time!

Today I have taken Notts Fox's advice and invested all my savings in a property in Bulgaria. Time will tell if I should have gone for Dragon Oil instead.

Good work! Taking financial advice from Notts Fox or Biff could indeed see you down at the homeless hostel at Christmas.
 
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