We’re turning Black Friday into Red Friday to raise awareness of homelessness and period poverty. For those without a home, having a period can be hugely difficult, shameful and painful. With limited access to pads or tampons, for many, the only option is to go without. Together we can #TurnBlackFridayRed! Read more about our campaign here.
Homelessness is rising in the UK - more people living without secure housing or on our streets means more people are suffering from period poverty. We’re thrilled to be working with Pathway to deliver the period products bought with 15% of sales on Fettle during Black Friday week to those most in need across London.
We sat down with Alex Bax, CEO of Pathway to find out more.
Who are Pathway?
Pathway is the UK's leading homeless healthcare charity. Our purpose is to improve the health of people experiencing homelessness. We work with the NHS to help patients access the accommodation, care and support they need to recover and get life onto a better pathway after their stay in hospital.
Pathway teams are led by specialist GP’s who bring their experience caring for homeless people in the community, as well as expertise in methadone prescribing, personality disorder, and chronic disease management. Nursing staff manage the team caseload and bring vital clinical experience in homelessness, addictions and/or mental health. Housing specialists bring their expertise to the service and help build links with voluntary sector services in the community. Some Pathway teams also include Care Navigators who have personal experience of homelessness, and larger teams also include occupational therapists, social workers and mental health practitioners.
How does Pathway help people living without secure housing?
Pathway teams work with patients to create bespoke care plans for their support, including referrals to addiction services, ongoing treatment for health issues such as hepatitis C and tuberculosis, and community services offering social care. Coordinating input from housing departments, mental health and addictions services, social services, community and charity sector partners, Pathway teams provide empathetic, patient-centred, recovery-focused care.
Pathway has helped 10 hospitals in the UK to create teams of doctors, nurses, social care professionals and peer supporters. These teams support over 3500 homeless patients every year. We have also worked with colleagues in Australia to adapt the model in their context.
Have you seen period poverty impact your service users?
Yes. Period poverty can affect anyone in society but is an acute problem for those who are homeless. Paying for products is an issue and so we make sure Pathway teams always have sundry period items available for our service users in the same way we have general toiletries and clothing for people who need them.
Why are homeless women underrepresented in homelessness services? Why might homeless women be more at risk than homeless men?
Homeless women are often underrepresented in homeless services as they are often hidden homeless. They may be sofa surfing, staying in temporary accommodation, staying in insecure tenancies, or staying in refuges. Additionally women often try doing everything they can not to present as homeless, even if that means staying in unsuitable accommodation. When women do present at homeless services its often with children so they present as part of a homeless family.
How can we help change attitudes to homelessness in the UK?
We can start by treating people as individuals and recognising that homelessness affects us all. Homelessness should also be recognised as a healthcare issue as some of the reasons behind people becoming homeless are not just about being suitable accommodated; many people become homeless due to their mental health, domestic abuse, trauma, or addiction. All of these issues need to be addressed in conjunction with accommodation issues. Attitudes are already changing with our wider housing crisis and austerity affecting more and more people. We need to move to a position of seeing integrated health and social care services alongside housing provision as a solution to this problem and as a society it should be what we're all aiming for.