This morning I arrived back to London after a month away. I had been traveling for 48 hours straight. I was a little tired to say the least. I turned on my phone; it was like welcoming an old friend (an old friend that had been relegated to an occasional acquaintance for the last 4 weeks due to international roaming charges). A call came through almost immediately.
Telling us that the deficit is the priority when families are homeless and starving shows a government astonishingly out of touch. It needs to back its early promises, and understand that redistributing money to those that need it from those who don't deserve it (some might even say from perpetrator to victim, in a roundabout way) will demonstrate that this we really are all in this together and that it isn't redundant, dogmatic ideology that is providing the impetus.
Christmas... it's not just for children; the true spirit of Christmas is about peace and love. So, with that in mind, I'm not going to offer you style inspiration, this year, on how to make your winter wonderland look even more enchanting, I'd like to give you something else to think about, something - dare I say it - more important.
What I have learned from this is that while many of these people do need basic amenities such as food and clothing, what they are also equally in need of is companionship and community. Unfortunately because of their situation, homeless people are often marginalised from society and find difficulty in accessing the most basic of support.
For the past three years there has been talk about crossing over the pond to help our rough sleeping friends have a voice, but because of lack of funds it just never happen. Now, thanks to British Airways donating airfare, and my mother and step-sister making a large donation, and several donations from many wonderful people, I have spent an amazing week learning about UK homelessness spending most of my time out meeting rough sleepers.