Celtic as we all know are a club borne from charitable beginnings. One former Celtic star is continuing that tradition in Staffordshire, and it’s those facing the challenges of being roofless during a worldwide pandemic who are feeling the benefit.
Covid-19 has brought a lot of extra challenges for those facing homelessness across the UK, and those supporting them through it.
On one hand a pandemic has added to an already incredibly dangerous predicament to be in, while on the other the usual places a homeless individual may be able to ‘bed-down’ in have come under government social distancing restrictions and had to close for long periods of time.
Many hostels and shelters use every inch of space to get as many people in from the cold on any given night. As such dormitory style rooms are set aside, where people sleep almost cheek to jowl, while every inch of floor space and armchair availability is often utilised as providers play it as close to health and safety regulations as they can to ensure as many people as possible can be safe and warm overnight.
In Stoke-on-Trent ex Celtic player and manager Lou Macari has found an innovative and admirable way to find a solution to those problems, and for any of you who have spent any time glamping or in the hospitality section of a music festival, you’ll recognise what would now appear an ingenious solution was as simple as so many of the best ideas are. Pods.
Lou Macari has been involved in homelessness in the Stoke area since 2016 and he’s clearly invested in finding solutions to a long-standing problem.
At first that involved his Macari Centre, where the dormitory style accommodation was also supplemented by access to laptops, TV and DVD access, washing machines, showers and wash facilities, as well as lockers for personal belongings. Yet the cramped space limited what could be done to support the guests. You could sleep there of course, you could also wash yourself and your clothes, but as a long-term solution it was very limited as to what it could achieve, and Covid-19 made that nigh on impossible to be safe for as many people as it previously was.
As a player, he was a hero for fans of @ManUtd, @CelticFC and @ScotlandNT 🔴🟢🔵
These days, Lou Macari is making his mark on Stoke by tackling homelessness through the new & improved Macari Centre 👏@LouMacari10 | @MacariFDN | @stokecity
🗣️👉 https://t.co/KKtvL6ENkR pic.twitter.com/8nbg4AIdyL
— FIFA.com (@FIFAcom) December 1, 2020
That was before a drive in the Country gave Lou Macari a brainwave. Speaking to Fifa.com https://www.fifa.com/news/the-man-united-legend-tackling-homelessness the ex-Celtic striker explained how it all came about:
“I was going past a field and it had these pods in it. ‘Glamping’, I believe it’s called,”
“And as soon as I saw them, I thought: ‘They’d need a bit about them to resist the cold; they could work well’.
“I just had a hunch that they could be the solution to our problems, and they’ve been brilliant because we’ve been able to give people – some of them for the first time in their lives – their own place with a number and their own name on the door.”
Lou has been able to give each homeless guest their own pod within a warehouse, giving them their own space and dignity and a level of independence, many won’t have had for a long, long time. The League Manager’s Association has even donated 46 televisions to this amazing project.
Homelessness can be a difficult cycle to break free from. I myself have worked in the field for many years and know the issue of homelessness itself is rarely the only obstacle.
Mental health, risk of violence, financial difficulties as well as issues around addiction and isolation often play a part. Having a roof over your head in a hostel is always better than having to sleep rough, but if you want to break the cycle, get access to benefits, housing advice, social services support, help to get back into employment and break the cycle of addiction, it can ne nigh on impossible if you wake every day and your all-encompassing thought is simply about where you can sleep before darkness and the cold of the night descends.
That is what makes Lou Macari’s warehouse and independent pods so ingenious.
Each individual gets an element of independence, they also have an address of their own, almost essential if you need to apply for benefits, open a bank account or apply for jobs.
Old school hostel accommodation can shelter but it limits how the individual can be supported. The new accommodation also means that the necessary support can also visit the warehouse, while the individuals can attend appointments, stay engaged with services, even start work or voluntary placements. Things we’d all take for granted but provide real challenges for those experiencing homelessness.
A big day at The Macari Centre pic.twitter.com/gmaO4IrMY0
— Lou Macari (@LouMacari10) October 16, 2020
Macari seems very satisfied with how it is all working out and it appears the new guests are benefitting greatly from his visionary approach to tacking homelessness in Stoke:
“We’ve had great feedback on how they’ve been enjoying new set-up with the warehouse and pods – the fact they have their own space to retreat to and have a bit of quiet time. We’ve seen them decorating the pods and taking a real pride in making them their own.
“It’s great too because it’s provided them with an address, which they often need if they go to the likes of the job centre or the bank. It’s giving them a chance at a better life than the one they had anyway, and that’s all I ever wanted to do.”
Now more than ever homelessness services and charities are stretched to breaking point. Ever since the years of austerity, funding, services and charities have all diminished. That was only starting to see the slightest of recovery when the current pandemic hit.
Covid 19 has brought a whole new series of challenges. In all my own years working in homelessness, this has been the single toughest one I have seen for those where being roofless is a nightly occurrence and a daily challenge.
A great day at The Macari Centre. We’ve come a long way moving into our new home and credit to the staff and volunteers in making it happen. Huge improvements with the new pods. Thanks for all your messages and contributions pic.twitter.com/bd9akRlJQF
— Lou Macari (@LouMacari10) October 16, 2020
If we are going to find solutions to problems some out the box thinking is going to have to be encouraged. Lou Macari’s warehouse and pod system seems ever so simple, but it took a man with an eye for a solution that matched his ability to find the net to come up with this one and then find the sponsorship and local support to get it off the ground. Not to mention the planning permission hurdles and objections I know from experience often stop projects in their tracks.
It truly is a remarkable charitable project and the simplicity and ingenuity is the making of it. Homelessness is a hugely underfunded problem in the UK, projects like Lou Macari’s, we can only hope, can be an inspiration for others to follow suit. If they are looking for advice on how to get it off the ground, they only need to look to Lou Macari for some creative thinking.
Niall J
