Hidden Harrogate: plight of the middle class homeless without a place to sleep

A smart man in his 40s, dressed in a well-tailored suit and sipping coffee while talking business on his phone with his laptop in front of him. He would have appeared the same as hundreds of other people dotted across the spa town’s hotels, cafes and restaurants.

Except, when his work was finished, he would pack up his briefcase and walk to a nearby homeless shelter to sleep for the night with a roof over his head.

The man, a redundant investment banker, is one of many people affected by the hidden problem of homelessness in one of the most affluent towns in the North. In 2010 figures showed it had the second highest estimate for homelessness in Yorkshire and Humber (after Bradford) and was in the top 30 nationwide. Experts say on the ground, little has improved since.

Staff at the Harrogate Homeless Project, which runs the winter shelter where the banker slept, say he managed to leave after a few months and has not been heard of since. While his fate may be unknown, what is certain is that he represents a growing number of people in mainstream society struggling to find or keep a home in the shadow of Harrogate’s exclusive properties. Late last year, a former sous chef at the Ivy Restaurant in London was also believed to be sleeping for a period in the shelter.

“One of the myths in Harrogate is that the stereotypical homeless person has substance abuse problems and a criminal background,” says the project’s manager, Liz Hancock. “But there is a real mix across the spectrum. It is now touching more mainstream members of society.

“It is not just the housing benefit changes, it is the employment market as well. People don’t have the savings to cover three months outgoings. The biggest problem here is a lack of affordable accommodation. In the last two years it has slowed down a lot in terms of property availability. The housing associations seem to have less lets available.

“Part of the solution is making people aware of this problem in Harrogate. People tend to go to sleep in the outskirts of Harrogate, or pitch tents in the pine woods in Valley Gardens – people don’t see they are there.”

A leaked letter from the private office of Communities Secretary Eric Pickles has predicted the coalition Government’s cuts to welfare payments, which are now coming into force, risk making 40,000 families homeless.

It is feared the growing problem could soon spiral, no more so than in Yorkshire’s sought-after “Golden Triangle” between Leeds, Harrogate and York.

Harrogate Borough Council has warned its housing needs team, which has successfully tackled homelessness acceptances since 2005, is now dealing with around 4,500 enquiries a year and requires an overhaul to cope with the increasing pressures. Meanwhile in nearby York, a 57 per cent increase in homelessness was recorded last year.

Last week, a new specialist service for supporting homeless young people into work in the city was officially opened by the Lord Mayor of York. The service offers accommodation to 20 people aged between 16 and 21, and it is hoped will be a hub for youth homelessness work in the city. Since the centre opened its doors in January, the project has already supported 45 young people,

Aylene Walker, 41, from Ripon, is one of the residents at the Harrogate Homeless Project – which is currently full up with all 16 beds occupied and has to turn away new arrivals every day (albeit usually the same ones).

Ms Walker, who has a degree in animal management from Askham Bryan College and does not drink or take drugs, was made homeless in July last year and lost her job as a taxi operator for a Harrogate firm soon after. “I got behind on my rent and I didn’t know what to do,” she says. “I just buried my head in the sand and didn’t face up to it. I went to court to contest the eviction notice and while I was there the bailiffs turned up.

“By the time I got back they had already changed the locks, even though my cat, Topsy, was still trapped inside. They were just leaving as I got home and they told me there was nothing they could do and I would have to call the RSPCA.

“Eventually, after pleading with them, they let me in for five minutes to get my cat and a bag of stuff. I was just left outside with my cat in this box. Fortunately a man who lives two doors up came out to see what the commotion was and he said he would look after Topsy for me. He is still with him and I go and visit twice a week.

Like many people made homeless, Ms Walker says that as soon as she did not have a roof over head she felt totally cut off from mainstream society.

“It was awful,” she says. “I felt people were staring at me anywhere I sat, so I just went to find a quiet place. I stayed in Valley Gardens for two nights and then fortunately for me I got a bed here – it is unusual to get in that quickly.

“When I was sleeping rough, I was really scared – I didn’t see anyone but I was just frightened of the dark. As soon as I didn’t have anywhere to live, I thought I had a label on my head. That is particularly the case in Harrogate.I feel like as soon as I fell on hard times, the town turned its back on me. It has really helped me here to organise my finances and get myself back on track. But I don’t drink or do drugs and whenever the drinkers come in here for the night I just make myself disappear.

“Now I just want to leave Harrogate and go and live by the sea with my cat.”

Despite many of its residents and visitors being unaware of the high homelessness figures for Harrogate, a lot is still done locally to aid the town’s rough sleepers. Donations of food, Christmas presents and most recently Easter eggs are regularly sent in, while nearby Bettys Cafe Tea Rooms also delivers bread.

Meanwhile earlier this year, the Harrogate Homeless Project was selected for funding as part of an £8m pot being awarded by the Homelessness Transition Fund to 41 projects across the country. Overall, it received 190 applications from charities across the country wanting to protect homelessness services. The Harrogate Homeless Project has been awarded £242,655 to adopt No Second Night Out, an initiative that aims to ensure anyone who ends up on the streets is helped quickly. It is set to be launched in the town soon in what is hoped will help it be more pro-active in tackling Harrogate’s homelessness problems.

“This project is a great place – it has probably saved my life,” said Jason Hope, 38, from Sheffield, who has been homeless since a teenager and was recently helped to find a flat and battle his alcohol addiction by the project. “I came to Harrogate about three years ago. Before that I was just travelling from city to city and town to town.

“I remember when I turned up here it was Christmas time – I had walked 80 miles from Hartlepool. My feet were covered in blisters and I could hardly stand up. Some street pastors took me in, paid for me to spend a night in a Travelodge and then brought me here. I wanted to come here because it is smaller and not as rough as some of the places I had been. I remember when I first saw Harrogate, I thought this place looks a bit posh for me, I won’t be staying here long. But it certainly has its problems. I moved in to my flat a few weeks ago and it is absolutely brilliant. It has been so long since I have had my own place – it is just great to be able to say that.”

Mr Hope’s sentiments will be shared by many across the country as the economy continues to flatline. From addicts to accountants, the roof over our heads has rarely been more precious – and also more unstable.

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