Today has been a busy day for us. We've been inundated by calls from journalists wanting to take our opinion on the story of Lulu the Charity Bulldog.
Lulu's owner has been giving out hot food and drink to the homeless from his shop window for some time, an initiative that is funded by other members of the Leeds community. However, The Welcome People, representing BID, have asked him to stop this this kind gesture as it attracts 'undesirable' people to the area. We are 100% behind Lulu and Dion, please see our statement below:
The reasons that people end up on the streets homeless are vast and complex and their sense of isolation is very real. Our charity works to give emotional and practical support to those who are rough sleeping or at risk of rough sleeping. For our clients, they experience barriers to engagement with many services. They have no self-worth and feel that no-one cares for them. Our work is to help them build the motivation, understanding and self-esteem to engage with services and turn their lives around. The role that the community plays in that is significant. For our clients who used the support that Dion has been offering, they have a real and tangible understanding that people in their community do care for them. For those who feel unable to engage in more structured services, the unconditional and non-confrontational support that Dion offers is sincerely appreciated. It is naïve and an over simplification to infer that the public support for the homeless encourages them to continue their lifestyle. Getting off the streets is incredibly difficult, it takes time, determination and a huge amount of motivation. For the people using Dion’s support, at his shop window, to be classed as ‘undesirable’ is demeaning and does not represent the opinions of the Leeds business community as we have known them over a number of years. Who has the authority to decide if someone is undesirable or not? We believe the vast majority of people are genuine in their desire to reach out and help those who are vulnerable and we whole-heatedly support the community of Leeds who do so.
#Simon