No Home

The Army's Lyndon House Social Services Centre is on Fore Street in Ipswich near St Clement's church and the waterfront - which are both haunts for homeless people who gather there and drink.

The manager of Lyndon House is Peter Green and he's in charge of 39 single rooms for men and 3 self-contained flats which residents can move onto. 

Peter has been working there for seven years: "People can turn up at the door and if we've got a room we can take them in. We also take referrals from Ipswich Borough Council. They have to go through a checking-in process and declaration to say they're not serial-arsonists, drug-dealers or those with a criminal history of violence for example.

Lyndon House kitchen

"I don't look at outside appearances - I look at someone's heart. I know from my experience that problems with drink or drugs usually come from other problems. By tackling the addictions we can find out what the other problems are.

Lyndon House tries to encourage people to overcome their addictions by using other agencies such as Norcas (alcohol) or the Junction (drugs). The long-term aim is to get people into their own permanent accommodation and into work. Peter Green says it's about helping them take responsibility: "We want to get them back into 'normal' society and employment by working with training agencies such as the Jobcentre, Remploy and the Basic Skills Centre in Castle Hill which teaches reading and writing.

"In the hostel, we have three committees run by residents - catering, health & safety and quality assurance. Residents don't cook the main meals, but there are toast and tea making facilities. We also have washing facilities including showers. Some of them can do voluntary work through the Ipswich Community Service Volunteers, at the Queensway Community Centre or even environmental work with the Ipswich Rangers."

The centre's annual budget is around £600,000 and they have around a hundred men through their doors each year. It's funded directly by the government's Supporting People agency (50%) and via residents' housing benefits (45%) with the rest coming from residents' personal payments.

Peter Green says it can be hard work: "I've never been hit. I've been verbally threatened on the odd occasion. If people are violent or excessively drunk we can bring the police in, but people tend to obey drink and drugs rules if they know they're going to lose their room if they break them."

St Clements churchyard

Faith in action

"It can be difficult to put my faith in action if we're full and have to turn people away knowing that they're probably going to have to sleep rough. However, we do see the hostel as a way of putting our Christianity into practical action."

"A true believer is a representative of Jesus in terms of his love flowing through us. We're here to help provide a practical concern for all humanity. We do usually have a chaplain here although the post is vacant at the moment. However, listening to their talks is optional. You can't bully people into being a Christian - it's a fallacy that you can."

"The positives of seeing someone beat an addiction, repair a failed relationship or move on successfully are far greater than any negatives."

Felixstowe

In Felixstowe Elaine and Alan Pountney bought a house nine years ago that they intended to rent out. However, when one of their daughters told them about a boy at school who'd been thrown out for getting his ear pierced they started devoting their lives to helping dozens of children who'd nowhere else to go. The house has room for five children at a time and you can here Elaine talking to BBC Radio Suffolk's Mark Murphy by clicking on the No Home: Felixstowe audio link. Mark also talks to Suffolk Coastal District Council about their homelessness policies.