As St Martins marks both World Homeless Day we invited colleagues from across the organisation to put their questions to our new Chief Executive, David Powles.
The questions ranged from serious discussions about homelessness, mental health and public policy to lighter topics including music and food. Having spent his first few months listening, learning and shadowing teams across the organisation, David shares his thoughts on the challenges facing people experiencing homelessness, what has impressed him most about St Martins, and why nobody should be judged simply because they are homeless.
The Serious Questions
If you could change one specific policy, local or national, overnight, what would it be?
“If I could change one thing overnight, it would be to guarantee that nobody leaves prison or hospital into homelessness. We know that these can be critical moments in someone’s life. If people leave with nowhere safe to stay and little support around them, it’s no surprise that many end up back in crisis. Giving people a stable place to live and the right support at those transition points would improve lives and, in the long run, reduce costs for society too.”
Describe a stand-out moment from your first two months at St Martins
“I’ve shadowed the teams at Highwater, Bishopbridge House and Webster Court, and those shifts have definitely been the highlights so far. Everyone was friendly, supportive, caring, inquisitive and great at their jobs. It was fascinating to see how each place operated, the differing challenges and the differing approaches needed to best serve residents’ complex needs.
“I loved meeting our residents too. Our teams deal with some pretty tough and challenging situations on a daily basis and the fact people do so whilst remaining largely positive and happy is a credit to how many fantastic team members we have at St Martins.”
What has surprised you most about homelessness and the people we support?
“Having worked with St Martins in various different ways over the past 20 years, I’d like to think I already had a good understanding of homelessness. However, now I’m working fully in the sector, lots has surprised me. The main learning point has been just how bespoke all of our different services and locations are, which is of course driven by how unique and challenging the needs of those living in them can be.”
What is the biggest misconception people have about homelessness?
“Whilst it certainly isn’t everyone, I do think there are a significant number of people who hold the view that people who are homeless have somehow ‘brought it on themselves’ and perhaps therefore might not be deserving of the support they get.
“The reality is very different. There are a multitude of reasons, many of them going back to childhood, why people make bad choices or end up in terrible situations. As I’ve seen repeatedly when meeting our residents over the last few weeks, it doesn’t always take much for lives to unravel and for people to be in need of a helping hand.”
On World Homeless Day, what is the one message you would want the public to understand about homelessness?
“Don’t judge people by the fact they are homeless. The reasons why people need the support of organisations like St Martins are complex and multiple and if we can effectively help those people who need our support, all of society stands to benefit.”
Homelessness and poor mental health are often deeply interconnected. What needs to change so we’re preventing homelessness rather than simply responding to crisis?
“Improving mental health support is one of the most important things we can do to prevent homelessness. Too often people only receive help once they have reached crisis point. As with most things, sadly it all comes down to money and investment.
“Earlier intervention, easier access to support, better coordination between services and sustained investment in mental health provision would all make a real difference.”
Any thoughts about things you want to change or future developments at St Martins?
“At risk of sounding like a politician, I think it’s way too early in my time here to answer this question. Of course, there will be things here and there to tweak and change initially, but I’m still very much in the listening, learning and understanding phase.
“If I tried to make changes now, it would potentially be based on not having the full facts or picture on things, and that could be to the detriment of the organisation. No doubt there will be things down the line, so please feel free to ask me that question again in a few months!”
The Lighter Questions
What is your taste in music like?
“I would say it’s brilliant, of course. Music is a massive part of my life. I attend gigs very regularly, have been to nearly 20 Glastonbury Festivals and have run a music night in Norwich for the past 10 years.”
David couldn’t resist a quick plug:
“It’s called Common People and we specialise in 90s Britpop.”
“Indie and Britpop were definitely my first loves, but I also enjoy electronic and dance music and will pretty much give anything a try. Apart from Phonk. My 10-year-old son went through a Phonk phase and it was hideous!”
Can you cook? What’s your favourite food?
“I can cook and would say I’m okay, but not great at it. I do love to make a curry for family and friends.”
What was your favourite subject at school?
“Has to be PE. I was, and still am, sport mad, so had a go at pretty much anything when I was a kid.”
We hear you did a night shift. What was that like, and will you do it again?
“I’m really keen to get a feel for how people’s roles work, how they differ and what the challenges are that people face, so it felt important to do a night shift as part of that. I really enjoyed it, found it really interesting and I was very well looked after by both Ariel and Fabrice, especially in terms of Ariel’s wonderful coffee concoctions!”
“I’m told the residents were on their best behaviour, but despite that there was still plenty to keep us busy until it quietened down in the wee small hours. I’d be happy to do it again, especially at a different location to see how that differs.”