Research into homelessness and periods

Periods (backup story??)

We had a story about how homeless women deal with periods and what help there is for them as one of our back up stories, I did some research into politicians who are in support of legislations supporting better supplies of sanitary products, charities who provide them and news articles about the issue.                                                                                    
Paula Sherriff

(1) Paula Sherriff has been campaigning for the VAT on women's sanitary products. 
Paula Sherriff "This is a great victory for all the women who have campaigned on this issue for so long, and I hope the end of the tampon tax is now it sight"
She put forward an amendment to the finance bill in October 2015, she's been pressing this amendment in parliment, coming to an agreement from the chancellor to bring down the VAT rate on sanitary products.

Wewe 

We never received a reply from Paula Sherriff.

Pink Parcel

(2)  Pink Parcel support worthwhile causes supporting women, this includes their support for Laura Coryton's campaign to  end 'tampon tax', they are now giving their support to homeless period campaign.

We never received a reply from The Pink Parcel.

Stop taxing periods. Period. 

(3) "The Treasury vowed to axe the outdated and overtly sexist tax on tampons, sanitary pads and mooncups in January 2016. By March we made history when Parliament accepted a tampon-tax-ending amendment proposed by the amazing Paula Sherriff MP."

"After the UK joined the Common Market in 1973, a 17.5% sanitary tax was introduced. It was justified when Parliament classified sanitary products as “non-essential, luxury” items"

The homeless period

(4) "For homeless women, it really is that dreaded time of the month. With limited or no access to sanitary products, they're often forced to go without. This initiative believes that tampons and towels should be made available through homeless shelters, the same way the government provides condoms. To show your support, share the site, sign the petition, or donate a tampon."

No More Taboo

(5) "Many women were concerned that they would not be able to afford sanitary products to last them through their menstrual week, whereas some others could not afford them at all. This is the case with Mary-Ann: “I haven’t used pads, ‘cause I haven’t had no money. I’ve had to use toilet paper”. Mary-Ann documents her socially irregular use of toilet paper, gleaned from public toilets, to ensure that her menstrual blood is absorbed and managed. In her situation, she cannot afford to purchase sanitary products." **LINK TO THE DOCUMENT**

Bustle

(6) "There are 50,000 women living on the streets nationwide, and with limited access to pads and tampons, and no steady, comfortable place to shower, they are forced to get creative with ways to keep clean when they have their periods. Some are forced to steal products. Others wait for homeless outreach crews to come by with pads. Some use socks, paper towels, plastic bags, toilet paper, towels, cotton balls, or clothing in place of hygiene products." **LINK TO THE DOCUMENT**

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(1) Paula Sherriff MP hails tampon tax 04/16 victory http://www.paulasherriff.org.uk/paula_sherriff_mp_hails_tampon_tax_victory

(2) Pink Parcel Help homeless women on their periods https://www.pinkparcel.co.uk/help-homeless-women-on-their-periods/

(3) Change.org Stop taxing periods. Period. #EndTamponTax https://www.change.org/p/george-osborne-stop-taxing-periods-period

(4) The Homeless Period http://thehomelessperiod.com/

(5) No More Taboo http://menstrualhygieneday.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/01/Homeless-Menstruation-Report.pdf

(6) Bustle "This Is How Homeless Women Cope With Their Periods" https://www.bustle.com/articles/190092-this-is-how-homeless-women-cope-with-their-periods

Research into mental health and homelessness

As our project is about the effect that pets have on mental health for homeless people I did some research into mental health itself, this included looking into charities and at articles already written so that I could see 1. facts and figures about mental health and 2. how it gets written about in the media.

Mind

Mind provide support and assistance to anyone experiencing mental health issues.
The charity Mind has a webpage where they list all the different types of mental health issues, what they are and how to deal with them in a constructive and healthy way.
These include;

(1) Anger= A natural response from someone when they feel attacked, frustrated or treated unfairly. Being angry can be constructive, it can help motivate people, help people defend themselves and help to identify problems or things that are hurting us.
Anger becomes an issue when it starts to harm the individual experiencing it and those around them. This can occur when; your anger is express through destructive behaviour, or it's having a negative impact on your mental/physical health.
"Anger can contribute to mental health problems, and make existing problems worse. For example, if you often struggle to manage feelings of anger it can be very stressful and might negatively effect your self-esteem. This can lead to you experiencing problems such as depression, anxiety, eating problems or self-harm. It can also contribute to sleep problems, and problems with alcohol and substance misuse."
When you experience anger for a long period of time it can affect physical health contributing to illnesses like;

Colds and flu, digestive problems and high blood pressure.

(2)Anxiety/Panic attacks= Anxiety is when someone feels worried, tense or afraid either about things that are about to happen or things that could happen. Anxiety can become a mental health issue if it impacts on someone's ability to live their life 'normally'.

"For example it may be an issue for you if you;

• Have feeling of anxiety that are very strong or last a long period of time
• Your fears or worries are out of proportion to the situation
• You avoid situations that might cause you to feel anxious
• Your worries feel very distressing or are hard to control
• You regularly experience symptoms of anxiety (this could include panic attacks)
• You find it hard to go about your everyday life or do things you enjoy"

Depression= "Depression is a low mood that lasts for a long time, and affects your everyday life. In its mildest form, depression can mean just being in low spirits. It doesn’t stop you leading your normal life but makes everything harder to do and seem less worthwhile. At its most severe, depression can be life-threatening because it can make you feel suicidal or simply give up the will to live."

Different types of depression

• Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD)- depression that usually (although not always) happens in the winter.
• Dysthymia/persistent depressive disorder/chronic depression- continuous mild depression that last for two years or more.
• Prenatal depression/Antenatal depression- occurs during pregnancy
• Postnatal depression (PND)- occurs during the first few weeks/months after becoming a parent. (usually diagnosed in women but can affect men too)

(3) Drugs/Alcohol= People take recreational drugs (including alcohol, tobacco, cannabis, heroin, cocaine and ecstasy) for many reasons such as; to get a pleasurable experience, to help them feel better if their experiencing a bad time, peer pressure or experimentation.

They can be legal (nicotine/alcohol), illegal or controlled (medication).

(4)Loneliness= "Feeling lonely isn't in itself a mental health problem, but the two are strongly linked. Having a mental health problem increases your chance of feeling lonely, and feeling lonely can have a negative impact on your mental health. "

Things that help with loneliness include;

• Finding the source of your loneliness
• Make new friends
• Open up more to people
• Try not to compare yourself to people

**We emailed MIND asking for an interview and received an automated email in reply with no further corrispondance**

Mental health foundation

(5)The Mental Health Foundation is a UK charity that aims to find and address the sources of mental health problems, it relies on public and grant funding to campaign/give good mental health for everyone. 

"Good mental health is fundamental to thriving in life. It is the essence of who we are and how we experience the world. Yet, compared to physical health, so little is commonly known about mental ill health and how to prevent it. That must change."

(6)Having somewhere to live is an important factor in people's mental and physical health, by knowing they are in a safe and secure environment an individual is able to relax and be less stressed reducing things like anxiety etc.

Having a mental health problem can be the reason some people are faced with being homeless, however this can also be flipped around as poor housing or homelessness can increase a person's risk of developing a mental health issue. This can make it hard for people for recover from things like depression as these things can be exacerbated by living conditions, this has a knock on affect on how they qualify for secure housing and find/maintain a job.

"In 2015, 32% of single homeless people reported a mental health problem, and depression rates, for example, are over 10 times higher in the homeless population"

Homeless Link

(7)Is a membership charity for organisations that work directly with people who have become homeless all over England. They work to make services better, as well as campaigning for policy changes that will help to end homelessness.

(8)"73% of homeless people reported physical health problems...80% of respondents reported some form of mental health issue, 45% had been diagnosed with a mental health issue"

"17.5% of those with mental health issues and 16.7% with alcohol issues would like support but aren't receiving it"

"7% have been denied access to a dentist or GP"

"The latest data research shows 36% of homeless people admitted to hospital reported being discharged onto the streets with no where to go...in 2010 this issue was reported by 73% of respondents admitted to hospital"

Following research the charity did in '12 the department of health announced £10m of funding for projects that will improve hospital discharge procedures for homeless people.

Rethink mental illness

(9) Rethink Mental Illness is a charity that provides advice and information 60,000 people a year across England to help them realize they are not alone. They also change attitudes and policies for millions of people. They have over 200 mental health services and 150 support groups in England. Rethink also campaign nationally for policy changes as well as locally. 

(10) The local authority has a duty to provide accommodation to people who are a priority need (as seen in previous research it can greatly improve mental health), people who are a priority need include people who are vulnerable because of mental illness. People who are a priority need should be offered emergency housing but should be suitable for people who have a mental illness, this can include not being placed in a high rise block of flats if you are suicidal. 

Different types of housing (some of the different types can meet different needs depending on the mental health issue);

• Independent living
• Supported accommodation
• Living with family 

Independent living options include;

• Owning your own home
• Renting from the council, housing association or private landlord
• Sharing a house with other people

Supported accommodation options are: 

• Supported accommodation
• Hostels
• Sheltered housing
• Residential care homes
• Shared lives scheme
• Therapeutic communities

Although there is quite often a long term housing while you wait for a property.

Step by step

(11) Step by Step is a charity that supports local young people who are going through hard times, including homelessness.  They help provide accommodation, personal development opportunities and support services. Their aim is to empower young people to uncover and fulfill their aspirations.

Their values include;

• Excellence (in all they do)
• Teamwork (through successful collaborations and partnerships)
• Honesty/openness
• Ownership ( of their work, words and actions)
• Strength (by building courage and resilience)

**We emailed Step-By-Step asking if we could film with them and got this reply **

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(1) MIND website "Anger" 02/16 https://www.mind.org.uk/information-support/types-of-mental-health-problems/anger/about-anger/?o=6271#.We6DgRNSync

(2) MIND website "Anxiety and Panic Attacks" 09/17 https://www.mind.org.uk/information-support/types-of-mental-health-problems/anxiety-and-panic-attacks/about-anxiety/?o=6272#.We6D7xNSync

(3) MIND website "Drugs-recreational drugs and alcohol" 11/16 https://www.mind.org.uk/information-support/types-of-mental-health-problems/drugs-recreational-drugs-alcohol/about-recreational-drugs/?o=7327#.We6EGxNSync

(4) MIND website "How to cope with Loneliness" 04/16 https://www.mind.org.uk/information-support/tips-for-everyday-living/loneliness/loneliness/?o=6287#.We6EVxNSync

(5) The Mental Health Foundation "Who we are and what we do" https://www.mentalhealth.org.uk/about-us/who-we-are

(6) The Mental Health Foundation "Homelessness and mental health" 12/15 https://www.mentalhealth.org.uk/blog/homelessness-and-mental-health

(7) Homeless Link "About us" http://www.homeless.org.uk/about-us
(8) Homeless Link "Homelessness and health research" http://www.homeless.org.uk/facts/our-research/homelessness-and-health-research
(9) Rethink Mental Illness "About Rethink Mental Illness "https://www.rethink.org/about-us"
(10) Rethink Mental Illness "Housing options"https://www.rethink.org/living-with-mental-illness/housing/housing-options/types
(11) Step by Step "Our approach" 
https://www.stepbystep.org.uk/7/about-us/9/what-we-do/37/our-approach/

BBC 3 60 second news

As the name of our channel and news piece is Short Attention Span we wanted to keep our news quick, snappy and to the point, especially as seeing our top line is "Short Attention Span productions news for the easily distracted". Because of this I did some research in BBC 3's 60 second news segments to get an idea of how it does professionally.

Example of BBC's 60 second news

For the news segments the stories are kept brief and too the point allowing them to fit a lot in a short space of time, they separate out general news from "show bizz" news again allowing them to have more stories. 
The show is also package heavy given it's short nature if it were to have lives this could potentially over run so by having packages they ensure they keep to time. Any other smaller stories have been fit in through the use of rolling text along the lower third of the screen.
The Anchor also top and tails the packages, by not having the anchor on screen while they play they not only allow for the audience to focus on the information being given to them, but it also means that more screen can be given to the packages. Due to the editing layout for the show it allows them to show two packages at once doubling the information that they can show to the audience.

In conclusion I'll keep in mind how the BBC managed to fit so much information into such a short amount of time through their editing, the fast pace of the show would suit our target audience as it would keep someone's attention.

Contacts

We had three separate stories as back ups for each other these were; 'How women on the streets deal with their periods', 'How homeless pets can benefit mental health' and 'Why are there so many homeless soldiers?'.
Each story had it's own selection of contacts attached to it;

Periods

Pink parcel: emailed 27/09 by Victoria, no reply

Paula Sherrif: emailed 27/09 by Victoria, no reply

Homeless period: 27/09 by Victoria, no reply

Pets

Trusty Paws clinic: emailed 23/09 by Victoria replied 05/10
Gave me a number to call Ruby Shorrock on as well as links:
www.facebook.com/trustypaws
www.thetrustypawsclinic.co.uk/
Led to no reply about potential filming

DOTS (Dogs on the Street)- emailed asking for filming and interviews, got confirmation for both, by Victoria

Homeless soldiers

Veterans Aid: emailed 04/10 by Victoria replied 05/10
Are not able to accommodate the amount of requests they have for interviews.
Did give us a link to possibly be able to help us:
veterans-aid.net/about/media-brief/

Contacted SSAFA: 02/10 by Victoria, unable to help

Mental health

Mind: emailed 24/09 by Victoria asked for facts and figures no reply

Homelessness

Kent messenger: emailed 23/09 by Victoria asked for an interview/filming

Sajid Javid (conservative MP-supporting a legislation to reduce homelessness): emailed 23/09 by Victoria for an interview, interview was declined

Homeless care: emailed 23/09 by Victoria asked for interview/ filming

Got filming confirmation for a conference about homeless issues in Maidstone

Big issue: emailed 23/09 by Victoria asked for interview no reply

Contacted Maidstone council: 27/09 by Victoria

Told me to look at the national archives

Contacted Catherine Harris (Porchlight) - 16/10 by Zak

Unable to help us

Step by step: emailed 22/09 by Victoria , they're unable to help as they do not cover our area

Food banks- by Danny
Shelter-by Danny
Church-by Danny

Pink= either no reply or were unable to help us

Red= can't help

Green= can help us

Research into homelessness and ex-military

One of our ideas was to look into homeless veterans as Maidstone is a military town, specifically looking at the support that gets provided to them and how/why they end up on the streets.

(1)"About 7,000 veterans are homeless in Britain"

(2) Maidstone is home to Invicta Park Barracks where the 36 Engineer Regiment of the Royal Engineers have been since 1956. It's due to close in 2027.

(3) The 36 Engineer Regiment consists of 5 squadrons and is one of the busiest units in the corps. 

(4) The Armed Forces Covenant is singed by "all 407 local authorities in mainland Great Britain and 4 Northern Ireland councils", "to date over 1,500 organisations have signed the covenant"

(5) The Armed Forces Covenant is "a pledge that together we acknowledge and understand that those who serve or who have served in the armed forces, and their families, should be treated with fairness and respect in the communities, economy and society they serve with their lives" It looks at helping members of the armed forces community to have the same level of access to government/commercial support services that any other member of the public would have. Some of the support that gets provided is; having a home, access to healthcare and financial assistance. People involved include; central government, local government and communities.

We looked at a few charities that assist soldiers either as they come out of the army or to get them off the street all together, we then contacted a few representatives from the charities with an aim to get an interview.

(6)Shelter

Shelter helps people every year struggling with housing or homeless, they do this through advice, support and legal services. Their campaign is to make sure that "one day, no one will have to turn to us".

They have a dedicated page for homeless veterans, it has specific "Help from the military" information such as informing people about the MOD's housing advice service and about the Joint service housing advice office before they leave the forces. It gives them the grounds they can be eligible to apply for it such as; "married or a separated spouse still in services family accommodation (SFA) and single and living in a hostel within 6 months of leaving the forces"

It also gives information about charities that people can contact  for help, these include;

"Veterans' Gateway is the first point of contact for veterans seeking support. It's made up of a number of military charities and can put you in touch with organisations who can help further."

It gives important information about the council helping with housing and the process it all go's through. As well as this the charity go's on to to give the qualifying conditions for emergency housing/priority need, people in priority need have children, pregnant women in the household or you're classed as vulnerable. 

(7)SSAFA

SAFA exists to "ensure that the needs of the armed forces, veterans and their families are met in an appropriate and timely way", they "relieve need, suffering and distress amongst the armed forces, veterans and families"

SAFA have a page dedicated to helping homeless soldiers in which they discuss;

Getting veterans back on their feet

**they give out food, clothes and shelter for homeless veterans, as well as looking at the support they can provide to get them off the street. Because of the amount of volunteers they have they are able to be with veterans as they rebuild their life this can range from getting through an addiction to moving into a house.**

We contacted SAFA with hopes of including them in our news report, we weren't able to get any information we could use.

**Overall we decided not to go with this idea as we weren't able to get/find information we needed to include in our report, as well as this we also found it hard to get a response from some charities. We found that although homeless veterans was an issue it wasn't necessarily an issue faced in Maidstone.**

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(1) Express "Is this any way to treat out soldiers? Harsh reality of sleeping rough faced by veterans" Patrick Christys 23/17http://www.express.co.uk/news/uk/782860/british-veterans-homeless-sleeping-rough-mental-health

(2) Kent Online "Maidstone's Invicta Park Barracks to close in 2027" Ed Mcconnell 11/16 
http://www.kentonline.co.uk/maidstone/news/maidstone-barracks-to-close-115297/

(3) 36 Engineer Regimenthttp://www.army.mod.uk/royalengineers/units/28651.aspx

(4)Who has signed the covenant?
https://www.armedforcescovenant.gov.uk/get-involved/who-has-signed-the-covenant/

* Policy Armed Forces Covenant
https://www.gov.uk/government/policies/armed-forces-covenant

(5) Armed Forces Covenant
https://www.armedforcescovenant.gov.uk/about/

(6) Shelter "Help if you're homeless veterans"
https://england.shelter.org.uk/housing_advice/homelessness/your_situation/ex-services

(7) SAFA "Support for homeless veterans" 
https://www.ssafa.org.uk/help-you/veterans/support-homeless-veterans

BBC research

(1)What do the BBC do?

The BBC have 9 national TV services that provide a range of things to the UK audience. They broadcast across digital TV, live online and as on-demand on I-player.

Their channels include;


"BBC One- On BBC One you'll find news and current affairs, drama, comedy and entertainment programmes.

• BBC Two- Factual programmes are at the heart of BBC Two, including arts, history, science and human interest documentaries.

• BBC Three- Our youngest channel is never afraid to try new things, broadcasting comedy, entertainment, and docs.

• BBC Four- BBC Four provides an ambitious range of innovative, high quality programming that is intellectually and culturally enriching, taking an expert and in-depth approach to a wide range of subjects.

• CBBC- Our channel for 6-12 year olds in search of drama, entertainment, factual, comedy, animation and news.

• CBeebies- The youngest of the all of us get active play, creativity and imagination from CBeebies, on-air and online.

• BBC News- The UK's most-watched news channel airs 24 hours a day, 7 days a week and features correspondents from across the world.

BBC Parliament- The UK's only channel dedicated to politics, showing debates and committees from across the UK.
BBC Alba- Documentaries, music, sport plus children's programmes and news and current affairs for Gaelic-speaking people in Scotland."

(2) Public purposes

The BBC is a public service organisation, they have 5 public purposes which are set out by  the Royal Charter and Agreement, the constitutional basis for the BBC as presented to Parliament.

• 
  
• 
  
• "To provide impartial news and information to help people understand and engage with the world around them
• The BBC will provide accurate and impartial news, current affairs and factual programming of the highest editorial standards so that all audiences can engage fully with issues across the UK and the world.
  To support learning for people of all ages
• Educational content will help support learning for children and teenagers across the UK, whilst audiences will be encouraged to explore inspiring and challenging new subjects and activities through a range of partnerships.
  To show the most creative, highest quality and distinctive output and services
• Innovative content covering many different genres will be provided across a range of services and platforms, setting the standard both in the UK and globally.
  To reflect, represent and serve the diverse communities of all of the United Kingdom’s nations and regions and, in doing so, support the creative economy across the United Kingdom
• The lives of the people in the United Kingdom today will be accurately and authentically portrayed in the BBC’s output and services to raise awareness of different cultures, contribute to social cohesion and invest in the development of each nation’s creative economy.
  To reflect the United Kingdom, its culture and values to the world
• High quality, accurate, impartial news coverage will be delivered to international audiences, aiding understanding of the UK as a whole."

(3) BBC's Mission and values

"To enrich people's lives with programmes and services that inform, educate and entertain."

"To be the most creative organisation in the world"

Audiences are at the heart of everything the BBC does, this is even more significant then most channels as they are publicly funded.

(4)BBC public purposes and propose remits

 The main objective of the BBC is to

• Sustain citizenship and civil society
• Promote education and learning
• Stimulate creativity and cultural excellence
• Representing the UK, its nations, regions and communities
• Brining the UK to the world and the world to the UK
• Helping to deliver to the public the benefit of emerging communications technologies and services and in addition, taking a leading role in the switch over to dig TV

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(1) Inside the BBC- Television http://www.bbc.co.uk/corporate2/insidethebbc/whatwedo/television
(2) Inside the BBC- Public Purposes- http://www.bbc.co.uk/corporate2/insidethebbc/whoweare/publicpurposes
(3) Inside the BBC- Mission and values- http://www.bbc.co.uk/corporate2/insidethebbc/whoweare/mission_and_values
(4) BBC trust- Public purposes and purpose remits- http://www.bbc.co.uk/bbctrust/governance/tools_we_use/public_purposes.html