Support for hotel residents and teams

11 May 2020 03:33 PM

Blog posted by: Anna Suswillo, Monday, 11 May 2020.

In response to the unprecedented Covid-19 crisis, local networks rapidly pulled together to make sure that people sleeping rough had accommodation options, and now are helping residents to find activities that support their well-being.

Extensive efforts have ensured that thousands of people are safe, with a roof over their head. It is vital that we support those people who are now inside to sustain their stay. This includes helping residents to find activities that support their well-being in a stressful situation, as well as supporting hotel staff as they adapt to new ways of working.

This period is critical for building relationships with individuals, finding out about their passions, and helping to find the activities that are right for them. It’s about making the experience of suddenly being accommodated in an unfamiliar environment as positive as possible. Everyone is bored of staying at home – but being bored in a hotel room is arguably worse, especially for people moving off the streets without favourite possessions, online subscriptions or a familiar social crowd to check in with.

Homeless Link has created ‘Activities during lockdown’ to collect ways of helping people stay occupied while staying indoors. It includes online and offline ideas, as we know that some sites will struggle with internet access. The resource list is intended to be a jumping-off point for suggestions you might make to residents, ideas on how to vary content for a broader appeal, and to encourage thinking outside the box – zoo livestream, anyone?

Whether it’s a course in song-writing, playing board games online, hard copy colouring sheets or a distraction pack, there are loads of great ideas in action across the country. Please get in touch to tell us about new ideas or resources that we can add to the list.

For hotel staff and volunteers, this has been a challenging time with a steep learning curve, both in supporting others and looking after their own wellbeing. To support them, Homeless Link’s series of short webinars covers topics such as boundaries, safeguarding, drug awareness and trauma informed care. These sessions are free to access and designed for people who are new to homelessness support.