In The Army Now

I just spent most of this morning in the Stormont Long Gallery with the army. No, not H.M. Forces but William Booth's followers, the Salvation Army. As anyone who knows me will vouch, I'm about as far as you can get from a tambourine shaking missionary. But social workers I know have always made the point that the Salvation Army is an organisation which delivers in a very practical way when asked to help someone down on their luck, so I didn't hesitate when asked to chair a discussion on their report "The Seeds of Exclusion" which deals with the causes of homelessness in Belfast and Dublin.

The report emphasises the need to tackle homelessness at a very early stage, as those caught up in the cycle of poverty often fall into trouble in adolescence. 74% of the homeless people interviewed by the Salvation Army here had no relationship with their father. Around half reported neglect or abuse as children and more than a quarter were homeless before the age of 18.

Depressing stuff, although I was heartened to hear from the Council for the Homeless's Ricky Rowledge that a concerted drive by the authorities to tackle rough sleeping had produced dividends, which is one reason why the problem is not so evident on our streets as, say, in London.

Alcohol dependency, inevitably, is a big problem with 73% of those interviewed drinking. Whilst cannabis use in Belfast appeared slightly higher than in Dublin, other drugs like opiates and cocaine appeared less prevalent (although someone at the launch suggested to me that with fewer security checks here greater quantities of drugs are finding their way on to our streets).

Other issues raised during our panel discussion included the plight of migrants who may find themselves without a roof over heads but aren't eligible for benefits (which was recently highlighted in an Ethnic Minorities Council report, and the extent to which the "new" Northern Ireland has made little or no difference to disadvantaged young people (a point made by a recent Save The Children briefing.

Of course pleas for extra resources for the sector are likely to fall on deaf ears given the general economic downturn. Indeed the Social Development Minister Margaret Ritchie acknowledged that tackling homelessness was "challenging at the best of times but especially difficult as budgets become tight". But whilst saving on this area may provide a short term gain, as the Salvation Army's research shows it only stores up the problems for future generations. Either way, with public sector cuts inevitable, it seems certain that the Sally Army's four local centres are going to be busy in the months and years to come.

The Reverend Norman Hamilton expressed the fear that "social justice" matters don't get much of a hearing at Stormont in comparison to big picture politics and justice. He has a point. But as we have seen in relation to this week's so called punishment attacks the two areas are not unconnected. If statutory and voluntary agencies don't find a way of reaching out to adolescents at risk of homelessness or involvement in anti-social behaviour, then paramilitary groups may seize upon them either as victims or recruits.

On a lighter note the launch was attended by both the SDLP Deputy Leader Alasdair mcDonnell and the Social Development Minister Margaret Ritchie. The UUP's Basil McCrea (who was there alongside the DUP Minister Edwin Poots) joked that unlike the SDLP participants he wasn't involved in a leadership race, adding "not yet anyway". He quickly clarified that this was just a joke, so Sir Reg hasn't got to watch his back just yet.

My guest for this Sunday's Inside Politics will be Jim Allister, whose Traditional Unionists hold their conference this weekend. I assume after the party's apology for calling Irish a "leprechaun language" that his leader's speech will not be bilingual. You can catch Inside Politics as usual after the one o'clock news on BBC Radio Ulster this Sunday.

• Bookmark with:
• del.icio.us |
• Digg |
• Newsvine |
• NowPublic |
• Reddit
• - What's this?