“HOME is where the heart is….”
12.07.19: After a long day out at work or college, all of us need a ‘secure base’ (c.f. Bowlby; 1967; Attachment Theory), away from the stresses and strains of everyday life to return home to. Our home is our sanctuary, or as the saying goes; “HOME is where the heart is”. It is where we reconnect with our selves (and our primary relationships such as family), recharge our batteries and rest safely ready to go back out into the wider world the next day and face whatever challenges life may throw at us.
Psychologically Informed Environment (PIE) principles argue that supported accommodation or hostel spaces for those previously homeless should as far as possible ‘resemble home’. Just because someone has been living on the streets or within insecure accommodation, or has never experienced a ‘home’ environment, it doesn’t mean that they don’t have the same needs for a secure base or ‘home’ as the rest of the population. Consequently, the ultimate test of whether a space can be considered ‘PIE’ is whether we answer the following question affirmatively; “could I live there … or would I want my son / daughter / family member living there?’ The PIE Implementation and Assessment Guide (Westminster Council, 2015) notes that the physical environment is critical in a PIE organisation and that PIE should establish a social environment that is not just in good condition but promotes safety though thoughtful design of the physical space, which is based on the needs of the client group and facilitates positive relationships.
Evidence based design suggests factors such as light, open or closed spaces, and levels of noise impact on health and psychological wellbeing (Codinhoto & Tzortzopoulos, 2009; Evans, 2003, Mazuch & Stephen, 2008) and design of the physical space is intended to send a message about valuing the shared space and by extension the people living in it (Keats et al, 2012). A great recent example of PIE in action, is the refurbishment of the Salvation Army: ‘Booth House’ in Southampton, where a leading PIE expert (Professor Nick Maguire, Consultant Clinical Psychologist at the University of Southampton) consulted on design for this service and worked with staff and users of the space to put PIE principles into action (see http://designresourcesforhomelessness.org/wp-content/uploads/2015/11/BCreport_opt.pdf for further details and pictures of this project).
With these thoughts in mind, this week I have continued my visits to Centrepoint services, travelling across to West London to see a Centrepoint service in Ealing, which was refurbished in 2014. Even though five years ago, Centrepoint had yet to officially commence its PIE journey, as the picture above of the main communal space shows, PIE principles were obviously considered, even if they weren’t labelled as such. Without wishing to do myself out of a job; advising the organisation on PIE(!), this demonstrates that PIE principles for the physical environment are kind of ‘obvious’. We can all articulate when asked what a ‘home’ is, and why should our young people have anything less, particularly when this may have been their first experience of such a ‘home’ or be the first place that they have been able to call ‘home’ after a period of uncertainty and instability that led them to be referred to Centrepoint in the first place?
The principle of a ‘home’ is so key to what Centrepoint offer homeless young people, it was really positive to see that the service I visited in Ealing felt like ‘home’. There was also space to have 1:1 sessions with the Health Team and Housing Support staff, as well as a large green outside space with communal seating, and a learning hub with IT facilities for those young people engaging in education and training to complete their studies in. All things that will contribute to those young people resident in the hostel having the best chance at building positive foundations for their future. Moreover, staff reported that not only did they feel proud of their spaces but that young people often commented when they moved in that ‘this feels like a home not a hostel’ and that statutory staff working with the young people resident in the hostel (e.g. Social Workers) also commented that the service ‘felt different from other hostels’.
However, to make a place ‘home’ it isn’t always essential to have a large budget, and indeed complete a full blown refurbishment. Few if any of us have the money to completely renovate our entire houses, yet we make our houses ‘homes’ with simple personalised touches. A quick paint job to decorate a space, putting up pictures, photographs or posters that we like, cleaning up and clearing out previously neglected spaces (e.g. gardens or courtyards), buying a new sofa to make our lounge more comfortable, making our kitchen notice boards less cluttered of information no longer relevant to us, making sure basic maintenance such as replacing lightbulbs is done in a timely manner; all these things make our ‘houses’ our ‘homes’. Why should a hostel therefore be any different?
Consequently, as part of our PIE journey, Centrepoint will be encouraging service managers to work with their staff and young people to generate ideas locally to improve their physical environment, which they can then apply for funds to undertake, or work with external partners to implement for larger projects. I really like this idea of empowering staff on the ‘ground’, in conjunction with the young people they support, to reflect upon their ‘home’ and work together to improve their shared space, and I am excited to hear what ideas will be presented in the next few months. This ‘bottom-up co-production’ between staff and young people is key to PIE, and ultimately it is hoped will enable them to create spaces, or ‘secure bases’ which enable young people to flourish within and move forward in their life. Perhaps then, Centrepoint services can be come to be viewed even more by the young people that use them, to be not just a ‘hostel’ but a ‘home’ where their heart can safely be.
