COMFORTABLE HOMES FOR THE HOMELESS.

Auckland Star, Volume LXIX, Issue 5, 7 January 1938, Page 10

COMFORTABLE HOMES FOR THE HOMELESS.

Filling a Need of

Women in London

(By M.8.5.) It was ''the pity of others' u i>e" which must have led Mrs. (.Veil Chesterton to forsake, for a time, comfort and security in order to gain at first hand knowledge of the lives of her less' fortunate sifter women. She had become perturbed about the lack of proper lodging facilities provided for [wx>r women who, not actually destitute and wishing to preserve their sclf-respect, sought accommodation in London at a charge within their rneagre mean*. She had read, for instance, such oninions as that of the Bishop of Woolwich, who in 11J2S said. "The need of the homeless woman it-, to my mind, infinitely greater than that of the homeless man, Vert the care bestowed upon the men is, far. far more than that we have given to the women." And the statement, delivered from the Bench by the late .Mr. J. A. Cairns, Thame* Police Court magistrate: '"It is a curious fact that all men of the homeless class are better cared for; they have warmth and food, they have shelter, but the women who want to earn their own keep are living in circumstance* of hard-hip and. maybe, are driven to the shelter of the street."

Religious organisations and the London County Council had provided well for the man who has only a few pence or nothing at all between him and the [lavement and the park bench: so well has his need been attended to that now the Embankment —that notorious resort of the down-and-out —seldom harbours any but a handful of victims of drink or "drugs. But London's women without homes had l>een almost forgotten: they suffered from the popular and erroneous opinion that women can easily obtflin work and shelter, and if they fail to. the fact is in itself proof of their innate un worthiness. Ten years ago Mrs. Chesterton decided that it was time something was done for such women, so she assigned to herself the job of finding out what happens in London to a woman who is destitute, homeless and without a job. For a fortnight she put herself in the position of such a woman, scrubbing floors, washing dishes in restaurants. selling matches in the streets. She spent on herself only as much monev as can be earned at these particular pieces of work. She discovered by this means that there was no place in ■the whole of the great metropolis where a woman who was without a regular job and without a home could get a decent clean bed and a hot bath. The result of her venture was published in a series of articles in a wellknown journal and later in her book. "In Darkest London." but Mrs. Chesterton is not one of those publicists who are satisfied with writing of evils and ending bv saying, "Surely something must be done." And So—The Cecil Houses. With Mrs. Chesterton, seeing and feeling must be followed by action, and she is not the kind of person who stirs up emotional enthusiasm in others without being prepared to undertakes a Trojan's task herself. So with native energy and forthrightness she set to work enlisting the sympathy and assistance of fellow writers, prominent artists and actors, and other leaders of thought —Dame Sybil Thorndike, Miss Irene Vanbmgb. Miss Marie Lohr, Mrs. Bel'.ocLowndes. Miss Sheila Kave-Smith, Sydi nev Dark, Robert Blatchford and others. She appealed and organised with 'exemplary thoroughness worthy of the [ great cause she had at heart. The result is seen in the fact that London now has five Cecil Houses in any of which a homeless woman can for 1/ secure a cup of cocoa and biscuits, a hot bath, a clean comfortable bed, a morning cup of tea with bread and butter, and, if necessary, assistance in obtaining some kind of job. All this is supplied alonjr with sympathetic understanding of her needs and difficulties, and never a question asked to embarrass or harass her. I was privileged to visit, last June, one of the Cecil Houses —that in Waterloo Road —accompanied by some of the overseas delegates to the British Commonwealth Conference. We were shown the cheerful sitting room with its easy chairs, wide fireplace, bowls of flowers, the well-stocked pantry where is prepared that "nice cup of tea" so comforting to woman in all her trials and troubles, the beautifully fitted bath- ! rooms and laundries, and what was quite new to us —special foot-baths and facilities for pedicure. Imagine what a blessing these must be to footsore, t weary women after a day of jobhunting through the city's streets! Babies Too are Guests. 1 The dormitories were particularly attractive with rose-coloured walls and muslin-curtained windows (I noted the absence of pious wall-texts), bright-hued floor-nigs and inviting beds. One contained a cot endowed by a famous patron; the matron explained that it sometimes happens that a guest brings a small child and it is no part of the policy of the committee to separate mother and ba'by. "In fact," said the matron, "we often have women here who are not in the strict sense either homeless or destitute —wives who after some domestic disturbance have left home bringing their babies with them, young women, who by some mischance (such as being robbed) find themselves stranded in London without money and unable to communicate with friends, and occasionally foreign women, who. owing to financial or lingual difficulties, are unable to find accommodation. Those who cannot pay are never turned away: sometimes a friendly policewoman puts up the money, or we accept an assurance from our guests that they will pay later and are seldom let down. I've known a dear old soul sleep here and without waiting for her morning cup of tea be off before dawn to get a job. shelling peas at Covent Garden market, and to return before we close up "at 10 a.m. to pay in her bob. Poverty seems to bring out honesty and understanding."

It is significant that the women who avail themselves of the comfort and protection of the Cecil Houses are never spoken of as inmates but always as guests. Indeed the whole tone of the homes gives one an impression of comradeship and friendliness in the relations between those who manage the homes and the women with whom absence of home and funds does not mean lom of self-respect. Oti.er

ontstanding points about the Cecil Houses is that women are taken in without any attempt being made to pry into their domestic, financial or religious background: to be in need of shelter and protection and to appear decent and respectable is sufficient to gain a welcome and ready help. The charge of 1/ is made for two reason* —to keep the homes free of any taint of private or public charity, and to maintain that fine feeling of independence so noticeable among the particular, class of woman for whom the homes are built. That all the Cecil Houses are actually self-support-ing is due as much to the strict honesty of the guest* as to the capable adtniniI stration of the committee.

Their place in the teeming life of the world's largest and wealthiest city is an important one: as long as there endures a social system under which some women must face up to poverty and hardship, there is. room for such havens from the minerv and dangers of the streets. As Dr. A. J. Cronin. noted author of world-stirring novels, said at the annual meeting of the committee, after pointing out that prior to the opening'of the first Cecil House only l.'J per cent of London's homes for the destitute were for women, "Heaven knows it itbad enough for a man not to have lodg-

ing for the night: but when it comes to a woman, the thing is monstrous. This work of Mr-. Chestei ton's is a magnificent one: not only on the material plane, but on the spiritual plane, in che best sense of the word, in the case of women who are homeless or threatened with homelessne-s. It is not just physical comfort: it is something which does i.ot deprive them of their selfrespect."'