March 2026

Let’s Talk About the Elephant in the Room, Homelessness Must Never Be Normalised

We need to face the Elephant in the Room; homelessness has become such a familiar sight that, too often, people are walking past without seeing the human reality. The Elephant in the Room campaign calls on the community to confront the growing homelessness crisis that many now walk past without a second thought. 

At Turning Tides, we are asking our community to pause, reflect and confront this uncomfortable truth through our Elephant in the Room campaign. Because when something so serious becomes something we simply ‘walk past’, we all lose a little part of our humanity. 

When Did We Stop Being Shocked? 

There was a time when seeing someone sleeping rough was shocking. It sparked outrage, concern, compassion. It felt urgent. Now, too often, it barely registers. 

Why is that? 

Have we grown desensitised? Do we assume someone else will help? Do we look away because it feels too overwhelming to face? Or worse, do we quietly blame the person experiencing homelessness rather than ask how they got there? 

Homelessness is not a lifestyle choice. It is not a personal failure. It is not something that “happens to other people.” Homelessness can happen to anyone; A relationship breakdown, bereavement or grief, mental health crisis, losing a job, rising rents and living costs. For many people, it takes just one life-changing event to tip the balance.  

Increasingly, systemic pressures are pushing more people to that edge.  

In the Southeast of England alone, there are over 155,000 empty homes. At the same time, affordable housing continues to fall short of demand, particularly for single adults. Mental health services are under pressure. Social housing has been reduced. The safety nets that once caught people before they hit crisis are stretched thin. 

These issues are complex and interconnected. But what must not become complex is our compassion.  

 

On the Outside Looking In 

As Niall Read, Operations Manager at Turning Tides, explains: “Homelessness socially excludes some of the most vulnerable people in our society. It is like being on the wrong side, on the outside looking in, seeing what everyone has but somehow not being able to reach it. By engaging, making contact and acknowledging those who find themselves sleeping rough, we can all create pathways and connections to bring people in allowing them to feel valued and to make changes.” 

Imagine that feeling for a moment. Watching the world move around you. Seeing families heading home. Friends meeting for dinner. Lights turning on in warm living rooms. And knowing you have nowhere safe to go. 

Homelessness is more than the absence of a roof. It is the absence of safety, stability and belonging.  No one should feel invisible in their own community. 

 

Doing Nothing Is Still a Choice 

Many people tell us they feel helpless when they see someone experiencing homelessness. They don’t know what to say. They don’t know what to do. They worry about getting it wrong. But doing nothing allows the problem to grow. 

The Elephant in the Room campaign is about starting conversations. It’s about challenging stigma. It’s about refusing to accept homelessness as “just the way things are.” 

Change does not happen in silence. It happens when communities pull together. That’s why we are asking local residents, businesses and organisations to face this issue head-on. Talk about it. Share it. Fundraise for it. Donate to it. Because behind every statistic is a human being who deserves a pathway forward. 

 

Real Solutions, Real Impact 

Funds raised through this campaign directly support our work providing: 

• Safe, secure accommodation 

• Specialist, trauma-informed support 

• Mental health and wellbeing services 

• Long-term housing solutions 

• Practical help to rebuild independence and confidence 

We don’t just offer a bed for the night. We offer a pathway out of homelessness, one built on dignity, respect and hope. When you donate, you are not just giving money. You are giving someone the chance to move from crisis to stability, from isolation to connection, from surviving to rebuilding. 

A Community Coming Together 

This campaign is already bringing people together in powerful ways. 

An Eduardo Paolozzi Elephant Sculpture will be auctioned at Henry Adams in Chichester on 26th March, turning art into action and awareness into impact. 

Students from Northbrook College, through their Future You program, are creating and photographing their own elephant artwork around Worthing, followed by a bake sale to raise funds. Young people choosing compassion, choosing to act, choosing to see the elephant in the room and not ignore it. 

 Local poet, Liz Verlander has created a powerful, emotive poem for the campaign. Please watch below. 

 

Throughout this month we will be launching a YouTube webinar available for schools, colleges, businesses and community groups, providing discussion points and guidance to help people better understand homelessness and how to respond. Interested in the webinar? Get in touch with communications@turning-tides.org.uk. 

 

Will You Help Us Face It? 

Homelessness must never be normalised. If we allow ourselves to become comfortable with people sleeping rough on our streets, we risk accepting a future where more and more people are pushed to the margins. 

But that future is not inevitable. 

We can choose compassion.
We can choose action.
We can choose to see. 

Your donation today could help someone access safe accommodation. It could fund specialist support that addresses trauma or mental health challenges. It could help someone rebuild their confidence and take the first steps back into secure housing. 

Most importantly, it sends a powerful message: You are not invisible. You matter. 

Let’s talk about the elephant in the room.
Let’s refuse to normalise homelessness.
Let’s be the community that steps up, rather than walks past. 

To support the Elephant in the Room campaign and help people in our local community move forward with dignity and hope, please donate now – 

Make a Donation

£25 could provide a hot breakfast for a week for someone rough sleeping
£70 could give one of our clients 2 hours of guidance for housing, benefits, CV writing and more
£100 could provide one day of outreach, connecting rough sleepers to our services

Please contact communications@turning-tides.org.uk if you would like more information on any of the above or to support in any way.  

Because change begins when we stop looking away.