The ex-Tory council leader now playing a key role in helping the homeless
The former Tory leader of Harrogate Borough Council who now helps the homeless has talked about his new role and the challenges of turning people's lives around.
Richard Cooper may have become the chief executive of Harrogate Homeless Project in July after retiring from politics after 24 years as a leading councillor but many people may not be aware that he was quietly involved in this compassionate but practical charity during that entire period.
"I first volunteered at Harrogate Homeless Project in 1996, before I became a Conservative councillor,” he said.
"After so many years being closely connected to the Homeless Project as a volunteer and supporter it feels like a bit of a dream to become the organisation’s chief executive.
"It feels totally different being chief executive to being a volunteer or a trustee.
"It’s also fair to say my new role is completely different to what I’ve done before in my career.”
As Harrogate council leader from 2014 to 2023, irrespective of politics, Mr Cooper had a reputation for supporting a holistic approach to sleeping rough and homelessness and a refusal to fall back on the tired old formulas of carrot and stick.
After just three months in his new role at Harrogate Homeless Project, he is even more convinced that providing temporary accommodation is not enough on its own to deal with the issue of homelessness.
"Thirty years ago, it was very much about getting people off the streets.
"Now it's about giving them a life back.
"Harrogate Homeless Project is a lot more than just a hostel.
"Providing emergency accommodation is important but it's only one element of what we do.
"The people we support have chaotic lives and are usually facing multiple problems - drug addictions, family breakdowns, mental health issues.
"At the point we see them, everything has gone wrong in their lives.
"Offering them somewhere to live isn't enough. It's only a sticking plaster.
"What we do at Harrogate Homeless Project is offer a holistic approach.
"We try to stabilise their lives and help them recover their lives."
Founded in 1991, Harrogate Homeless Project provides, approximately, 12,000 bed nights to vulnerable adults each year.
But the impact of the cost of living crisis has created a different set of challenges and a new kind of homelessness, says Mr Cooper who for years was former Harrogate and Knaresborough MP Andrew Jones's righthand man.
"One of the biggest changes in recent years has been the number of people we see who are in work,” said Mr Cooper.
"Many people with jobs are just bumping along on the edge of homelessness and it doesn't take much to push them into it.
"There's been an increase in the cost of rents and the growth of low wage industries.
"In general, we are seeing a more diverse range of people finding themselves homeless.
"In the past, it tended to be people in their 20s but now they are in their 50s and 60s.
"We're also seeing people leaving prison who have nowhere to go and nowhere to live."
It's not the probation service's fault but quite a number end up with us."
Founded in 1991, Harrogate Homeless Project provides, approximately, 12,000 bed nights to vulnerable adults each year.
But its services go far beyond that.
The support offered creates a pathway back into the real world for the homeless.
Harrogate Homeless Project’s services include:
Wesley Chapel: Springboard Centre provides hot food, GP access, washing and access to other care agencies.
Bower Street: The hostel offers eight hostel beds, eight emergency beds.
Bower Street: The Night Shelter offers five emergency beds.
Bower Street: Offers eight flats adjacent to the hostel, as part of Move on Housing.
Sykes Grove: Offers four rooms as a final stage before becoming a tenant, as part of Move on Housing.
Strawberry Dale: Offers five rooms as a final stage before becoming a tenant, part of Move on Housing.
In an ideal world, Mr Cooper said, the process of helping someone out of homelessness can take on 16 weeks on average, though it varies with each person’s individual circumstance.
"It’s not a straightforward journey and it can be a long one,” he said.
"The reason we offer support in such a wide range of ways is that, getting somewhere to live is one thing but what happens next.
"Our clients aren’t used to all the responsibilities which suddenly return.
"By having a holistic approach, the likelihood of anyone falling back into homelessness is very much reduced."
The tough times we are living in impact doubly on a charity such as Harrogate Homeless Project.
Not only does it need to find more voluntary contributions to continue its existing work, it is under pressure to help more people.
Mr Cooper is proud of Harrogate Homeless Project’s record on taking people off the streets for good.
But the financial and practical demands are growing for this remarkable organisation, he admits.
"We need to find more property for people entering the final stage of the journey.
"The problem is that private accomodation is as expensive for us as for individuals.
“The more and better support we can offer, the better the outcome and what we do is solely about outcomes.
"It’s a challenge but we don’t give up and we don’t write anyone off.”