Homeless World Cup Podcast

Welcome to the Homeless World Cup's new podcast - How to End Homelessness

Bongani Mathiso captained the South African side at the Homeless World Cup in Mexico in 2012. Now he’s working with not-for-profit organisation Oasis who helped him to turn his life around after “living the life of a lie” taking drugs and committing crime.

We spoke to him about how lessons learnt on the pitch can translate to everyday life and how important it is for politicians to understand what's happening on the ground if they’re going to tackle homelessness.

In this episode, we speak to Cliffy Martinus of Oasis Place, an NGO in South Africa. Oasis are the Homeless World Cup Foundation's Street Football Partner in South Africa.

Cliffy is the founder of Oasis, and having grown up in the Cape Flats himself, he wanted to make a positive impact. After many years of community work in the Cape Flats, he founded Oasis in 2000.

Recorded in late 2020, when Covid was on the rise again in South Africa, we discuss how Cliffy was asked to assist the city of Cape Town's homeless programme at the peak of the outbreak. We also discuss how Oasis is dealing with the pandemic, and how they are adapting their programme and introducing effective new initiatives such as their pop-up arena.

Oasis believe in sports as a driver of social change, and teach disadvantaged young South Africans about fair play, inclusion and respect – lessons directly transferable to their own lives.

Off the pitch, Oasis leverage the universal passion for football to get participants involved in various social development programmes, and keep them there.

We all recognise that homelessness compunds difficulties that most of us take for granted. But what about pets?

Pet care in the UK can be too costly, and for many people who are homeless with their pets it can seem out of reach. 

In this episode, we find out more about what pet services are available for homeless people. Mariana and I spoke to Jade Statt, co-founder of charity StreetVet, and Harriet Page, outreach project coordinator for Dog's Trust's Hope Project. 

The covid-19 pandemic has put tenants all over the world in a vulnerable position. In April, Scotland introduced an eviction ban for those affected by the crisis that could continue until March 2021. England and Wales implemented similar protections for renters in the summer months, however the bans ended in September.

People in the UK have been losing their jobs across the income spectrum, placing many people in financial stress.

We wanted to know more about the threats facing renters in the UK due to the pandemic. We spoke to Scottish Green Party Housing Spokesperson Andy Wightman who has been a vocal proponent of more robust protections for renters.

We discuss why the “eviction ban” may be a misnomer, how real the threat is for renters, what protections are in place, and the need for a winter eviction ban.

We’re back!

In this episode of the Homeless World Cup Podcast, Paul and Adam speak to the Reverend Dr Iain Whyte about his new anthology book Football’s Faithful Fans, a collection of writing from 20 contributors exploring what it means to support a football team.

Iain has been an avid supporter of the Homeless World Cup for many years, and he continues to be so with his new book. Proceeds from book sales will go towards the HWCF to help us keep the ball rolling.

You can buy the anthology in paperback from Amazon.

Having recently celebrated his 80th birthday, Iain has lived a fascinating life. We talk about his experiences working on the ground with civil rights movements in the US, anti-apartheid movements in South Africa, and meeting Dr Martin Luther King.

In this special episode of the Homeless World Cup Podcast, we speak to Scottish author Val McDermid. 

For Homeless World Cup Day 2020, Val has put together a digital collection of prose and poetry focusing on the themes of football and homelessness: Home Fixtures. The anthology features the work of 24 authors, including Ian Rankin, Jackie Kay, and Nick Hornby, with the proceeds going to the Homeless World Cup Foundation. 

You can find out more about Home Fixtures on our website, or buy it on Amazon. 

We talk to Val about the anthology and her love of football. After the interview you will be able to listen to five exceprts from the book read by their authors. 

List of excerpts:

Remember My Name - Craig Robertson

Echo - Joelle Taylor

The Rules of Playground Football - Chris Brookmyre

Na Boots/The Boots - Peter Mackay

The Holy Ball - Antti Tuomainen

In this episode, Paul and Adam speak to FC Give director Caleb Olson. FC Give is a US based grassroots organisation that aims for social change through football. As well as sponsoring Street Soccer USA at the Homeless World Cup, FC Give volunteers their time and knowledge base to hold game sessions during every tournament.

We talked to Caleb about FC Give's model and history, his move from the corporate world into the third sector, and why pick-up football brings people together.

FC Give website: https://www.fcgive.org/

Street Soccer USA started in Charlotte, North Carolina by brothers Lawrence and Rob Cann in 2004. Initially conceived as a local programme at a soup kitchen, the organisation has since grown to help over 15,000 children and adults in 14 cities around the country.

In this episode of the Homeless World Cup Podcast we speak to SSUSA programme manager Reed Fox. As well as exploring SSUSA’s rapid development, we look at their theory of change model, the Ladies First initiative, and their innovative response to the lockdown.

Just a slight warning, there is one instance of mild language being used in this episode.

In this episode of the Homeless World Cup Podcast we speak to highly decorated athlete and Chair of UK Sport, Dame Katherine Grainger.

Katherine is a former rower and the UK’s most decorated female Olympian, with five medal wins. She has also participated in eight World Rowing Championships, coming away with six gold medals.

As well as her athletic achievements, in 2017 Katherine was named “Dame” at the New Year Honours, as well as becoming Chair of UK Sport. She is also board member of International Inspiration, a charity that uses sport to empower young people worldwide.

We wanted to know more about why sport is such a powerful tool, how UK Sport is dealing with the lockdown, and if sport can really return to normality following the COVID-19 epidemic.

In this episode of the Homeless World Cup Podcast we speak to Gavin Yates, Chief Executive of Homeless Action Scotland.

Homeless Action Scotland is the national membership organisation for homelessness in Scotland and aims to influence and support effective policy and practice to tackle homelessness. They work with local authorities, voluntary organisations, housing associations, health bodies, and individuals.

Recently, HAS agreed to work with Crisis around the FrameWorks Institute’s “Reframing Homelessness” report, which aims to examine public perceptions of homelessness and how it can be better communicated.

Paul and Adam speak to Gavin about how language around homelessness affects public perception, why we really aren’t as “woke” as we think, and what can be done to lessen stigma.

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Thank you!