When walking into Magdalen Street Tesco for a meal deal, sweet treat, or cheap bottle of wine, you’re always met with that polite request: any spare change? Homelessness in Oxford is unignorable. It’s an odd sensation to be at one of the richest universities in the world, whose city nonetheless has so many people in need of help.
As a student at Exeter, it is commonplace to see a scrappy piece of paper in the kitchen which reads “TSHA Do not Touch!”. Most of us don’t really know what they do but you assume it’s something good, so we leave the various pot noodles and tins of soup alone. Look further, however, and you’ll see a student movement dedicated to helping tackle homelessness in Oxford. Euan, a second year medic at St John’s, is treasurer of Turl Street Homeless Action and spoke to me about how he got involved with the charity. He felt confronted with the “harsh reality” of homelessness “almost every day and it made [him] want to try and do something to help”.
TSHA has three main functions: bringing hot drinks, food, and hygiene products to those sleeping rough; providing company and offering a listening ear for those who want it; and bridging the divide between students and the homeless community. Euan told me how on his first shift he released “how insular and inward-looking this University can be”. We walk past those that are struggling on a daily basis and the vast majority of us happily go back to our grandiose dining halls for a warm meal without a second thought. We treat Oxford as our campus, ignoring the fact that we’re temporary residents of a city which isn’t just chapels, quads, and college bars.
People start working with TSHA for a number of reasons and stay once they realise just how important their work can be. On my first shift I met Tony, a second year lawyer at St Hilda’s, for whom working with TSHA was simply “a nice break from reading”. Jack, third year historian at St Hugh’s, ended up becoming president of the society all initially as he was “bored in first year”. Unassuming motivations leading to noteworthy actions.
TSHA has come a long way in recent years. Ivan, a third year physicist at Exeter, said when he started as a fresher, they would struggle to get 2 or 3 shifts out a week, but now they were happening pretty much daily. Another long-term volunteer spoke about how “this is the strongest the society has been in my 3 years volunteering”. There’s now an active community of volunteers and groups like Oxford University Islamic Society (ISOC) or the University rugby team (OURFC) come in to do regular shifts too.
Given the eagerness to help I was curious to learn why this wasn’t always the case. A volunteer told me when they started “there was no real publicity, and it was tough to see how to get involved”. The new committee understood these problems and with a proactive attitude have generated a real buzz. They revamped the social media, cleaned up the finances, and for the first time hosted a stall at freshers fair which was very successful. For secretary Ruby, fourth year engineer at Hertford, their “focus is getting people out every night”.
There are a number of regulars that TSHA visits, and on my second shift we met a group of them. Half a dozen mattresses pushed up against a wall, the people on them packed close together. We gave them socks, hot drinks, pot noodles, chocolate bars, and wipes, everything received with the utmost gratitude.
As we started packing our stuff away you couldn’t help but look up at the shimmering lights of the Westgate roof terrace, where just a few months ago a restaurant serving a £50 set menu with £30 worth of wine pairings was opened to great fanfare. There was an almost cinematic cruelty to the whole scene which made it hard for me to not feel angry at such stark inequality. TSHA is not a campaigning group, but their student society status means they can ask for money from college JCRs easily. This makes them a bit of a Robin Hood organisation. Taking from the rich the University and giving it to the poor of Oxford.
Homelessness is on the rise. In Autumn 2023 there were 46 people sleeping rough in Oxford, up from 27 in 2022. The seriousness of the issue is not to be understated as between 2021 and 2023 there were a recorded 27 deaths of homeless people in Oxfordshire. With this in mind, getting involved with TSHA seems like a no-brainer. As Ruby puts it, “You can do one shift and never again or do weekly shifts, it is really up to you”.
Just a couple hours spent walking around Oxford, pouring hot chocolates for people who need them, and asking them how their day has been. Maybe even talking about how music was better ‘back in the day’ and bonding over your love for Bowie, T. Rex, and The Doors outside the covered market.
As students we often walk around wearing our college puffers with our heads held high, but it is looking down that gives you a sense of the reality of homelessness for many in Oxford. Even with no spare change to give, a spare evening can make a huge difference.
