Terence Crolley has been involved with The Whitechapel Centre for over 40 years, on the board of Trustees for more than 20 years, and Chair for 14. Now at 90, he’s the Honorary President, Ambassador and a proud recipient of an MBE (which he’ll receive from the King in June).
Terry’s interest in helping resolve homelessness officially began when he was a probation officer in the 1960s… but actually he had a little experience of it himself as a child.
He explains, “During the Blitz my father was a prisoner of war in Germany, so it was just mum and the children at home. During one air raid there was a big bang and the house at the end of our road was demolished. So we were evacuated to Burscough - my mum, myself, my brother and my sister. However, the woman we were allocated to said yes to the girls but not my brother and me.”
Clearly his mum refused and they left. Terry was 7 and his brother was 5. Terry remembers, “We stayed on the street for two days. The headmistress of the local school said we could sleep on their hall floor but had to leave during the day. Then we sofa surfed for a long time before we went to live with my Grandma in Bickerstaff. Although I thought it was a bit of an adventure, that memory gave me a small understanding of living on the street."
Not a quick fix
After National Service, Terry became a probation officer and supervised offenders just released from prison. Some had nowhere to go, so the probation service helped them find accommodation and in 1986 Terry came into contact with the Whitechapel Centre, when he was asked to run some training for staff.
Decades later and Terry is now the Whitechapel Centre’s strongest advocate. He explains, “Staff go into streets, speak to them, first look after their physical needs - food, clothing, shower - then the real job starts of finding out why they are on the streets and how they can avoid it in the future. It’s not a quick fix. Staff have stickability and are such a consistent force for good in Merseyside. They never give up on anyone.” Sadly, Terry thinks the homeless situation is going to get worse. Ticking timebomb
“I think we’re sitting on a homeless timebomb. With graduates coming out of university with student debt and unable to afford homes even with good jobs, what about others without those opportunities? Long term the government has got a real housing and homelessness problem.
“It’s terrible that 50 years after The Whitechapel Centre began, homelessness is as bad as ever. Thankfully, we’re helping transform lives. Some have gone on to be volunteers and staff. I think it says something about the quality of relationships, getting alongside people and being caring and sticking with them, sometimes over years, to turn lives around. It’s about consistency, commitment and dedication.”
Terry is thrilled to have been honoured with an MBE but says it’s an award for everyone at The Whitechapel Centre. “Homelessness, and resolving the individual needs of homeless people, requires a specific set of people skills, including understanding the causes of homelessness, and the various problems people who are homeless face. Not everyone has the skills, patience, resilience and fortitude to work to end homelessness. My award of the MBE recognises the hard work of all workers, at whatever level, at The Whitechapel Centre.”
Terence Crolley
