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did – it’s the best thing I’ve ever done.” In 2022 DENS began offering placements to local counselling and therapy students in order to improve capacity and increase access to the service; this year Paula has already had 20 applicants. With the help of the Foundation’s unrestricted funding, Paula now works full-time at DENS. “Often people will come into the service and initially be a bit resistant to the thought of therapy because their levels of trust are low and they have experience of abuse by authoritative figures,” Paula explains. “But after a while, they will see me around and hear from the other residents who are in therapy, and will then approach us.” Even people who are housed can struggle to attend regular therapy, and the challenges for clients without a home are even greater. Beyond the question of whether the person has a phone, money to travel, or appointments with other agencies, some homeless people are stuck in addictive cycles. After training to be a UKCP-accredited therapist at the Metanoia Institute in London, Paula gained experience as a
therapist at a rehabilitation service before setting up DENS’s service. She herself has experienced homelessness, substance misuse and long-term therapy. She was particularly moved by the work of Carl Rogers, the man behind humanistic therapy and the person-centred approach, and has led her own research into therapy outside of conventional settings. “The system generally fails when it comes to this client group, as it does for any disadvantaged or marginalised groups,” Paula says. “It doesn’t work for them, and it really needs redressing.” DENS’s radical approach to therapy is also a point of pride for CEO Wendy Lewington. “We’ve got 50–60-year-olds that have had a life of trauma; short-term therapy isn’t going to make a difference,” she says. “The fact that it’s based in the hostel means that clients feel at home, and if they miss an appointment, they get another go. If you miss an appointment with the NHS then you can often be wiped off. We have a full- time therapist with significant experience, and we really focus on trauma. Those elements have made it be the success that it is.”
Alongside the housing and therapy that DENS provides, the charity also teaches life skills such as cooking, and workplace skills such as gardening and bike maintenance – all intended to support people to live and work independently after contact with DENS. DENS’s patient, relational approach to resolving homelessness is one of its unique strengths. “Homelessness is a symptom or by-product of other issues,” Wendy says. “Unless you deal with the other issues, there’s going to be a revolving door around homelessness. We’ve seen it. Some people come back to our hostel four or five times. What is that fourth or fifth intervention that means they can take that next step? If you’ve got a life of trauma, it’s going to take more than just a little bit of therapy to work your way through that.” DENS’s local county council, Hertfordshire, faces reorganisation by 2028. Wendy believes that this will bring new opportunities for the charity to extend the work they do. With a new strategy due out at the end of the year, the team is now constantly identifying innovative ways of working to
support the most vulnerable. A long-term commitment works wonders for their clients, and will do the same for the future of DENS, too.
The Leathersellers’ Foundation’s ACEs Main Grants Programme provides multi-year funding to over 60 ACEs-focused charities throughout the UK. Funded partners work with people of all ages affected by ACEs, including infants, soon-to-be parents, young people and adults. In preventing and mitigating the harm of ACEs, we believe that it is never too early or too late to ask for help.
Top left: CEO Wendy Lewington Centre: Paula Mates with Sammi Top right: Warren
Photography: Callum Toy
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