oversleeping

I overslept this morning! Sian, my companion for the night had to shout quite loudly to get me to wake up at 7.10. I had woken for an hour or so in the night because some drunk people were about and then had fallen into a deep sleep again. I forgot to take the sign last night too so we had no way of highlighting what we were doing to passers by and traffic, but our presence alone said something. The sign also produces a kind of division - we're not really homeless it implies with its 'In Solidarity with Homeless People Everywhere'.

The nights have been mild and sleep has been fairly easy - it is fitting in all the day work which is challenging me. I miss that 2 hours in the morning when I can get on with things undisturbed. I find I keep forgetting things. Went into the shop again this morning to finish the windows of number 10 and number 14 the Arcade for the Peace Festival. They look great with art work from year 9 Blue Coat school about their idea of what sanctuary means and also tee shirts painted by Yardley Street youth club and a series of drawings by Andrea about Farzad the sheep and his fear of going to sign with immigration in Solihull - like a sheep to the slaughter.

Alem came with me and was a great help. He is a young Eritrean soldier whose asylum claim has been refused. He is staying in the night shelter and has a really positive attitude despite the fact that he is completely stuck now. They didn't believe he was Eritrean or in the army despite pictures he managed to get of himself in the uniform. They never send Eritreans back - and anyway if they don't think he is from Eritrea where would they send him? He is not allowed to work or get any benefits, he can't leave the country. He is effectively stateless. What can he do? Before the shelter he was sleeping on the street. And yet he is such good company and has so much to offer society.

Off now to a City of Sanctuary working group meeting trying to find out how to make Coventry a City of Sanctuary for refugees, asylum seekers and vulnerable migrants. There is lots of good will to make it happen.