It makes you think

I managed to get to work this morning without being soaked by rain en route - quite rare for this week. I'd checked my e-mail, showered and was in reception having dropped off the key to the shower when a colleague asked me to help him bring the milk in. I think he was concerned that it might go 'missing'. There was a group of people outside, slightly unusual for 08.30. Me being me I went over to see if they needed help.

They were Slovakian, a small woman, three slight men, a boy and possibly another child in a buggy all with just the one battered, pull-along suitcase. They were tired and couldn't speak English. They clasped photocopied pieces of paper, one of which showed them how to find us. Very few people are in the office at that time of day and I did my best to say no, they couldn't sleep here, we couldn't feed them and we didn't have clothes or bandages (I think that was why the main chap was pointing at his feet). I also knew that the child has to be protected by the local authority. I felt awful trying to say that I could do nothing except get them to return at 14.00 - by pointing at the '2' on a watch and waving my hands. The Man showed me a piece of paper. In English it explained the steps involved in getting work in the construction industry. He obviously hadn't a clue what it said. I shook my head and said 'work', one of them said 'job' and I said yes and made digging motions. The man said 'yes, work' pointing to himself and repeated the digging movement.

We parted company, with the Man saying something to me quite earnestly, nothing horrible I don't think. I motioned to say that I would write something down for the people in reception and he smiled.

Later in the morning, another colleague said he would see if he could find where they'd got to locally and soon he let me know they had found their way to a day centre close to our offices. In the afternoon, one of the project workers came through the office asking if anyone spoke Slovakian - they had returned. Downstairs the group were sitting in reception eating sandwiches from our cafe. Quietly, well-behaved, waiting for something, someone to help.

They were still there when I left for home just before 17.30. Not being stroppy or impatient, but quiet and forlorn. I smiled at the woman and she smiled back recognising me, and there was a glimmer that perhaps something was being sorted. I nodded at the Man and he smiled and nodded back.

I don't care how they came to be in London, E1. They obviously needed help and had next to nothing. They spoke no English and had found their way to us with a couple of bits of paper with some phone numbers added by hand. What sort of a day had they had? Where had they been before 08.30? Where are they now, tonight? How frightened would you be in a country where you don't speak the language, have no money and nowhere to stay? The thing is, they'd been sent to us and we specialise in single homeless, not families and especially not children. But, as a colleague said to me on the way out this evening, we're Crisis we don't turn people away.

I found out yesterday that I didn't get a job with the Post Office that I went for last week. Apparently I interviewed well, would fit in bla bla but there was one thing about my knowledge of telephony. Doh. I thought I knew a bit about that. Today I was told I wouldn't even be interviewed for a policy job within Crisis. But what the fuck. I'm sitting here in my own house, I've probably had too much to eat and I have work to go back to again tomorrow.