Embrace is a student-led organisation seeking to support people experiencing homelessness in Cambridge, which aims to take positive action by “bridging the gap between students and town efforts.” Speaking to Thea Redmill, the group’s current co-president, I am told enthusiastically that participation in Embrace’s work has been “a really good opportunity to get involved” in combating the deep-rooted inequality in the city.

Explaining the sense of alienation that often accompanies many who arrive at the University of Cambridge for the first time, Redmill recounts how she was compelled to assist Embrace due to “seeing so much inequality and feeling guilty that I felt I could not do much to help in the position I was in.” Coming from a seaside town where community engagement in social issues was strong, Redmill describes the sense of satisfaction she felt finding the organisation, which aims to “help students understand their role” in alleviating homelessness in Cambridge.

“Our priorities are to break down prejudices and put pressure on colleges to become safer spaces for those experiencing homelessness”

Redmill informs me that Embrace utilises a number of methods “to educate students and equip them with the knowledge to most appropriately help people they might encounter experiencing homelessness.” These range from educational events that provide a platform to local actors involved in homelessness projects, to attending panels events in the city that might for instance raise awareness about “making A&E more accessible for people who might have addiction problems.” Fundraising and donation drives are common, and students are encouraged to donate via fundraising events, such as a recent Hot Content gig at Clare Cellars. Redmill argues that even something as easy as following the Embrace Instagram account can be a powerful way of “placing pressure” on the university and colleges to support student-led initiatives, alongside “breaking down the gulf” between lived realities in the city.

In all of this, Redmill tells me that “we are very aware that we are students and, as we are only here for a limited amount of time, our knowledge and ability to fix homelessness is limited.” The priorities of the organisation are to “break down prejudices and put pressure on colleges to become safer spaces for those experiencing homelessness,” recognising existing societal structures that play a large role in homelessness from a local to nationwide level.

Increasingly, Embrace has played a greater role in lobbying Cambridge colleges to interact with the issue of homelessness. Redmill tells me that, despite some positive interactions with college masters, there is far more that could be done to utilise college assets. Providing employment as a means of closing CV gaps for those who have experienced homelessness is one proposal that Embrace currently advocates for.

“We are part of a bigger community than we might initially believe”

Reflecting upon her time at Embrace so far, Redmill stresses what a privilege it has been to interact more closely with members of the local community. She informs me that “being able to meet some really amazing local actors who have basically dedicated their lives to combatting inequality has been really inspiring.” Describing the opportunity she has had to talk to people experiencing homelessness, to Redmill “it is important to see every homeless person as an individual with a story, instead of making assumptions about why or how they are in the position they are in.”

As Embrace continues to grow as an organisation, Redmill encourages other students who can to get involved in the effort that she has found so enriching. Alongside the traditional modes of involvement like donations, Redmill wishes to stress that students can always contact the account if they wish to become more directly involved. She reminds me that many of Embrace’s college liaison officer roles remain unfilled, highlighting the fact that “for every college that has an officer we get on average fifty more donations to charity when we do our endowment fundraiser.”

Overall, Redmill argues that joining Embrace is an opportunity to recognise that we are “part of a bigger community than we might initially believe”, as involvement at any level, big or small, allows for students to “play a positive part in creating change.”