Why Students Need to Address Inequality in Cambridge: Reflecting on a Year in Embrace

Thea Redmill, Co-President of Embrace, reflects on her experiences working with Embrace and local charities to combat inequality and poverty in Cambridge

Photo by Laura Finnigan

Recently coined the UK’s ‘most unequal city’, it is no secret that, behind the facade of Cambridge’s glamorous reputation, the city has a real problem with poverty. 

“How could I feel proud living in Cambridge when the real city, the one behind the student pubs and college butteries, faced serious imbalances?”

Beginning my studies here, I felt this pang of excitement: I was joining a cohort of forward-thinkers and entering a lifestyle more luxurious than anything I had ever experienced. Yet, as I learned more about the city, the problem of homelessness grew harder and harder to ignore. All too often, I’d be walking through the centre at night, full of the halls food we so often complain about, chilly under East-Anglian winds, and pass multiple people experiencing homelessness. How could I feel proud living in Cambridge when the real city, the one behind the student pubs and college butteries, faced serious imbalances? 

Upon looking at how I could change my role in the injustices that grew to be more and more apparent in the city, I discovered Embrace, a student-run society that seeks to support those experiencing homelessness in Cambridge. The group has since opened my eyes to realities students are sheltered from, and highlighted the many ways we can help. 

Raising money for local charities: Embrace’s pub quiz fundraiser. Photo by Danny Petrie

Embrace bridges the gap between student and city efforts in combatting homelessness in Cambridge through fundraising and raising awareness of the exact issues our city faces. Last year, we held pub quizzes to raise money for local charities and hosted panel events facilitating conversations from people working for city-based charities. These panels not only highlighted the charities’ work and the complexities of Cambridge’s situation, but also emphasised to students the wealth of actors working to fight this problem - offering hard facts as well as hope. 

Our conversations with the city’s charities have been eye-opening. “Homelessness is incredibly complex, but that doesn’t mean we shouldn’t strive to put an end to it,” says Del Roberts, last year’s co-president of Embrace. “Collaboration and empathy are at the heart of tackling this problem.” 

The 2023 Cambridgeshire council report on housing shows over 2,000 people approached the council for “advice” on accommodation in the past year (April-March), an increase since COVID-19. This relates to another problem: hidden homelessness. The crisis is not just defined by those on the streets, but also by the number of people facing housing insecurity and being affected by the similarly large (and interrelated) problem of poverty in the city.

“our work also aims to break down the ‘Town vs Gown’ divide, trying to avoid falling into the trap of overtly facilitating inequality through our membership of the University.”

Sobering is just one of the words we could use when reflecting on these realities. Yet involvement in Embrace has allowed me to meet and liaise with those working to tackle the problem head-on, accessing some optimism. Jimmy’s, WinterComfort and Cyrenians are just a few of the local charities providing accommodation and more to those experiencing homelessness. Visiting these charities helped me understand just how many people are working to combat the situation whilst similarly learning exactly how the student community can help. This can often be as simple as educating ourselves and being ready to offer the most appropriate help to people we encounter on the streets. As Embrace learns about more of the incredible actors in the Cambridge charity scene, our work also aims to break down the ‘Town vs Gown’ divide, trying to avoid falling into the trap of overtly facilitating inequality through our membership of the University. 

For me, there is such an empowering nature to being a part of Embrace. Becoming aware of the inequality prevalent in our city can often conjure a sentiment of hopelessness, a feeling that there is an innate hostility between the city we know as students and the one that others do. Embrace is a forum to show that we as students are not bystanders to the problems our city faces: we are aware of social inequalities and ready to fight for greater parity in the city. We recognise our impact as students is, of course, limited, and we cannot fix the problem overnight. By encouraging students to attend fundraisers, read information on our Instagram and sign up to volunteer, we are creating a culture where we are not ignoring the community we are part of. Instead, we are doing what we can to show that we care and will not be passive in the problems the community faces that we are so protected from.  

Feeling empowered to take action: Embrace co-presidents James Hyde and Thea Redmill speaking at a recent fundraiser gig in Clare cellars. Photo by Pasha Taylor

“By encouraging students to attend fundraisers, read information on our Instagram and sign up to volunteer, we are creating a culture where we are not ignoring the community we are part of.”

Current co-president James Hyde describes joining Embrace as “one of the best decisions I have made at Cambridge.” James says it is an “honour” to have the ability to “make a real difference and support the incredible organisations in the Cambridge homelessness sector.” 

I now enter my third year of university with significantly more optimism than when I started. The euphoria of being a Cambridge student has worn off and my reflections on the reality of the city have been digested. It’s important we recognise problems exist, and a growing number of students are working to change that. 

It is a privilege to be part of a group that seeks to help our city. The past year with Embrace has taught me a lot about the unique experience Cambridge faces with homelessness – and, whilst we have a long way to go, Embrace is ready to do what we can to continue to fundraise for and support the various fantastic groups in Cambridge who are working to help the situation. Our committee is now bigger than ever, and we are excited to have recently begun a weekly volunteering slot at local hostel Jimmy’s, which is something anyone can get involved with. Who knows what the future might bring…

If you’d like to hear more about our events, get involved with volunteering, or just learn more about supporting homelessness in Cambridge, join our community on Instagram @EmbraceCambridge.