Why, in the year of 2012, did this young girl have to sleep in a tent against a roadside wall?

There are so many homeless people, and the number is growing. While we obviously know little about her it does seem appalling that there was no safe refuge for her to go to, but there is the possibility that she had addiction or other problems that meant she refused help.

I was wondering that too , such a terrible shame..

It is an absolute scandal. I can only speak for my own authority, but a few years ago homeless people could access night shelters by turning up. However the rules were changed so there is no direct access any more. Homeless people have to contact the housing department who decide whether they can be accommodated. They may be turned away for all sorts of reasons and in an emergency it is quite likely they will be unable to make contact with the out of hours number. It is ridiculous to expect people with chaotic lives and multiple problems to follow these kinds of procedures.

It certainly is a scandal, nightowl. Night shelters should be accessible to all who need them without them having to go through ridiculous red-tape procedures to establish whether they're eligible!

jingle it is a tragedy for this young woman, and you're right that in 2012 we should be dismayed at the plight of the homeless people on our doorsteps; but Exeter does have a brilliant 'Nightstop' scheme which can be very easily accessed by homeless people between the ages of 16-25. If anyone is interested in finding out more about offering a bed to a vulnerable homeless person you can have a look here. There is a very good system of referral and support and it's not something that you'll be expected to do every night, but more volunteer hosts are always welcome.

Thank you Grannyactivist. I didn't know about that scheme. I wonder how widely known it is and why this woman still had to sleep in a tent in this weather. Surely she wouldn't have done that through choice.

I think a 'turn up and get a bed' scheme would be better tbh. I'm not sure how many home owners would be brave enough to take in a complete stranger off of the street. I know it would be a very good and Christian to do but you would have to be very trusting. Or am I totally wrong? I don't know.

I don't think many people would sign up for that jingl, for many reasons. Certainly not enough to make a difference...

I have known clients who have chosen to live in a tent, even in the worst of weathers and for reasons that they were unwilling to divulge to me, in spite of the fact that they had parents or other relatives and friends in the vicinity. I'm afraid that there are such people. Perhaps we'll never know why this young woman was in a tent under a wall.

I have no idea about this girls circumstances but some homeless people are very troubled and very difficult to help and manage to get evicted from proper accomodation due to their challenging behaviour.

Even night shelters do sometimes have to ban residents, often for substance abuse issues or very aggressive behaviour. The shelters decide, that the safety of other residents who are trying to benefit from the facilities has to take priority. It is difficult to see how you could run a place without such ground rules. In those circumstances offering the person a tent is probably the only solution.

I helped at Bristol night shelter for some years.We provided a hot meal ,shower facilities and sandwiches to take away but there were only 15 beds available -there was a mad rush for those when we opened the doors at 7 p.m.We often had to ban some visitors because of aggression,dealing etc.
There is a dreadful shortage of beds for the homeless in most big cities.Many sleep in doorways and underpasses.
Bristol also runs the 'Nightstop' system but its very temporary and not for most of the homeless.

Does anybody know why she was there? Could she have been sleeping out by choice? Perhaps making some sort of protest? Shouldn't we wait for more information before condemning the council, etc.?

Sadly Greatnan it seems she was one of a group of homeless people who had been living in tents in the city centre for some time.

www.thisisdevon.co.uk/Dramatic-pictures-Exeter-tree-crush-death-scene/story-17418705-detail/story.html

How tragic. The poor young woman.

Thank you, nightowl, that really is very sad. I wonder if it will make any difference to policy?

Somebody must surely have a drastic re-think about the vulnerability of homeless people.

There is a youngish (30s?) homeless man living near a redundant church I help care for. In the cold weather last year he was sleeping in the porch and lighting candles for light and warmth. The keyholder who lives next to the church has spoken to him and tried to build a raport with him. She has also been in touch witht the appropriate services, but he has rebuffed all attempts to help. He shows no signs of being a substance abuser or having obvious mental health problems but as this lady said something has happened to him that has caused him to choose to drop out of life and he has chosen the long slow route to suicide by neglect.

That is really sad. Only in his thirties.

What are some mums thinking of?

Why blame his mum? He is a grown man. Perhaps he had problems with a relationship, or his employment.

Maybe he has lost his mum. We cannot possibly jump to conclusions.

Yes. he might have lost his mum.

No way would I let a thirty-something son of mine sleep rough.

Regarding the homeless individuals mentioned who seem to be beyond/reject help - I was told by someone with many years' experience of working with the homeless that people can be 'lost' forever after a mere 48 hours on the street.

I can believe that's true - the sheer feeling of hopelessness and rejection must be overwhelming and difficult to find your way out of.

Of all the problems in the world, homelessness is the one I lose sleep over.