Meet Stacey

Oh my goodness poor girl. She doesn't look well at all does she?

She said she is a mum as well


I can[t understand Marvin Rees letting this go by him.

What are you going to do about it Marvin?

What an absolute disgrace! Where are these people supposed to store their belongings?

That is presumably all they have in the world and it could be taken from them.

This is not the answer.

fact is many are addicts. if they were housed many would not pay their rent. many would cause problems to their neighbours. many have been housed but have been evicted for causing trouble. most are beggars.They cant be allowed to turn shopping centres into shanty towns. their next step would be building structures.

The above is a comment from the paper and no matter how you see the problem (because it IS one) he does make some valid points.

Most cities and towns now have a problem with beggars and rough sleepers. Many reject conformity and many cannot cope with rules and regulations of hostels. A Sally Army neighbour who goes out on the streets says drug and alcohol addiction is mainly why such young people are begging, have lost ties with their families and are sleeping rough. They are given warm beds in hostels and food but go back to the streets to be with those they associate with -
other druggies or alcoholics. It is very sad. All are on benefits but need to beg to fuel their addictions.

Dare I say this is anti-social behaviour and not the norm? We cannot sweep the problem under the carpet but it is a growing social problem. Our cities cannot become shanty towns. That is not fair on all those who use them to shop, work, sell goods, sight-see etc, etc, etc. Many rough sleepers are intimidating and beg aggressively. I know we are not supposed to say these things but sympathy has a limit and the problem of rough sleeping has to be dealt with.

I am not sure how we do it though because for some it is a lifestyle choice. There but for the grace of God go I, etc, and I appreciate there can be no dignity in sitting on the street begging, but a broader vision also considers those who use our towns.

Do we build more hostels? Do we flush out drug dealers? Do we train more advocates and street workers? All of those things need doing I suspect, but we do have to get people off the streets for their protection and well-being and so that urban areas people use do not become difficult to access because of an ever growing social problem.

If drug use was legalised addicts could obtain their drugs in a safe controlled environment, dealers would disappear and users would not need the money to pay for their habit. Much associated crime such as shoplifting would decrease.

Do we build more hostels? Do we flush out drug dealers? Do we train more advocates and street workers? All of those things need doing I suspect, but we do have to get people off the streets for their protection and well-being
I agree, but I think that if a city like Bristol, with a Labour Council, a Labour Mayor (at great expense I should add) cannot find a way to solve the problems apart from confiscating - appropriating - people's only possessions then who is going to begin to solve it?

The Tory leader of the council in Windsor has been roundly criticised but there seems to be a lack of response on this thread.

Perhaps the title of the thread is misleading?

I do agree Day6, drug addiction is on the increase , sad to see this young girl but the other photograph of all those sleeping bags etc, not fair on the shop keepers and they do pay the tax which goes towards some help for addicts .

We seem to have gone from one extreme to the other ,
When all on the streets were a waste is space - now all on the streets are victims

In the interview, Kary Summers says that she and her partner have been told to go to the homeless hostel but they don't want to go. Why is this? They have an enormous amount of belongings piled up outside the shop and, to be fair, if that's left there for any length of time, I can imagine that it would cause problems regarding sanitation. If a place is available at a hostel, surely that has to be better than sleeping outdoors in all weather, isn't it?

This seems to have increased very rapidly and very recently - why? There have always been beggars in Bristol, I have been 'accosted' quite aggressively before now but then things did became quieter. They were not rough sleepers, but beggars, but there are more rough sleepers now.

I could be that drugs are the reason; rough sleepers will not be allowed to bring drugs into a hostel and perhaps that is why they do not want to go.

Another homeless man was on the news before Christmas saying 'if only I could get off this I would be OK, but I can't'. And hostels had refused to take some whom they knew could cause trouble and upset the others who were seeking refuge.

Same in Manchester. The link below is from August 2017 and details how a woman in her 60s, and her 2 son's, have been living rough in Manchester for 16 years. When reading the article, it's impossible not to feel heart sick for the woman, she has serious health conditions and has to take a lot of medication to deal with the heart attack she had a couple of years ago. It's only at the end of the article that it becomes apparent that the council and social workers have tried, for many years, to get the family into accommodation but, each time they do, the family return to live on the streets.

www.manchestereveningnews.co.uk/news/greater-manchester-news/homeless-camp-castlefield-deansgate-tents-13426694

Anniebach could the fact the tory government stopped paying housing benefit to under 25's have ANYTHING to do with the increase? Or do kids who leave care at 16 or 18 not deserve the chance of a home ...surely they have been disadvantaged enough by being as we say "care experienced"Or the girl my D knows whose stepfather chucked her out when she was 15 because she wasn't his and he didn't want to support her...sadly her birth father didn't either .NOT everyone is an addict ...how about the ex armed forces personnel ..left to get on with it when they come home after fighting ...mentally or physically scarred ..I know one of those too.You're all heart..NOT .

all heart !!

Paddyann, that is uncalled for! Your virtue-signalling makes you cruel!

When does realism cut in?

People on the streets have become a problem, like it or not, and their anti-social habits and lack of conformity mean they won't fit in, even when offered help. They are damaged people and I have sympathy - BUT - I also have sympathy for shoppers, shop-keepers, local residents, tourists - all these people putting money into Bristol's coffers. They too have a right not to be approached and shopkeepers have a right to ensure their premises and the streets outside look inviting.

We have to have this discussion, not shy away from it.

Rough sleepers have taken an alleyway which is a shortcut to both the station and car park in a town not far from where I live. That alleyway has to be cleaned of faeces and urine, used needles, condoms, beer bottles and cans and a variety of bags by council cleaners on a regular basis and the police have been criticised for making arrests. People have to go out of their way to get to the station or the car park on their way back from the shops or face abuse and walk through the mess. How can you ever justify this when many users are refusing help?

There are two sides to every story. We have to look at both in the interests of fairness.

Uncalled Paddyann, seems you do not read what is said, I spoke of addicts . Just who do you think you are judging me , do not play your holier than thou nonsense on me . I have taken in teenagers for short term whilst their family problems are sorted out.

I have no wish to exchange posts with you again, you are incapable of discussion.

"the girl my D knows whose stepfather chucked her out when she was 15 because she wasn't his and he didn't want to support her...sadly her birth father didn't either ."

Paddyann, that girl would have been at school. Her teachers would have been duty bound to inform social services as she is under age and accommodation would have been found. Even by her own efforts social workers would have had to look at her situation and accommodation would be found to ensure her safety. There could be more to her story. Why was she thrown out? She wouldn't be the first teenager to have crossed her parents. If that poor girl went off the rails and lived on the streets instead you have to blame the uncaring, selfish adults/carers in her young life for damaging her.

Every story is different, most are tragic, but I get the feeling you would blame Theresa may personally for her plight. People do care but some young people are very hard to get through to unfortunately. Adolescence is a difficult time for most young people, even those with a stable home background.

You are right Day6 there are two sides to this. We cannot condone the actions of people who turn public areas into such a mess. We do need some safe spaces which addicts will accept. How do we match the two

"Conor is from Clayton, among other places, and is 21 but looks younger. He's got qualifications – in joinery, from Tameside College – but generally seems to have chosen life on the streets. It provides a community, he says, one in which he knows everybody.
He has been on the streets on and off – 'personal reasons' – since he was 15 and says he doesn't like sleeping in a house. “It's claustrophobic.”
I ask about benefits and he says he's on sickness and Employment Support. He gives me various reasons for why he's not working, but at face value he does seem to be fairly content doing what he's doing, begging in various spots around the city centre.
“I like travelling,” he insists. “This is technically a home. I have a bed. A lot of people get into a rut of being inside and in and out of work."

This is an extract from an article in the Manchester Evening News, April 2016. Paddyann, it goes some way to disproving your theory that under the 25's are living on the streets because of governmental, or societal neglect. Sometimes, living on the streets is a choice of way of life.

Just in case anyone doubts the legitimacy of this extract, here is the link to the full article.
www.manchestereveningnews.co.uk/news/greater-manchester-news/manchester-homeless-camp-tent-city-11182966

I said in the post which caused me to be called heartless , we have gone to extremes, there was a time these rough sleepers would have been condemned, now they are all victims, neither is true , not all beggars and rough sleepers are victims, many are addicts and will not be accepted in the majority of hostels because they will not accept treatmyent , there are also addicts who cannot stop their addiction , there are many who do not want to live than life but the majority are addicts . There are youngsters who leave home for the cities , get into drugs/alchol and have no hope of being employed

"Or the girl my D knows whose stepfather chucked her out when she was 15 because she wasn't his and he didn't want to support her...sadly her birth father didn't either
Did you offer her a home paddyann?
Sometimes they just need some support for a few years as anniebach knows. A couple of times we had friends of the DC stay just very short-term while family problems were resolved, luckily they were able to return home again.

The 15 year old had a step father and birth father who allegedly didn't want her, no mother ? no relatives, no family friends?

I feel for rough sleepers in this weather (well any weather) but the fact is a lot do choose that life over conformity we have a young couple ‘living’ in a shop doorway, that the community seem to be looking after with loose change Starbucks coffee, MacD s, and sleeping bags but what these helpers don’t know is that they had a nice warm room in the local shelter with three meals a day free washing facilities and help to find whatever their future needs are but they were leaving their needles around the hostel and wouldn’t adhere to the rules
Maybe not in city centres but in smaller towns there are often rooms empty in hostels but many have dogs, or drug or drink problems that they don’t want to address, and some just don’t want help Those that do accept help often do make it to be valuable members of society but no one sees them do they?
I don’t think it’s fair of that young lady to think she can pile up her goods in the shop doorway