Youngsters sleeping rough

That is why I normally do a meal from macdonalds or a small selection of groceries. I did it for a lady last time and she cried

I’ve never had a negative response just some handshakes and a kiss on the hand

My daughter is a mental health nurse. Recently she worked with the police going out to deal with people in crisis. Whilst she was able to help in the crisis situation there was nowhere for the person to get help after that. No beds available in MH units or hostels etc. So much time was spent chasing up beds, on going help etc dealing with the next crisis was delayed. So frustrating for all the services trying to help. Closing the large psychiatric hospitals was not such a good idea as there was nothing to replace that care and treatment. It was ill thought through, care in the community is not financially viable.

Nicenanny there is enough money for overseas aid AND welfare at home, just not the will to spend it that way...

notanan ...I would agree with most of your comments, particularly those around caring families who are simply unable to continue.
Staff routinely have to deal with the violence and aggression, which is not always due to substance abuse. Some people are simply unable to regulate their behaviour.

The lack of MH support for those who struggle to cope with systems in the first place, is particularly hard.

Many youngsters travel to cities, and without a connection to the area, the councils are under no obligation to house them. Councils cannot be blamed - they are overwhelmed with those to whom they do have a legal duty of care.
You may have seen in the press that a council was found to have paid for a one-way train ticket. This was hyped as trying to "get rid of homeless people" but is actually done to help people return to an area where they do have a connection, and can therefore have some level of priority for housing.

It is not all doom and gloom. There are plenty of good news stories, and lives transformed.
Just not enough.

notanan2 You make many valid points.
Regarding ex services personnel I would always advise the service person to contact The Royal British Legion as they are a very well resourced charity and offer support workers to assist with rehousing, finding employment, benefit claims and give grants for rent deposits, rent arrears and other priority debt and grants to buy furniture to help get the person back into a stable home

There is a scheme here in Wales, most homeless are in the large towns, Cardiff, Newport, Swansea, there is a team who arrange for the homeless to go back to the part of the country they are from, the councils have to find them homes, they will not go, they choose the street over accommodation because they don’t want to leave the new friends they have made and drugs are far easier to get than in a small town.

There are some genuinely homeless people around and of course it's very sad, but it's important to remember that not all of them who appear to be ,are actually homeless.

A journalist visited Windsor after it was announced that the beggars were to be cleared off the streets in time for the Royal Wedding. He spoke to taxi drivers who said that a large number of these beggars are not homeless at all, but live in nearby Slough.

They turn up in the morning complete with a sleeping bag etc, then sit and wait.

It can be a very lucrative business apparently, with figures of over £200 per day being quoted. Windsor of course is a huge tourist draw, so it's easy to see why it would be chosen.

Then come the evening, they get taxis back home.

I have to say, I don't recognise the depiction here of ex-armed forces. My Dh was in the forces for 14 years, from the age of 16, but he certainly knew how to look after himself in Civvie Street! I cannot think of one of his fellow servicemen who has ended up on the the streets, they all settled nicely into their new lives.

I wonder what has brought about such a change in today's armed services? There wasn't any post-discharge support 'back in the day' so it can't be because that's been cut back.

the statistics on ex service personnel who ent up with PTSD ,on the streets and on drugs etc is very frightening .Sadly the young man who we know has recently been diagnosed with pancreatic cancer and has maybe just months to live.Maybe the recruiting officers need to assess the suitability before they sign up boys.Its not a lifestyle that suits everyone ,especially the ones who thought they would be firthering their career prospects and not being sent to war .

What this thread so clearly demonstrates is that there is no longer any 'stereotypical' homeless person.

The woman on the bench could be a 70 year old whose marriage broke down ten years ago and left her homeless, while sitting next to her is a bankrupt 42 year old business man whose wife has thrown him out now that he's lost his money. Across the road the severely mentally ill woman is talking to herself and the care leaver with no home to go to is checking she's okay. The recovering gambler is watching events unfold and the ex-squaddie with PTSD is mentally ticking off his 'to do' list for tomorrow whilst avoiding the drunken attentions of a young couple who are setting up a tent. All they have in common is the lack of a place to call home.

Homeless people are becoming increasingly evident in cities, towns and villages across the country as the previous (already depleted) support services are being dismantled completely or cut to the bone. There are no easy answers; we can see just here on GN how complex, and heartbreaking, some of the situations are for families, but I do believe that there is now a consensus that government action is needed to address the issue. I only hope that changes are made quickly before many more lives are lost.

You never even see most homeless people anyway. They're in grotty b'n'bs that kick them out from dusk till dawn, sofa surfing & outstaying welcomes & camping out of sight.

People in doorways or hostels is the tip of the iceburg.

notanan that is so true.

grannyactivist ....spot on!
I would add in the prison leaver with no home to return to.

I think homeless shelters and a ban on begging is a start. Some people may not want to sleep insude for whatever reason, so perhaps a safe place could be designated to them.
Unfortunately there is a park in our town where some defecate in the open.
Forty years ago I offered lodging for the winter, to a homeless person I met at a drop in centre, on condition of no alcohol and drugs in the house. It worked fine but I had to ask him to leave in the spring because it was never meant to be long term. He turned out to be ace at scrabble! His homelessness was due to a stepfather beating him up whenever he’d had a drink, which was most days.