Youngsters sleeping rough

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.

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

notanan that is so true.

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.

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.

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 .

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.

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.

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.

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

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.

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

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.

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

Perhaps some of our overseas aid could be channelled to helping the rough sleepers but obviously only the ones willing to be helped, some are beyond help sadly.

Oh....but for the grace of God !

LL9 there is money. Aren’t we one of the biggest economies in the world? People just don’t want to pay more tax, even when they can afford it ?

Thank you, you have all made very valid observations, it is so complex a problem but the bottom line is there is insufficient care and support out there and no money. I do admire people that get involved, most on a voluntary basis, soup runs, survival packs and a kind word, in my eyes they are heroes, not just talking about it but doing something. I often speak to youngsters, ask their name etc tell them mine, I hate that they might think they are invisible I have never once had a negative response, I would not start a conversation with somene high on drugs or drunk, just evaluate the situation as it presents, but it's not enough.

Notanan - I do agree with you that it is not always possible to have someone at home when they have mental health or drug problems.

Adult ed funding was cut to fund this drive to keep young people in formal education until 19 (which conversely is driving many who hate school into the army because they hate school and don't wanna go to college until 19) so when adults leave the army with lots of inhouse training but sod all to show to civilian employers, what can they do?

If my kids wanted to join the army I would support them. But I would find out what army role appealed to them and urge them to get their civillian qualifications in that role FIRST, and THEN join the army

It s certainly not always as it seems
I took in a young lad of 16 some years back I m not sure if it’s still the same but then at 16 they left care and needed a half way house before they were old enough to be out living an adult life He was a very personable young man clean and tidy and fitted in very well Then a few weeks in I found some money missing that I had put aside to pay a bill I asked him about it after first lying he then came clean, cried and apologised He wrote me a lovely letter of apology I forgave him of course I did and a couple of weeks on and the same thing happened but quite a bit this time I had the money ready to pay my TV licence in my purse and the whole lot went Again I forgave him but when it happened the third time in a short space of time I had to ask him to leave The last I heard quiet some years on, he was in prison for holding up a shop with a gun

PaddyAnn absolutely. In-house qualifications don't translate to civilian life. I know several people in the armed forces who have self funded their "re-training" in the skills/trades/jobs they already did to a high level in the army because the army would not fund or support them in getting civilian recognised qualifications for their army roles.

Bluegal as an outsider we imagine that addiction and living on the streets is a lonely isolating experience, but actually it offers a camaraderie of sorts. As an addict you have an instant social life, sure they wanna sell to/from you or steal from you, but addicts have company. Its SOBRIETY that is lonely. When you go clean you have to distance yourself from your addict social life, when you fall off the wagon you get it back. When you are clean, non addicts still see you as an addict, but youre not one of the addicts either. You no longer belong.

Teens need to know that they have a place in society and then they will have less incentive to seek belonging elsewhere.

a career .