To be appalled at the growing number of homeless on the streets.

[heartskey]

There never used to be this many. I think it's scandalous that we have so many with nowhere to sleep. The government don't seem to give a toss. I can't imagine how awful it must be to have to sleep in a cold damp shop doorway on these cold nights. So many young men and increasingly young women having to sleep rough. Our government should be ashamed to just ignore what's going on. That's it really, just needed to vent.

[witsender]

Yup, it's a growing problem that no-one tales responsibility for.

[comoneileen]

In big cities they seem to be everywhere. I think if you ever have been on jobseeker's allowance and sanctioned with no allowance for something stupid, it is easy to understand why!

[Cosmicglitterpug]

I've noticed this recently too where I work in London. It's so cold at the moment too. I donated to Crisis after seeing people sleeping on a wet, cold floor.

[ZackyVengeance]

Well seeing as benifits have been cut, what did people expect.. .?

[TrollTheRespawnJeremy]

There is a lot in my city. I have worked in trying to house them but got burnt out as it was an impossible situation. It wasn't a problem finding homes for them but rather finding a way for them to live in these places successfully.

The psychological help required in order to get through to these people is immense. It's a hugely complicated issue.

[expatinscotland]

Benefits cut and frozen, sky high rents and no security in private renting, no benefits or LHA for most young people, it's not hard to see why there are more homeless people. And no, government doesn't give a shit because they're all bastards who truly believe being poor is a personal failing and a sign of personal defect.

[ChocoChou]

Absolutely awful, and the news of the man who froze to death in Birmingham (?) the other week was horrendous.
I live in a big city and have been out this week with donated coats, blankets, clean underwear, food and drink. It's just such a desperate situation out there in these temperatures

[malificent7]

It is horrendous.. yanbu.

[expatinscotland]

'no-one wants to subsidise people who can't be arsed to get work
survival of the fittest
sad but true don't be a loser get a job.'

You're talking about vulnerable human beings. FFS. I guess it's easier to denigrate them by labelling them 'losers', malingerers, 'can't be arsed to work', etc.

[Witchend]

Are there genuinely more, or is it that you're noticing them/they've come into your area?

We've had a night stay charity open up in the last couple of years. And I think it's a great place and thoroughly support it.
but in our little town we've gone in that town from it being unusual to see anyone sleeping rough, to there being around a dozen regulars. They're all people (I talk to them) that were living rough before, but they've come because there's good treatment in our area.
Most of them are lovely people who have made a bad choice at some point (and no I'm not talking drugs/criminal decisions there) and I'm very glad they can get some support here. But I suspect that somewhere else may well be patting themselves on the back because their homeless population is decreasing-and it's decreasing simply because they're not providing them with any necessities so they're moving to where they can get treated as a proper human being.

[malificent7]

Your post is full of empathy microsnake.
( There is no arguing with atupid)

[malificent7]

Stupid... duh!

[ZackyVengeance]

Microsnakes post shows why there is such a big problem, people who are so thick that they think that being homelss is just cos you cant be arsed to work.

[EastMidsMummy]

A disgrace and the sign of a nasty Tory government. Street homelessness all but disappeared under Labour after being a problem during the Major years. Forced austerity under the Conservatives (and the LibDem coalition) has brought it back. A very visible indication of the economic choices of our government whilst the top 10% are prospering.

[witsender]

Do you work with the homeless? How easy do you think it would be for them to get a job? How many jobs are available? How affordable is housing? So many questions, so few answers in just "they need to get a job".

[expatinscotland]

yep expat I have got to an age where i think people need to help themselves

and am a realist and know that most of them 'can't be arsed to work'

What age is that? I'm mid-40s and enough of a 'realist' to know that a) NO ONE in any right state of mind would ever chose to live on the fucking street b) about 1/3 - 1/2 of them have mental health issues that have made their lives hell, it goes beyond 'can't be arsed to work'.

[WaggyMama]

There are places but the homeless won't use them for various reasons.

[myyoyo]

am a realist and know that most of them 'can't be arsed to work'

How do you know that then microsnake?

[hungryhippo90]

I've seen a surge within the past year or so. So incredibly sad.
On our last few trips to London in the evening I noticed the amount of homeless quite literally quadrupled. The very saddest sight I saw was a man sleeping in a sleeping bag, with his work uniform neatly folded next to him.

I don't quite understand why people who are buying houses to rent out, don't arrange for the homes to be made into multi occupancy and let to them, on the basis that they charge only what Housing benefit will allow (no top up) and it's paid directly to the landlord, the same could work with families etc. It might be completely naive, but it could also work.

There's a landlord in Luton who uses this kind of rule. He rents to ANYBODY as long as they can prove that they are able to get Housing benefit. In the days that my father was drinking, the man owned loads of houses, a number of which were turned into beds it's, which he rented to alcoholics, (anyone- but the ones with alcoholics is where my dad lived) and this man wouldn't charge any top up rent, knowing he wouldn't get it anyway, but had a meeting with the council every Monday, because the volume of tenants who would otherwise be their problem, that he was effectively dealing with

I don't know how this country allows homelessness to be such an issue, it's 2016.

[Yoarchie]

The way our society is today, it isn't difficult to see how people end up homeless.

However blaming the govt. (any govt, any party) isn't really the answer. They are trying to run the country on too little money and it is an impossible situation. Essential and necessary things have been cut because they can't be paid for. I don't know what the answer is, I don't think anyone does.