To be absolutely fucking fuming with my neighbour?

[SignYourNameInBrownAndFlame]

Since the weekend there has been a woman sleeping rough in the private parking area behind our house. Part of it is made up of some open-sided but covered spaces, like a big carport, and she has tucked herself up into the corner of the covered bit.

Now rightly or wrongly, since we noticed she'd started sleeping there, my DH and I have been buying her the odd meal if she's there when we go/from our garage. She spends most of her time asleep and we just leave eg a sandwich, a piece of fruit and a drink in a bag next to her for her to find when she wakes up. She doesnt seem to have any warm clothing and the nights are getting a bit nippy now so last night I covered her over with a coat I was about to take to the charity shop. My DH caught her awake yesterday and had a chat with her, and tried to persuade her to go to a hostel - again, rightly or wrongly we both feel she's more vulnerable as a woman sleeping on the street.

I've just come back from walking the dog and bumped into my next door neighbour who boasted that he's been round there with his hosepipe at full stretch and blasted her with the power jet to "get her to move on". I told him I thought that was a horrible thing to do, she's a human being and there but for the grace of God go any of us. I've been round to see if I can find her to make sure she's okay but unsurprisingly she's gone.

I am shaking with rage. How can anyone think this is an acceptable way to treat a vulnerable person - any person?

I don't actually think I'm BU, I just needed to vent.

What an utter bastard. I do hope he is charged with assault.

And no, obviously refuse to do him ANY favours from now on, and explain exactly why!

You sound lovely (and I bet your DH and dog are lovely too)

I too would call the police and report the assault your neighbour committed.

We often have people sleeping rough around my way and we have been advise to report to these people how can help them:

"If you see people sleeping rough, please call Street Link: on 0300 500 0914 or report it online at www.streetlink.org.uk/ . This then gets passed to our Street Outreach team to visit the area."

That is an offence and I would too would report to the police assuming that the lady is still there and would speak to them. If you neither witnessed it or the lady isn't there anymore then there is nothing really to report. She does need to go to a hostel though... Are there any charities you could call that might advise you?

Ooohhh cross posts... becool knows what to do.

He degraded her, that's unforgivable. I'd be tempted to give the local rogues a tenner to play shite-alight on him!!

oh and of course YANBU - your neighbour is an utter cunt.

I should put this in bold so it stands out:

"If you see people sleeping rough, please call Street Link: on 0300 500 0914 or report it online at www.streetlink.org.uk/ . This then gets passed to our Street Outreach team to visit the area."

Sleeping through the day doesn't necessarily mean drugs are involved. Most people feel safer on the streets in daytime and more vulnerable at night, so it stands to reason that you'd use your last ounce of self-protection and stay awake through the night. Not only are you aware of dangers, but you can also keep moving, when it's colder.

What you don't expect is to be assaulted by a 'respectable' person in broad daylight. Bastard.

I think there's a difference between giving money to a homeless person who's surrounded by empty cans of special brew - clearly not going to help them, though I can totally understand the desire to obliterate reality through alcohol in those circumstances - and giving food to someone who doesn't have any.

I'd like to think I'd do the same as the OP though in reality I'd probably do it for a couple of days and then contact Shelter or someone.

Cross posts with beCool, ok I'd phone Street Link now!

YANBU

Agree with phoning and anonymously reporting the situation.

Sceptical e old me thinks the police won't be blooming interested.

YABU, he's a complete cunt fro behaving that way. He could have called shelter or 101 himself if he wanted her just moved but he wanted to degrade and humiliate her. His 'pillar of the community' is obviously a front that hides a very vile abusive shit.

Contact the local paper and ask them to do an article about his disgusting behaviour. Or post about him with his name and photo on facebook. He needs to be named and shamed.

Argh, phone, I meant YANBU obviously. Let us know how you get on OP and definitely let your landlady know soon as!

He sounds utterly vile. If you can, you should try to find a way of reporting his behaviour to the police. (I do appreciate it is difficult for you though.)

Urgh, what an utter prick.

Op you were really kind, and probably helped her more than you know.

He's a fucking arsehole, and I hope he gets his comeuppance one way or another.

What an arse . Water his allotment ? I'd turn the hose on it the moment he left , and leave it running till he came home . I bet he's probably the "I pay your wages " type who thinks he's above the law because he's on the parish council . Well he's not.

No one thinks this is acceptable behaviour but I'm really puzzled that he boasted about hosing a person!!! people do, do cruel things to each other and animals but surely you get a prickle of conscience that prevents you telling others because you know you were wrong/others won't agree iyswim ?

What a wanker :(

How did DH get on?

Were work ok with you?

I would have taken her food/clothing/wipes/whatever as well, I would have also offered to ring the shelter for her and taken her there if she had wanted to go.

cjbk - he wont have thought it was wrong though - he'd have thought that any 'normal' person wouldn't want 'someone like that' sleeping out there. He's probably still baffled as to why the OP went off on one about it instead of clapping him on the back and declaring him a saint for saving them all from 'the likes of her'.

Think of the vegetables and poor plants Plomino, they've done nothing wrong :)

OP, next time pick everything ripe in the allotment and take it down the homeless shelter!

At worse OP had misplaced kindness (a stretch to call an old coat on a cold night "enabling", but so beit). No shame in kindness, methinks.

Most threads I don't trust we've got the whole story from OP. I'm struggling to believe there was any decent excuse in this case, though. Best case scenario is OP has very faulty hearing or the guy was boasting about a fantasy not something he actually did or threatened.

print this out and post it through his door

miserable bastard

I see where you're coming from latte

Jesus christ, what a vile cunt he is! I struggle to understand the type of person that could do that to a vulnerable person. And then to have the audacity to boast about it. FFS! With a bit of luck a bird will shit on his head, or something.

Poor woman, I do hope she's ok.

Oh dear God! I really despair of some people. What a vile man.