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.

Anyway to the OP totally agree that the situation has got a lot worse in the last 2 years. I've noticed it in Brighton, London and Manchester.

'and by less humans i don't mean disabled'

So mentally ill people aren't disabled then? Okay. GF alert!

So microsnake... the reason why there has been an INCREASE in homelessness is that suddenly people cannot be arsed to work because benefits are so great. Oh wait... benefits have been cut.

How does that logic work?

most of them can't be arsed to work

Ok, let's imagine that's true (it's not). So what. Nobody deserves to die on the streets in 21st century Britain for being lazy. Everybody should have somewhere to live.

Microsnake is a goady fucker. Do not engage as that is what they want.

It is often said that we are all only a few bad decisions or runs of bad luck away from homelessness.
I don't know if there are more people to be honest but I wouldn't be surprised.

Expat, ignore the gf

I worked in the 'system' for the first year of sanctioning. It is horrific. Utterly grotesque.

I called it the execution button when the 'advisor' would click the sanction button. I worked with dyslexic people who were sanctioned for not filling in forms correctly, people who were in hospital who missed an appointment who were sanctioned, people who had lost a family member THAT DAY and missed an appointment and been sanctioned.

Sanctioning means taking every penny by the way. So unless you have savings (why would you?) you are fucked. There is no back up at all.

So why not just get a job - yes some do on being sanctioned. But those that fall into homelessness are those with mental health problems - anxiety, depression, agrophobia - they are simply not equipped in many cases to write a good CV never mind attend an interview.

A recent report showed that sanctioning has actually COST the government money - which is pretty obvious really. The cost is shifted and increased onto other services - police, NHS especially.

Agree about not engaging

Do you think that people deserve to be homeless microsnake?

I don't agree that the government don't have the money to sort it out. Billions are spent every year in foreign aid to countries such as India (who have a nuclear programme) and have even said they don't want it. Billions can be produced at the drop of a hat for our intervention in wars (that we have no business getting involved in), theyve just agreed £365 million for Buckingham palace to be renovated, millions more for the Houses of Parliament......they could easily afford to get the homeless off the streets if they wanted. It's sickening.

heart our large town is fundraising for a shower room for a homeless charity. They said that not being able to get clean prevents some of them accessing medical help because they feel so grimy. Maybe the tide will turn back. More MH support is going to be the tough one though, that's being slashed to the bone.

'Lesser humans'

Really? Good grief.

Nobody is better than anybody else, we are all humans regardless of our situation.

You are not better than anyone snake.

One of the worst things I have ever read on here.

My husband is self employed, when the recession hit (in Ireland) his business collapsed. We live in a rural area and there were no jobs added to other exceptional difficult circumstances (including mental health problems) we were unable to pay our mortgage. Our house was in negative equity at the time and when I went (twice) to talk to social welfare we were entitled to nothing. No help. We found help from a different source and kept our house and have since more or less recovered. But we were looking at being on the side of the road with nothing in our pockets (we had exhausted our decent savings pot in the first few years of the recession trying to fix our situation). We went from what seemed like a very secure position to very low (not quite rock bottom because we did not lose the house) it was terriflying how quickly it happened. There but for good fortune go any of us.

Is there anyway of 'muting' users so you don't have to read their trolling comments?

BTW these people who were 'not equipped' had often had traumatic lives of abuse, neglect, the care system.

I got to know many many (100's) of people who had been systemically unemployed very well and I did not meet one person who had not suffered extreme trauma in their lives. There is lots of research that shows we can suffer a 'bit of trauma' and bounce back usually, but when you have over 3 large traumatic events in your life (bereavement, abuse, neglect, bullying, acrimonious parental divorce etc) then most humans start to lose their way.

I hope the people on this thread never have to endure some of the lives I got to know about because then they will encounter people like they 'used to be'.

I don't think anything has happened to MN, I have been around for many years, and that truly is one of the most disgusting comments I have seen on here.

There but for good fortune go any of us

That's exactly how I feel, esme. I'm glad you and your husband got out of that position. Some people really don't realise how lucky they are!

megletthesecond I like the idea of a shower room.
Being clean is a first step to be able to feel human again and a step towards getting a job.