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.

Cocklodger I completely agree with your last post. I work in an extremely deprived London borough and the people I work with tend to be the most disadvantaged people in that borough and some of the things I see should not be happening in a rich country in 2016. About a third of my clients are in temporary accommodation which means that the family all live in one room and share a (usually filthy) kitchen and bathroom with other residents. There is no forethought about which people share accommodation with others. I have a young mum with a toddler and a baby living in a 10 square feet room. There is room for a bed and a wardrobe and chest of drawers but that's about it. There is no room for a cot. There is no bath so she washes the baby in the bathroom sink. All the other residents in the building are young men who smoke cannabis and she does not feel safe there.
I have been to people in LA temp accommodation who have young children to see mice and cockroaches running around. But what I see most is what relentless, grinding poverty does to these people who are still trying to do the best for their children, often at a huge cost to themselves.
I am actually not sure if I can keep doing this job much longer because I see so many things that make me angry at the injustice of it all but there's nowhere for that anger to go and I think it's beginning to make me depressed because I feel so helpless about it.
It feels like the only way that things are going to change is a full on Revolution and Brits don't really do revolutions. I suppose the most recent revolt was the Poll Tax riots which did seem to get the message across to the government how angry people were.
Perhaps we need to start gathering our pitchforks.

Totally agree MsHoolies. God, sounds absolutely terrible, wish more people would start to wake up.

I truly think, if discourse becomes more polarised and we keep voting right wing governments in, it will be a short matter of time before workhouses are back (run by private companies and built with tax payers money of course)

The amount of homeless in Birmingham is fucking heart breaking.

Cost shifting from the DWP to other areas

Yes, and the DWP is perfectly aware of this. Their impact assessments of changes to benefits often list the other departments and local authorities they expect to impact.

But cuts help the DWP meet their own objectives, so not their problem squire.

(And especially not their problem if it hits local govt, which is elected and funded separately from central government.)

And more cost-shifting in today's news: Contraceptive cuts: Warning over rise in abortions

Most contraception is now funded from councils' public health budgets, but former Chancellor George Osborne announced in 2015 that there would be a £200m cut to public health budgets from April 2015 to April 2016.
The government then announced in its 2015 Spending Review that there would be a 3.9% year-on-year budget cut for five years, from April 2016 until April 2021, which totalled at least £600m.
...
Natika Halil, chief executive of the FPA and an AGC member, said councils are "between a rock and a hard place when faced with cuts".
She added: "It's a false economy to restrict women's access to contraception. Every £1 spent on contraception saves £11 in averted health costs.
"Making it harder for women to choose the right contraception for them will mean more unplanned pregnancies and more abortions. Councils need adequate funding to deliver the comprehensive contraceptive services women need and deserve."

That's a direct attack on women particularly that I hadn't heard about. What do these politicians want us to do exactly? Where are these cuts going to stop? Do they really not know that ripping the public sector bones out of the economy has direct impacts on the private sector too? How are people supposed to live?

mshoolies that's a terribly sad story. But not surprising to me, the cuts in mental health provision are brutal.

Whoever mentioned the New World Order, I'm with you on that. I just cannot accept that the decisions these government s make are down to incompetence and stupidity, seems much more brutal than that and also planned on some level.

I saw 3 homeless people in an empty shop doorway the other night, being moved on by the police.. Three police officers turned up to evict them, (I thought they were understaffed). ....where the hell are they expected to go? These are human beings who, often through no fault of their own are on the streets, but they're treated appallingly. It seems not only are there no homes for them there's nowhere on the streets for them.

hearts but yet again, theres plenty for migrants/immigrants. eh?

that's a fact.

so many empty buildings that could be opened so people have at least a roof over their heads.

Becker.
Governments, especially right wing ones, (and their tabloid friends) try and set the poor and dispossessed against each other. Homeless vs refugees, unemployed vs working poor, disabled vs 'scroungers'. It's very easy for them to control the agenda by doing this.
It looks like you've fallen for that line completely.

There is this man I see nearly everyday near my area, he has been sleeping outside an old carpet right shop for months. I think he may have mental health issues, it is very depressing. I did try to call some charities and tell him where he is but they said he must come to them.

There are so many empty buildings which could be fixed to help homeless, which would not cost that much it will also open opportunities for jobs. Really in this day and age nobody should be homeless but people are and it is mostly in my opinion due to other people who just don't give a shit about others.
End of the day that can be you one day, these homeless people once had a home and job ect but something happened in their lives which turned for the worse and they got stuck in a circle and gave up.

CockacidalManiac agree

For the last two years I've been a volunteer 'sandwich pack maker' for a local Bristol church. Every weekend (Sat), we provide 140 sandwich packs for the homeless which is made up of: a sandwich (various fillings), a piece of soft fruit (homeless have bad teeth, apples a big no-no!), bad of crisps and a chocolate bar.
They meet in a city center car park, have a hot meal and get given the sandwich packs for Sunday.
Every month, the needs go up and up. When I first started it was for only 80 people!.
And the people who organize this are only a church group, affiliated with another group in South Wales.
'Street Life Sarnies'. Find it on FB

The issue many have is that most provisions won't take anyone with addiction issues. If I lived on the street I would probably have addiction issues, and many do.

Tories gonna tory

I dont know how people who vote for them can equate what they see happening to the poor and vulnerable in this country and not feel like they have actually encouraged it, shame on anyone who votes tory, shame on you.

I'm a housing officer in a large (Sq mileage) rural area. We've never had a problem with rough sleeping really until this year when the figures have gone from a handful to around 50 at any one time.

However, every single one of these people is "known to service's". Almost all are excluded from the housing register due to anti social behaviour, massive rent debts etc. Most have been through the system time and time again, none of the local supported housing will take them in anymore.

That said, they all know where to come for help, and there IS still help that we can give. A handful have been in, and we're given a space in a hostel. None of them slept there. There are empty beds in the hostel, they all know about them, but they don't use them.

There are a few distinct groups, I can only think it's like a family group to them. They gather in their specific areas and drink, take drugs and sleep.

Theres only so much money and resources you can throw away. Particularly when you have families with children, medical issues etc also in need of help.

'Theres only so much money and resources you can throw away'

Well arent you a delight?

They all deserve help are you judge and jury as to who gets the help? I hope not

YANBU.

It's one of the few things I really struggle with in the UK.

justanotherposter did you read the rest of my post? The parts where I said provisions have been made, offered, and refused? It all costs money. I can only speak for the part of the country that I work in, but every council works to government legislation on ever decreasing budgets.

The group of people I am referring to, have had many many opportunities. We continue to offer to help to them, which other people wouldn't get, because we don't want them to die on the street. But, if provisions are not being used, they will be cut.

Sadly, we are not able to help everyone. But the ones sleeping rough in this area, get more help offered than most.

One of the three that got moved on was using two crutches.

It's not pleasant hearts, often they have multiple problems, dual diagnosis, mh and substance misuse, alcohol and related issues, ulcers, open wounds from prolonged repeated injecting.

There are areas of our town that are cleaned up on a regular basis, as they have left drug paraphernalia behind, dirty wound dressings, excrement etc.

I've not been to these places, but they are all public places. I've seen pictures. It IS shocking that I this country, people are living like it.

Theres only so much money and resources you can throw away.

We have a fiat economy, ie based on trust, so we can print as much money as we like. Interest rates are at an all time low, so it would actually be throwing good non existent money after good made up money to get the homeless off the street.

It's too late to explain why austerity doesn't work or why the Gidiot got everything wrong because I've put in another long shift today and I'm knackered. Perhaps you could read why Professor Steve Keen is against it. Or Joseph Stiglitz. Or countless other economists as opposed to towel folders.

I have been meaning to do a shoebox appeal of sorts for a while but not keen on the religious association... Inspired by a friend in Wales who is trying to #makegoodhappen by doing good deeds, this afternoon, I took an empty gift bag and filled it with toothpaste, toothbrushes, deodorant and shower gel gift bag, a pack of warm socks, a pack of biscuits and a Cadbury's selection box and my DCs (who helped me pick out the items) gave it the young, always cheery BI seller outside our local supermarket and we bought a BI at the same time.

I have been a bit hesitant about doing this (too presumptuous?) but felt I needed to do something and to show my DCs there are people out there who need our help. That particular BI actually had an article about how important warm, clean socks are to the homeless so I'm glad I did it in the end... it costs me all of a tenner. My friend advocated doing packs of woollen hat, socks, gloves, toothpaste, toothbrush and shower gel to take with you and to give out to the homeless you see on the street. I might just do that tomorrow...

Think figures say rough sleeping has increased by more than 40% over past couple years, mostly due to increase in sanctions / huge costs of private renting and cuts to various services like homeless services / mental health/ addiction services and the like.
Tonight Im the overnight volunteer at local winter night shelter (lots of snoring so I'm on mn as can't sleep!) and some of the guys here DO work, but can't earn enough (zero hrs jobs for example) to raise the huge amounts needed fro deposits, 2 months rent etc, ( in fact a couple today were told by housing workers they'd be better off if they stopped working! ) they're not lazy just caught in a crap system / priced out by greedy private lls / people buying houses as investments and leaving them empty so pricing out local people. Housing needs a huge shake up but it's never going to happen when those in power have family ancestral homes of countless rooms and grants of millions handed to them to do up!