What can we do to help homeless starving people in the UK?

[Tweezerz]

Not an AIBU posting for traffic.

I live in London. Every single day I am approached by people who cannot afford to feed themselves or have nowhere to live who are forced to ask strangers for spare change for food. I know this has always happened but I'm noticing it more and more. Just now a young guy approached me saying he was autistic and was asking for money so he could eat today. He seemed so desperate. It's heartbreaking I gave him the few pounds I had in change but that is one meal. I don't know what to do to try and help on a larger scale. I donate to food banks etc but what's the solution to help these people who don't have anywhere to live or any money to live on? It is making me feel sick thinking about all of these people living hand to mouth.

After speaking to this guy briefly I rushed off as I'm late to meet a friend and I feel so guilty for not having a conversation with him and trying harder to help.

Attack employers. The biggest cause of homelessness is the spiral downwards that starts with low wages and inconsistent employment and income.

If you are not working or working less than you need to live on, you can't get on top of your bills, and they come after you. If you then can't pay your mortgage, then the mortgage company comes after you. IF you've had a mortgage and then sell or get repossessed the benefit people class you as voluntarily homeless. IF you dont pay your rent and are homeless, you are classed as voluntarily homeless.

Employers are fucking this country - get them to pay tax and pay living wages.

I buy big issue and donate to food banks. I do also sometimes give people a couple of quid too. While I agree supporting charities who help people long term is a great thing to do, homeless people live in the moment and need food and shelter that day/night too. They aren't all on drugs or pretending to be homeless!

Today's announcement by the Tories was that oh, apparently it IS the business of government to build and own housing:

General election 2017: Council housing increase promised by Tories
www.bbc.co.uk/news/election-2017-39911569

But that's all right, because after 10 to 15 years, they'll sell the houses.

Phew. For a moment there, it almost looked as if we might be looking at viable social housing provision. But rest easy, private landlords can swoop in at public cost after all. They'll just have to wait a bit.

I think its absolutely right to illustrate the issue with Cameron's problems. If his life, employability and his familys life had been reduced to zero because of a childs death.

I am only not homeless because I fucking well refuse to be - but that has meant not paying bills and not eating, so I am living very much like a homeless person in a squat even though for a good chunk of that time I was working I don't know why May says Corbyn will take us back to the 70s - we are already fucking there and worse.

In 2013, a third of ex-council properties sold in the 1980s were being let out by private landlords.

Great Tory housing shame: Third of ex-council homes now owned by rich landlords
www.mirror.co.uk/news/uk-news/right-to-buy-housing-shame-third-ex-council-1743338

Iirc, homelessness reached its peak in 2003. If that's correct, there must be more nuanced reasons for variations in the rates, rather than just being as simple as Labour v Tory. That's not a political point, more a 'what actions by governments have the most impact on homelessness' question.

Hope you're campaigning against "Right To Buy" then...

who said I wasn't? It's not right until the houses are sold at market price, and if you can afford an average mortgage, you shouldn't be in a council house in the first place.

Strik. I'm getting a very strong.
'I'm alright Jack Vibe from you'.

I am sorry, I don't know what I am alright Jack means.

Sometimes, though, people don't want help. A case of this was an old couple who lived out of bags on Bournemouth seafront...a lot of people complained about the council not doing anything. The council wrote a statement to the local paper saying these people simply didn't want any help offered. What can you do in this situation?

Hope you're campaigning against "Right To Buy" then...

who said I wasn't?

I honestly hope you are, Strikhedonia

You talked earlier about who would get your vote. You might choose to vote for the party that's suddenly seen the light about the need to build more social housing - but is planning to sell it off again once built, thus repeating the problem in a decade's time.

It'll be interesting to see whether any of the other parties promise to increase the amount of social housing on a longer term basis.

Let me guess. Someone apologised for bothering you but said they were just trying to get a few pounds together to get a bed for the night? That's how the spiel starts on the tube. Don't give money - these are professional beggars/gangs. You are not helping the people you think you are.

Volunteer your time and resource to a homeless charity. Crisis, Shelter, and St Mungos are all great ones with active presences in London. You can help out in shelters, back office, fundraising - you can do one-off stints (e.g. at Christmas), you can volunteer all year round. There are tons of ways to give practical help. You may be most useful making cups of tea and having a chat with a homeless person. You may be most useful sitting in an office playing with spreadsheets. Whatever your skills and personality, your time can be used in a hugely valuable way.

Or try a food bank - there are tons all over London. Look up the Trussell Trust, they seed them all. You can donate food, help transport it, sort it, bag it up for guests - tons of ways to get involved.

There are smaller, grassroots organisations too - The People's Fridge in Brixton, the C4WS Homeless Project in Camden - look them up.

I strongly disagree with giving money to anyone who claims to be homeless in London (for the simple reason that there are far too many people pretending to be homeless in London). However, I volunteer with causes that support those who are in genuine need of help and would strongly encourage you to do the same. That way you know you are actually helping someone who needs that hand up.

It basically means. As long as I'm okay fuck everyone else.

It basically means. As long as I'm okay fuck everyone else.

Ah ok, thanks.

Well, if one day, I'm ok, I'll see how I am. In the meantime, just struggling along like most working class people.

Is it true that service men and ex prisoners are the largest % of people living rough/on the streets? Do they end up drug taking to cope with this or is it visa versa or both?

I work with rough sleepers for homelessness charity in a big city and this is not true of our service users. Many are Eastern European nationals or failed asylum seekers who have no entitlement.

Many are locals who have addiction and mental health problems and have accommodation but can't use it that night or have left it. Of course lots have spend time inside, usually related to their addictions, they can be in and out all the time for very short sentences. But the primary problems is their addiction IYSWIM.

It's very unusual for us to get anyone who is ex military. Maybe they end up in hostels and can cope there as they are used to institutions, I don't know.

And this is all my impression, purely anecdotal.

Right to buy does, I think, come with a provision not to sell on for a certain time. But those who bought some years ago will be past that.

So you have a house which has greatly increased in value. Do you never sell it and move on because it will become a rental? By definition the person buying it will have lots of money.

How many here would honestly never sell their house for a massive profit?

Well exactly. It's obvious what that outcome of Right To Buy will be the buyer (or buyer's children) making a huge profit at the taxpayer's expense, while depriving the social sector of affordable housing.

Never ever give money, pop into local shop and buy food. Homeless charity always say that. You sound very kind x

My old school friend is not homeless due to being a drunk or a drug addict. He is neither. He is homeless due to a benefit sanction.

He is 47/48 and had worked since leaving school. His kids are grown up.

Hes a few years older than me. He used to walk home from school with me and a couple of my friends sometimes. A tall lad walking with me helped prevent some of the bullying i got.

If anyone thinks i was going to walk by without doing something to help they are mistaken.

I have donated to the homeless shelter too but i wasnt going to just walk past him with my fucking nose in the air.

I care for my DH full time. I have no illusion that when hes not around anymore i will encounter financial problems. Im teetotal and have never been drunk not once but its nice to know that should i ever end up living on the streets it will be automatically assumed that i am a drunk or an addict. Well i realise i buck the trend in society AND on MN as drinking has never interested me in the slightest.

And there are actually many women on the streets who are homeless due to domestic abuse and cant accept places at homeless shelters due to fear of being attacked. I suppose they are all addicts or drunks too.

Like your friend HelenaDove I was sanctioned and became homeless because of it. I was sofa surfing then became street homeless, then I saw a notice saying that Guardians were needed to look after commercial buildings, so I applied and got off the streets. This is how I live now.

I'm unable to plan ahead more than a week, as that's my usual notice period. I've been in the place I'm in now for about 8 months, but it looks like that is coming to an end soon. I don't know what my future is, I just hope it isn't street homelessness, that is the scariest thing I've ever experienced.

And yes, I have a job. A zero hours job. Last week I had 2 days work. How am I supposed to afford 'market rent' with that?

I'm aware that I'm lucky. I'm in the warm and dry and so many aren't. But it shouldn't be like this.

Doctor Two ive been on MN for six years (since 2011) and i remember your previous posts about this and its appalling that you are STILL in this situation.

In the Housing Act 1992 there was a section about HB being paid if you are on low/no income but in guessing this is little or no help now as you are faced with the impossibility of a private rental deposit.

And i bet your zero hours job wants you to keep yourself available on call for other hours just in case.

Vote Labour obviously. It's the only solution. Tories hate the poor, sick, working class, pensioners et al... Useless eaters

Ive not seen my old schoolfriend for a couple of months now. Hopefully that means hes got somewhere.

Perking

Mortgage interest support isnt much help. I received less than a quarter of my actual mortgage and even then had to wait 39 weeks which is the qualifying period.

Yet stbxh could just abandon his kids and it took 10 months to get the princely sum of £3 per day child support.

It's no wonder there are so many families in dire straits. Safety net my arse

Yes isnt it strange how we have embraced so many American imports ............a 24 hour society, multi dating etc yet the fact that not paying Child Support over in the States is a crime is the one American import the UK seems reluctant to welcome over here.