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.

[AvaCrowder2]

I'd always give money or a cigarette and a hand hold.

It's all well and good to say to solve homelessness give money to x or y, but the immediate problem for those suffering from homelessness can't really be ignored.
A bit of human feeling towards your fellow isn't wrong. I don't even care if it goes on drugs, if I was homeless in London I'd want to be on drugs too.

[C0RAL]

People who work or volunteer for homeless charities are not " ignoring the immediate problem" . They are out there on the streets right now and will be tonight when you are tucked up in your nice warm bed.

So get off you high horse accusing them of ignoring the problems and having a lack of human feelings. Giving a tenner , a fag or a hand hold might make you feel better. But that's about YOU, it's not about the person you think you are " helping " .

The sandwich may well get thrown in the bin, there are places in most big cities where homeless people can get food for free. When we see them at 9pm they are not hungry as they've had sandwiches all day.

The fag will be appreciated but tobacco and papers would be better if thats what you want to do.

But giving money is not good. It will nearly always be spent on alcohol or drugs.

It could push them over the edge into overdose or fuel their next fight with a support worker that gets them banned from their temporary accommodation or thrown out of their family members house. Or perhaps the next fight with their partner that puts her in hospital and them in jail.

There are more fatal overdoses at Christmas / new year and one cause is the number of people who give money to beggars to make themselves feel better about their own seasonal excesses. People have been in prison or hospital where their tolerance drops, they are let out, people give them money and they treat themselves . Into OD.

Oh and some beggars are not seeking accommodation at all - they are professional beggars being exploited by the men who handle them. So you are contributing to their abuse.

So go ahead and give money and pat yourself on the back. But don't kid yourself what you are doing is helping anyone except yourself.

If you want to ACTUALLY help, give up some of your time and volunteer with an organisation. Inform yourself. Campaign for justice. Use your vote wisely .

[PerkingFaintly]

C0ral thank you so much for the work that you do.

DoctorTwo, I've seen you around the boards but had no idea about your situation. Lots of good luck in finding your next accommodation.

[Kokusai]

There are plenty of free places to get food in central London. What there is a massive shortage of is homes and mental health and drug addiction support.

This 100%

[Kokusai]

@C0RAL great post

[HelenaDove]

Coral you make many good points but not all of us are posting from London or another city. I live in a small market town in Essex which has been dying on its arse for some years (our department store closed last month after 146 years of trading) i dont remember seeing as many homeless when i was younger. There is a shelter but there arent many rooms there.....nowhere near enough. Too many people are on zero hour contracts or on short hours where any extra hours that MAY come along are intermittent and inconsistent. The homeless people ive seen AND talked to here are not drunk. Just poor.

[C0RAL]

YY I totally get that Helena. I said upthread that I was only speaking from my own experince in a large Uk city.

Also please understand that I'm not suggesting in any way that people don't deserve help just because they have addictions and mental health problems, quite the opposite.

But I still feel that if someone is homeless because they are poor, then giving then a tenner isn't the best you can do for them.

Go with them to a charity which will help them with their homeless application and suport them with their benefits application. Support them to apply for jobs or training programmes and with interviews skills and perhaps an outfit for an interview. Go along wth them to classes in basic computers skills or cooking on a budget to build their self esteem.

If you have a tenner to spare, you could cook a meal for four people and invite three people from your town home to share it with you. Just be a friend.

There's many things you can do to help homeless people , as the Op asks. Their needs are different , just like the rest of us.

[HelenaDove]

Coral you make some excellent points but unless those jobs are guranteed hours and enough hours not zero hour contracts how are homeless ppl going to keep a flat IF they get one. It could actually be a bloody job that caused the homelessness in the first place. Or a sanction. Under Universal Credit people are already being sanctioned for not upping their hours even though those extra hours cant be found because they are simply not there. My old schoolfriend has THIRTY years of work experience and still ended up homeless due to being sanctioned . He has experience in all the stuff you have suggested. People need proper hours of work guranteed hours of work and enough hours otherwise they will end up in a cycle through no fault of their own. As a society we are just tinkering at the edges.
And if a homeless person does manage to get a flat the council will want their council tax straight away. People on JSA have to pay part of their council tax now.

[dotandstripe]

Many of the street homeless in Central London are recent arrivals from Eastern Europe, the bedroom tax had nothing to do with them becoming homeless. Many came here after agencies lied about jobs and took all their money to bring them here. They then found themselves with no money and the promised job never existed. Add the widespread use of legal highs to the mix and you have people in a complicated, vulnerable position. This was going on when Labour was in government too, BTW.

[C0RAL]

I agree wth you Helena. I'm not sure why you think I'm against all these good and important things you talk about .

I mentioned upthread that one thing people can do is campaign for change. It sounds like this is something that is close to your heart.

[HelenaDove]

Sorry if it came across that way Coral It wasnt meant to

[AvaCrowder2]

Coral Thank you for informing me, I didn't know how things work.

I wasn't trying to be on a high horse, but can see how it reads back, and I'm sorry for that, of course people who work in the field have more knowledge than me.

Where I live there isn't any homelessness, I only see it when I'm in London.

Thanks for sharing your knowledge and experience.

[StickThatInYourPipe]

I like the buying coffees on credit thing in coffee shops, no money given but food/drink available.

I do think it's totally disgusting we have both an obesity and starvation problem though...

[C0RAL]

Thank you for your gracious comment Ava. I feel passionate about the great needs that are there and the amazing people whose lives end up really messed up, I'm sorry if I come across as a bit angry.

I can see that many people on this thread have a real concern for homeless people which is encouraging. I guess lots of people feel " of that's awful, something should be done " but don't know exactly what.

If that's you, please contact a local organisation and offer your help. It doesn't need to be front line if that's not your thing. There are many back room jobs that need done and everything makes a difference.

I know that not everyone is able to walk the streets with a team at 2am. But perhaps you can sort donations of food or clothes for a couple of hours one morning . Or help run an art class or cooking class one evening a week.

Or just remember homeless and disenfranchised people when you are in the ballot box. Or when your work is choosing a local charity to support.

One small company contacted us at Christmas fo ask how they could help and their staff collected men's socks for us ( men's , thick , size medium ) . That's was such a help .

When your socks and shoes are soaked through, your feet get blisters. Because they never dry out and people rarely wash, they can become ulcerated and infected . Many of our service users have poor circulation anyway and have damaged their legs through injecting. Although we have a health clinic round the corner, they won't attend until it gets really really bad.

But the will wear the cosy dry socks that the staff of that small company provided .

[Birdsgottaf1y]

""I do think it's totally disgusting we have both an obesity and starvation problem though""

Obesity isn't necessarily because of excess.

I've become obese because I eat high calorific processed food, because I've become disabled. My disability makes me immobile.

I've also worked as a CPSW, in all disabilities and as a Volunteer Welfare Advisor, homeless outreach worker and dog Fosterer (all Voluntary).

Could you just tackle the issue at hand and not go on the attack to another (in a lot of cases) people who are also vulnerable?

What exactly was your point Stick?

Go into the holiday thread in Chat, people's budgets for holidays are more than what most of the Obese in the U.K. live on per year.

[Feckitall]

Donating to charities is the best way to help without losing money to the professional beggars who aren't in need.
There are ways for homeless to get food. The Salvation Army do brilliant work locally to me including a drop in where they can shower/wash clothes and get a meal.

Lobbying your MP...what are they doing ...

Part of the problem is MH care, a lot of homeless struggle to keep a room/home because of problems. They need support when they do get housed. My DS is presently homeless due to this and there is not enough housing, MH support is minimal, even when someone is in crisis they will be turfed out of A&E with an appointment for 6 weeks later. He wont stay with us for a number of reasons, overcrowding, and fragile relationship with his father...he is volatile and needs space...I can't afford to rent for him. just about keeping ourselves above water on NLW

Ok..mini rant... this is close to my heart

[JanetBrown2015]

Vote Conservative.

[Awwlookatmybabyspider]

Vote Conservative.

Its because of their polices that people are having to go to food banks.