AIBU to think its not acceptable for a homeless woman to have to give birth on the street.

[Thelnebriati]

Homeless woman gives birth to premature twins on a cold street outside Cambridge University college
www.cambridge-news.co.uk/news/cambridge-news/homeless-woman-birth-premature-twins-17471458

@Hagbeth. Thanks for the link. People are so quick to take headlines as gospel. Just goes to show.

As an ex housing worker I knew there would be more to the story.

On planet earth. I didn't say THE most deprived but it's definitely one of them. Have you seen the drug dens, the forced prostitution and labour? Or the kids falling victim to County lines drug trafficking?

Maybe look a bit closer if you've missed it.

A lot of us thought that at @Gran22 but many on here were quick to blame the tories and try to silence those who felt it was likely that the woman had been offered support, by saying they lacked compassion etc. Guess they'll be quiet now?!

Meanwhile a rumour is circulating that Ian Duncan Smith is getting a knighthood

@HelenaDove and this is relevant on this post because?

HelenaDove

I saw that. It makes me sick to my stomach.

Rubyroost it’s relevant due to IDS being in charge of the reforms

But it's clear that the reforms have nothing to do with this case

Cambridge City Council have stated that the woman and her partner did have housing.

There is no way North Arbury is one of the most deprived areas in the UK. It really isn't.

@Rubyroost I doubt it.

None of the money is going to the mother or the babies, it's being spread across charities that help the homeless. Of course it's unacceptable for anyone to give birth on the streets, but to really understand what can be put in place to help people, there needs to be an element beyond omg tory cuts. In this circumstance where she was offered a safe place to live, but something else in her life overrided that, questions need to be raised about what support there could and should have been for her beyond just a house.

A lot of us thought that at @Gran22 but many on here were quick to blame the tories and try to silence those who felt it was likely that the woman had been offered support, by saying they lacked compassion etc. Guess they'll be quiet now?!

Yes - where are they now?

you're not seriously trying to suggest a spike in homelessness after 7 years of Labour rule is also the Tories' fault?

Of course not. I just want to know which Labour policies caused increased homelessness.

I am commenting on here to avoid being advised of TAAT if I start another one, but very interesting programmer on Radio 4 at the moment about homelessness and re iterating that if we want to help, give money to local projects as giving money and even food to those homeless in city centres prevents them from selling help and seeking help with the cause of their homelessness is the only way they will move on from homelessness. Many of the city projects have access to counselors any medical advice and financial advice. They also provide food. One man interviewed had 2 hot meals a day and had been given enough food in the previous hour to feed him for days. A homeless worker started that many of the people she had eventually helped back into accommodation and work had not sought help with their problems because they got enough food and money to not need to go to the centres that provide support with root cause. I think people think that throwing money at this will solve everything but we need to stop and think about it more. I have said this before but will repeat, we are involved with a charity that houses the homeless but believe it or not, it is quite hard to find appropriate tenants as they initially have to share a3 bedroomed house with 2 other people and often are recently ex addicts so cannot be housed with current drug users. We have a paid worker who spends much of his time trying to sort out disputes and prevent tenants being evicted and tenants have had to be evicted before for perpetual anti social and sometimes illegal behaviour. These are people with lots of support and advice and financial help around them and they are given numerous chances at getting it right. They are helped with appointments and financial forms/ benefits and supported emotionally and they are allowed on occasion to miss rent payments without eviction as it is a charity but it is still unable to change the bits that only the individual can change and so sometimes people are eventually evicted again. We need to ensure that we have local support available and we need to support those ( often charities) financially and when we see people in the streets we need to talk to them, show them they are worthy of a human interaction, ask if they know if the help available and point them in the right direction. Or local town Facebook page is great for mentioning who has been seen on the street and what their story is and a few have been given accommodation and decorating work to get them back on their feet. The group also makes us aware of professional beggars who are dropped off in expensive cars by gangs and that police are aware etc.

Its also sad to see the thread descend into sniping and factions.

I'm tired of hearing how complex homelessness is, while at the same time people expect women to share mixed sex accommodation, and don't seem to have any awareness of DV or similar issues that affect women.
There are also problems with universal credit, its only paid to one partner.
We live in one of the wealthiest societies in the world, but we just cant seem to work out how to run it.

many on here were quick to blame the tories and try to silence those who felt it was likely that the woman had been offered support, by saying they lacked compassion etc. Guess they'll be quiet now?

I still maintain that no NT, mentally healthy, pregnant woman would turn down safe accomodation in favour of sleeping on the streets. That this woman allegedly has accomodation she seemingly was not using suggests to me she is suffering poor mental health or is not NT and the correct support was not available to her or the accommodation she was offered was not safe. Both scenarios are failures of the support net that should be there for the most vulnerable in society. Austerity has decimated the care system and MH support. That is the fault of central government.

But homelessness is complex! Thinking of Cambridge in particular, there is 3 homelessness shelters that I can think of off the top of my head that highlights this.

All completely different but great places in theory. They offer shelter, food and support. But the reality is much, much more complex. It's not as simple as just finding empty houses and filling them with the homeless.

Would you want someone taken off the streets and put in a vacant house next door to you? Knowing there's a high possibility they are dependent on drugs/alcohol/prostitution? Would just housing them be enough, or would you want to know they have had extensive counselling, rehab and support on how to live their new way of life.

The rules are different when you live on the streets. It's not easy to adjust to living within a caring community and being recognised as a human being.

but many on here were quick to blame the tories and try to silence those who felt it was likely that the woman had been offered support, by saying they lacked compassion etc. Guess they'll be quiet now?!

No, because "offered support" covers a multitude of evils. This thread has already covered women feeling safer on the street than in some mixed-sex hostels.

Would you want someone taken off the streets and put in a vacant house next door to you?

I used to be homeless so you can GTFO with that. My relationship broke down and I left with a bag of belongings. I lived in insecure accommodation for years. One time we were thrown out because we'd paid the rent but the landlord hadn't paid the mortgage and the house was repossessed.

Would you want someone taken off the streets and put in a vacant house next door to you? Knowing there's a high possibility they are dependent on drugs/alcohol/prostitution? Would just housing them be enough, or would you want to know they have had extensive counselling, rehab and support on how to live their new way of life.

I would want them taken off the streets and given the correct support to ensure they were able to remain securely housed and rebuild their lives. I wouldn't expect to be told if my neighbour had previously been on the streets or suffered addiction. I tend not to listen to gossip and would be miffed if the info came from official sources and would look to complain about said official. Everyone deserves safe and secure housing and the support to maintain that housing no matter what has gone on in their past.

I'm not talking about those situations, that's a million miles away from long term STREET homelessness. I have been homeless too. In Cambridge in fact. I spent from the age of 13-16 mixing with a lot of them. Fell pregnant at 17 and was put into a hostel for 18 months. So no, I won't gtfo with that shit.

There's a real problem with the culture in many services atm, many service providers treat all their clients as if they are a problem; not a symptom, and not the reason the service is supposed to exist.

People that don't fit and can't navigate the system are falling through the cracks.
Its not just people who are mentally unwell or addicts who need help, but people who are none of those things are not automatically time wasters or chancers.

Try a thought experiment; if you were put out on the street in your home town with no phone, no cash or bank account, and no one to call on to sofa surf; what would you do to get a bed for the night?

Imagine the same scenario but this time you have been abused and are still at risk from an abusive partner.

@Frequency I agree 100% Of course everyone should have a safe and secure place to call home. Some people need a lot of support to maintain that, though. It's not simple, that's all I'm saying.

I don't know what the solution is but it certainly isn't just a case of popping people into empty houses and expecting them to be able to function properly.

Aha still the tories then 🙄😂😂😂

Just an ideogical bubble you're in, I'm afraid.

So who do you think is responsible for ensuring we have a robust and working support system in place for the most vulnerable in society @Rubyroost?