homeless people on doorstep

[LeggyLoo]

Recently a group of ?homeless people have been meeting on our doorstep and spending about an hour late at night (loudly) talking to each other, seemingly catching up? and swapping/taking drugs. This isn't every night, but has been becoming more frequent over the last month.

We've had 2 break ins in the last 3 months. I don't think it is this group of people responsible- just for context of feeling uneasy about strangers congregating outside our front door and bedroom window.

I am completely sympathetic for the situation they are in, particularly in winter and during a pandemic. I also understand that living in a city there will always be homeless people- in no way am I 'looking down on them' or blaming them for their situation (If you find this relevant, we also make a yearly donation to a local homeless charity- I know AIBU can be brutal...).
There are various parks close by (including one on our road) with benches where they could meet, but I'm not sure why they have chosen our house?? For this reason I don't want to tell them to go away as it seems mean in the circumstances.

But I also have a 1.5 year old DS who has been woken by them and scared by loud strangers' voices and hasn't wanted to be away from me even after they've left as he is scared.

Any idea what I can do?! Can I contact anyone? Should I approach them myself to ask them to move on? Let them get on with it and accept my doorstep has become some sort of meeting place?

I’d report it you are not unreasonable not wanting people taking or swapping drugs on your doorstep.

Am I the only one who thinks you shouldn't engage with them directly as a woman living seemingly alone with a baby? I wouldn't give them any details about your life. They know where you live, if you say the baby needs to sleep they will know you live alone with a baby, i.e. vulnerable. Drug Dealing and having loud chats on a private patio is behavior that would disturb me and signal that they don't have normal boundaries or think you are a threat. I would be seriously concerned with this behavior and taking action to nip it in the bud by contacting local authorities/outreach programs or asking a male friend or family member to firmly tell them to move on.

Please take this seriously as a threat to you and your childs safety instead of being concerned with being nice to the adult men using your doorstep as a drug dealing hub. They are taking advantage of you to the detriment of your safety.

We had this when we lived off Brick Lane in London. I used to regularly find needles and one memorable time a human poo. Pre-kids thank God but for everyone saying this is strange it's really not for Central London at least!

We never addressed it. Like you i didn't feel able to.

Another thought is a bright spot light that comes on when they are on your door step.

Or, as others said, a CCTV sign. I bought a pack of 4, fake CCTV cameras recently for a derelict property we arent living in as yet. They have a red flashing light, look discreet, but along with a CCTV sign, have deterred further damage to the property and look real.

It's a mixed group of men and women, rather than just men. Tbh they don't seem thst bothered about the surroundings ie. I don't feel specifically targeted (and they are much more vulnerable than me!!), I think they just see a quiet step as a place they can stop and have a chat (or whatever else they're doing...) before going their seperate ways.

DH is working tonight but will speak to him tomorrow and see what his take on it is.

CCTV sign and fake camera is a good idea but I'm not sure they'd be bothered or it would deter them!

Chances are they have been moved on by the police from elsewhere.

I agree that popping your head out and just asking them to keep the noise down a bit as they are waking your child might be the best deterrent.

Hopefully all will be fine and they will move on.

I'd complain to the council that, in winter during a pandemic, a group of people have been left homeless. It's a public health issue (as well as a moral one). They should be housed (in Covid accomodation).

It's definitely very odd. I knew people who worked with the homeless. They're not all on drugs btw and those that are often understandably turned to them to cope with the horrors of homelessness - but what strikes me as strange is they're being so open. The homeless drug users my friend worked with were very nervous about being caught. They'd go to quite some effort to be as discreet as possible. Perhaps this is a cry for help OP? Breaking cover in a desperate attempt to access warm and safe housing?

*housed in Covid safe accommodation

They are more vulnerable to the elements than you and to violence from other homeless people. They aren't more vulnerable to having their home with their child broken into and considering it's already happened twice I can't understand why you aren't concerned for your own safety or your childs. I have lived/worked in a high property crime/high drug use/high homelessness area for a decade, and while many people are fine and leave you alone its an unpredictable lot and I have been attacked violently and for no reason. I would take this issue seriously and try to relocate the people dealing drugs on your property before you become known as a hub. "You don't have to go to home but you cant stay here." needs to be the vibe.

If you don't want to be a dick about, simply be polite, treat them like human beings and explain you have a child inside. It might not work, of course, but you won't know until you try.

I used to have a bunch of teenagers congregating on my wall and drinking in the evening. (I live on a corner, it's a nice wall to sit on!). Some of them used to leave their rubbish e.g. cans in my front garden. I was hesitant to talk to them as I was worried about conflict. But I went out one evening and said something like "guys, do you think you could hang out somewhere else. I really wouldn't mind if I didn't have young kids but the sound carries and it keeps waking them up".

And do you know what - they fucked off! And were polite about it! A couple of them even said sorry as they left.

I still find fizzy drink cans in my front garden sometimes. I think they sit there when I'm out in the day sometimes. But I can live with that.

I think it made a difference that I wasn't arsey with them. I just explained they were waking up the kids.

@LeggyLoo

It's a mixed group of men and women, rather than just men. Tbh they don't seem thst bothered about the surroundings ie. I don't feel specifically targeted (and they are much more vulnerable than me!!), I think they just see a quiet step as a place they can stop and have a chat (or whatever else they're doing...) before going their seperate ways.

DH is working tonight but will speak to him tomorrow and see what his take on it is.

Christ, does it matter what his take on it is?

But I also have a 1.5 year old DS who has been woken by them and scared by loud strangers' voices and hasn't wanted to be away from me even after they've left as he is scared.

Poor kid. There are only 2 people in his life who can put a stop to that and neither one wants to step up to the plate.

There’s also been an explosion in the last six weeks of drug dealing and taking and our residents association has taken to keeping a log of incidents - crack addicts hanging out in the communal hallway of flats at all hours, dealers operating in the underground garage

That’s a block of flats and a garage though - a very different scenario to the OP’s terraced house.

@WorraLiberty yes, of course it matters what his take on it is.

I know you've spent many many thousands hours of your life on mumsnet and have been here many years, but it doesn't give you the right to be so rude and judgemental. You don't know everything.

Not really. We live in a street of terraced houses and there are homeless people sitting on front steps here too. Once I couldn’t leave my house because there was a homeless man I’ve seen around here many times passed out on my front step, propped up against my front door. I couldn’t open the front door without him falling back into the house. Police wouldn’t help - in the end the security team from the shop opposite came and helped me.

I was just putting it in the context of an explosion of other problematic activity. I think as a pp said, it’s got something to do with how the shelters are being run over lockdown. I am in the West End - it’s always a problem here but particularly awful at the moment.

@SheepandCow they are pretty open about it here. I've seen them a few time by nearby council flats congregating and swapping things.

I seem the same homeless people around the area a lot, sometimes they disappear for a few weeks and then come back.

But yes you are tight, and I will contact the council. Although as a PP said they may not actually want to be housed. But contacting the council can't hurt even if that is the case (I think they are probably already aware given the train station and surrounding parks have had many homeless people for many years).

Why are you so concerned about being polite? They are loitering on private property and at the very least using drugs on your doorstep and scaring your child. For your own safety, you need to get them to move along and ring the police if they refuse.

Here you are handwringing and saying you donate to homeless charities (how is this even relevant?).

I just don’t understand—the safety of your child should come first and for me, it would be the only consideration. Not to mention you’ve had two break-ins in the last few months? This is a very unsafe situation, I wouldn’t be surprised if they were connected somehow since you say their appearance is a recent development.

The donations are relevant because I was expecting to be told IABU and mean! But clearly I am not!

I have general strong feelings of guilt for things I shouldn't feel guilty for (only recently realised, and I am starting to work through some childhood issues to resolve these feelings). I didn't realise previously that this wasn't normal and is linked to feeling like I need to be overly polite.

As a former homless wreckhead myself, tell them to piss off out of it. They'll have 1000s of other places they can doss.

just say you have a child and they'll probably be ok about it. Most are actually keen not to cause trouble but dont have the same sort of 'i shouldnt be stood here' social wiring as we do at the moment.

A lot of councils have like a street safe team which a group of people who engage with said homeless people and move them on/help/encourage them to make better choices which could help, I would contact the council as a starter!

www.streetlink.org.uk/ To let your local outreach teams know. They are probably known anyway but at least a record of how many and times etc will be recorded.

Its got mad recently with addicts being a bit more desperate and hovering around because lockdowns affecting dealer's supply. Happened around this time in first lockdown as well.