Tired of the performative beggars and alcoholics this time of year

[Onand]

Is anyone else sick and tired of the huge number of ‘homeless’ beggars, alcoholics and addicts that descended on the streets since the Christmas rush started this year?

Manchester is rife with them- this year there is a particularly ropey bunch of alcoholics/ addicts that are obnoxiously ‘sleeping’ or sitting with their bags pointing directly out into the street instead of being against a wall, they’re building ‘dens’ in shop doorways which stink of human faeces and piss, dealers go from spot to spot, dogs forced to sit in uncomfortable situations (often not even their dog as the same one gets passed from beggar to beggar).

It’s a self perpetuating problem because soup kitchens serving buffets set up and cater meals for them whilst they’re generally being a nuisance and making the streets look an absolute shitty mess. Why are they tolerated? People need to stop giving them money as it just encourages them to keep doing it when there are services in place to help them.

Bah humbug I know, but It’s beyond grim.

I find it really confusing these days so I just don't give to homeless on the streets anymore, made all the easier because these days I don't carry cash or coin. Instead, I give an annual donation to St Mungo's.

Back in the 80's and 90's I would buy the Big Issue from street vendors who were obviously rough sleepers. Nowadays the majority of Big Issue vendors I see appear to be well dressed and clearly not homeless. The lady outside my local M&S has been in the same spot for 17 years. It's a job with unverifiable hours that permits her to claim full tax credit and housing benefit (many known her circumstances after such a long time in a small market town).

The other type of person asking for money are Roma woman begging professionally.

The last type are most likely genuinely homeless but also (based on a survey of my nearest large town with a know drug problem) probably substance abusers or alcoholics. We are always told not to give in these circumstances.

Easiest way is to give to St Mungo's.

To be fair, if I was homeless, I'd probably be drinking too. Maybe walk a mile in their shoes first before you judge.

OP, you sound awful and have clearly led a very privileged life.

🤣

It's all year round in my city so no different to usual.

Some of them aren't actually homeless, they've fallen out with their partner and she's kicked him out so he's gone out on the streets to get money for a bit before they make up a couple of days later. Yes, they actually tell you that.

Many others are just drug addicts and alcoholics, and people try to help them and they have friends because they've come from somewhere, but even their friends say they're beyond help and they can't help them.

There is one local one who is abusive and sometimes violent, and if you don't give him money he starts yelling about how you're the problem with society (?)

It's easy to have distant sympathy when it's not someone in your house stealing your things and selling them for drugs just before Christmas.

One of those problems where people think someone else should help and don't do anything to help them themselves.

But for the most part, if it's possible to help them and they appreciate the help (even if they aren't perfect) then they have somewhere to go and someone to help them.

Remember many of them make more money and get more free handouts than people working minimum wage jobs, especially because they don't pay tax. You can't fund a serious addiction on min wage. There is one I know for a fact makes on average £200 a day this time of year.

I visited a local city this week and haven’t been for months. Last time I visited there were so many rough sleepers it was startling. However, this time I only saw one man begging.

Conversely, the small (and affluent) town where I live is now full of rough sleepers. Someone said to me they had migrated to my town because they get more when they beg.

I don’t know if this is true or not but the contrast between both places is startling.

@ClairDeLaLune luckily, you can quote bad lyrics.
Re OP; absolutely agree plus enablers. I was lucky to have lived most of my life in central London. There were literally about 30 food trucks every night on the Strand and they would pick and choose - 'no, don't fancy the chickpea curry and rice [chuck on the ground] i'll try the Falafel Flatbread'. Shops that catered for Lunchtime time crowd as an aside to their normal trade would leave their food bins unlocked because they weren't allowed to donate out of date food but allowed people to bin dive. Sounds altruistic - the rats were definitely happy as people rummaged and chucked detritus all over. Pret a Manger developed a system to deliver food on the cusp of being out of date in a hygienic and measured way. Charing Cross Library had a lovely make over; people could come and browse / rummage - fair enough. Ironically, the comfiest seats were in the Romance section - the stink of urine, faeces and BO were rapidly absorbed into said, comfy seats. Upstairs, in the reference section there was plenty of room to lay down, imbibe substances and have sex - saw it all - although one couples tried to be discrete in their shared sleeping bag. At Christmas it was beyond ridiculous. You had all these puzzled tourists wandering around Covent Garden, The Strand, Soho who couldn't believe there wasn't anything open on Christmas Day - in central London?! I've seen them being approached by gangs / groups of homeless in an aggressive manner - 5 minutes from Whitehall. Same groups were bussed out at the first signs of serious weather on the horizon - proof there were enough hostel places but the majority weren't willing to go because no alcohol or or narcotics allowed. Word gets around and they travel to the best tourist traps e.g. Canary Wharf however, it's classed as a Private Estate so they hang on as long as possible before taking over the foot bridge to the Isle of Dogs - and fight over the best spots - also rent out dogs to each other because they're a honey trap, everyone's a sucker for a drugged up Dog or even better, a cat named . . . I saw latter and it was off it's tits.

If they would rather die,they'd better do it and decrease the surplus population.

Virtue signalling is right. None of us have the same experience as the OP but we have our own. It isn't pleasant to be accosted - and I have been, it's not ok.

I used to buy the Big Issue from a woman outside M&S - until she wouldn't give me the magazine saying 'it was her last one', accepted the money though. I wondered what she was going to do with that last magazine. It's no coincidence that she was outside M&S and not anywhere else on the retail park.

Before I get an onslaught of 'no empathy' from the usual parrots, I pay to the charities that get people off the streets, quietly, every month. It is absolutely valid to say that giving people money is counterproductive and everybody has the choice of whether to do that or not. I don't but if the posters here want to then knock yourselves out... or perhaps you're just posturing on a chatboard?

Some of the posts to the OP are horrendous yet so predictable.

I agree with the OP. They all come out of the woodwork at Christmas hoping to tap into people’s gullibility/seasonal generosity. They do make more than someone holding down a minimum wage job who is out of the house 50 hours a week doing so.
To the beggars, it’s a business. Better to give to a charity rather than direct to them.

I work for a homelessness charity in London, we work with rough sleepers. Street homelessness is up by 18% on this time last year in London, and I think it's likely to be the same in other cities, so it's no wonder it's more visible. Data here: https://data.london.gov.uk/dataset/chain-reports
The people you are seeing are unwell, and need a social care response rather than an enforcement response. Moving them on won't solve any of the underlying issues that have led to their homelessness. Many (up to 80%) people who are street homeless have experienced childhood trauma or abuse, and have a long history of being let down by services that should have supported them, so it can be (understandably) very hard to build the trust needed to work with them to address their homelessness. Often people use drugs and alcohol as a way of self medicating trauma.
The very best solution would be more supported housing provided by the govt as there are very limited suitable options available.

That’s actually fairly rare I’d wager and veterans are one group who are given a huge amount of support both funded and charitable.

You usually find the opposite (people who're content with their own lot in life tend not to judge the lives of others harshly).

I don’t have kids but my friend has 3 girls all under 12 and is often herself with them and gets very anxious about being approached in London.

It’s a shame people (understandably) feel like this though because the high street is already dying.

For everyone’s sake the government and charities need to come together and work to make long term sustainable change possible.

Best reply

I live opposite a Single Homeless Project house and daily see the same five housed men leaving the building to beg on the local high street and nick parcels. I work in a related field so I have a real sympathy for people at the sharp end of poverty - but these aren’t them.

Or maybe your friend and the PP could explain to their children that sometimes life can get really, really hard and people find themselves in situations where they end up living on the streets and asking people for money because it might be the only way they'll get to eat that day. Teach them some compassion rather than turning the other cheek.

"On the other hand, it is not helpful to those people to come on here and take the piss out of anyone who points out that, as well as this group, there are organised begging gangs exist too."

Please re-read OP's posts and tell me where she makes the distinction between homeless people and organised crime gangs. Clue: she doesn't. She simply refers to the "homeless" (her quote marks because she's made it clear she doesn't believe they are) as "addicts", "alcoholics" and "performative beggars".
Had OP positioned her initial complaint in the way you say, she might have had a more sympathetic hearing.

I've been on the bus out of Bath city centre when some of the beggars with dogs have got on and gone home or back to their hostel. I do think it is better to give money to charities to distribute than to individuals.

You first, MoneyFairy. Yes, of course you would...

Edited to reference correct poster, edited again as I was right the first time, ffs.

Wow, do people still say that?

The homeless in my area exist but are invisible. They are not begging on the street. One of them is a barista at a local cafe. Zero hours contract. Is sofa surfing, currently with a friend, living near his workplace. Until the friend gets tired of sharing his space, or his landlord finds out.

He’s good at his job, reliable, he needs a better contract but there’s nothing going locally. As he’s young he will probably move away and find a more stable place to live, but not everyone can.

I get your point OP. They're becoming increasingly aggressive in our town. Following you down the street, addressing our children, swearing if you say no or ignore them.
The number of street homeless is actually pretty small (though growing) - most beggars are "professional" beggars or addicts who can't or won't be helped.
It is possible to both have sympathy, and not feel obliged to solve everyone else's problems whilst tolerating intimidating behaviour.
It's far better to support organisations that keep people off the streets in the first place.

It seems some still do. So odd and cringeworthy.

Only people who have nowt genuine to add to the conversation.

Homeless people can access benefits and have enough money to eat.