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.

That’s amazing! So we dont have a homeless problem then? Great news. You need to tell the local council and Shelter and Crisis asap. They’ll be thrilled to hear the truth.

In a smallish town it's quite possible to know where they live

That's really mean of you. People on the streets are usually desperate. Have some empathy and compassion.

That sounds to me like a good idea.

I sincerely hope you think about the feedback you're getting. It does not take much for a persons life to unravel- job loss, ill health. You'd be surprised how quickly it can happen so just check your thoughts now as you just don't know what your future or that of your loved ones could bring.

I remember once they flew loads of them home from London as they wanted to go back but couldn’t afford it. They must be sold a pack of lies about coming here

Its clear the op isn't feeling sympathy with genuinely homeless people, but she is sick if seeing the scammers taking money and resources away from the real homeless.
Glasgow is the same, its the same people sitting outside Central Station, its a drugs ring operating it.
And where i live the same Romanian women has been selling the big issue for over ten years, its became a job for her. I think thats taking the piss myself.

Wow.
You know, there was FB on my local city page the other day, showing police and local authorities clearing away a camp and tents just outside of the city walls. The absolute vast majority of people commenting were outraged and wanting to do something to help those that were being moved on - not helped mind, just moved. I was pleasantly surprised by the empathic response. Thank fuck I live somewhere nicer than you.

The problem is they are overwhelmed by people who do take advantage pretending they don't exist is mental they are an issue that need to be delt with as opposed to genuine people who need to be helped

I dont mean to sound bad, but until they get card readers they must surely have seen donations dropping now? I never have cash on me and I've often wanted to give a few bob. They either refuse food or dont eat it IME anyway.

There are scammers, chancers and organised begging groups everywhere now though,so its often had to know who is genuine anymore.

Yup I’m from a small town so every single single who is homeless is offered help and I know that is true from people who work in the system. There are still a couple we see and they are begging and going back to flats or using drugs which the homes they are offered don’t allow.

If my child grew up with as little empathy as you I’d have done a terrible job as a parent

Which town is this? I am sure you won't say because outing etc,, but thought I'd chance it.

This thread is incredibly uniformed and callous. I work in child protection. The lives some of these addicts and alcoholics will have had are really beyond comprehension. I won’t share details here because frankly it’s deeply upsetting. The cruelty they may have suffered depriving them of the normal lives most of us take for granted literally change the way your brain is wired. The odds are heavily stacked of ever living a normal life. If not just a moral obligation of a decent society it’s cheaper to treat addiction than throw people in prison.

Try a little compassion. It is Christmas. If there are people ‘grifting’ it’s a pretty poor grift. It’s easier and more profitable just to commit crimes. I can’t imagine it’s by any means a majority. Give to a reputable charity if unsure.

Exactly! The guy outside John Lewis, he’s been selling the big issue for YEARS! The guy who sat in Buchanan Street, draped in a Celtic flag and a tricolour, jailed for attempted rape of a woman who stopped to talk to
him….the Roma guy, again in Buchanan Street, sitting shivering with bare feet because he had no socks and shoes, caught by a newspaper, sneaking up a side street where his girlfriend was waiting with his socks and shoes. Now we have them with cardboard signs hoping to raise £16 for a bed in a hostel for the night! Of course there are genuine homeless, but it’s naive to
believe they all are. I understand what you mean OP. I give to a homeless centre in Glasgow (Midland Street, if anyone cares to help) where there is lots of help available to
street homeless.

Help comes with conditions (reasonably so, like no drinking in the shelter and no turning up to the shelter blind drunk and aggressive) and many homeless addicts cannot meet these conditions. In Germany in some areas they provide secure, individual sleeping pods for rough sleepers that can't access shelters. Can't see that happening here and, given the current housing crisis, I worry that, if it did, it would start to be seen as "suitable provision".

Yep, Brighton is similar. Walk out of the station into hoards of druggies and alchos all asking for money and getting abusive if you don’t oblige. Tents put up, queues outside the tent of people buying drugs. It’s horrible.

Which came first, the chicken or the egg? Some homeless people became homeless as a result of addiction or alcoholism. Some homeless people become alcoholics or drug addicts because it’s a way to numb their pain. I think very few alcoholics or drug addicts are begging in the streets during the day and going back to their nice homes at night.

The massive decline in cash usage means that begging can hardly raise much anyway. People don’t have any spare change to give away without noticing an impact — they’d have to draw cash from a cash machine and that suddenly feels a lot more intentional. I have done it, but can’t afford to give £10 to every beggar I see, so must either choose who I help or decide to give to a homeless charity— who, again, probably can’t help everyone—and not help any individual beggars at all.

How do you know that they all have flats?

If your town has no one who is genuinely homeless, it’s unique in the UK.

This is the point of MN questions. They are put there to solicit a reaction.

I think those of you against the OP perhaps have different beggars than some places.

When I arrived in Brighton 40 years ago I was homeless. I found a squat with others and moved in their. I had a job. As did most of the others living there, we just couldn't afford rent. A new girl turned up one weekend and suggested we begged, we all said no we had jobs thanks so she was in her own. After a couple of weeks she got bored with the life and said she was going home. I said I would drive her. She lived on Dyke Road, you won't get change from about 5 million these days. She had a row with her parents and ran away ( about two miles ) she made over £200 a day begging in the eighties and thought we were Muppets for working for £60 a week.

Brighton is full of aggressive street sleepers, I now work with one of the charities weekly and we say not to give them handouts, food hot drinks oet food, great but not money.

Check your cliche

I work in housing, we have stock in large cities in England. At this time of year we get daily reports from police of our tenants being arrested after aggressive begging has resulted in them being stopper, searched, and found in possession of drugs. See also fighting with other "homeless" people for begging on their "patch". This can be a breach of their tenancy agreement if within the "locality" of their social housing property..

Whilst there is a disgustingly huge number of homeless people in this country, there sadly is a subset of people as OP describes who uses this time of year to make money from Christmas shoppers and that money goes on drugs and alcohol.

Our tenants like this, often refuse the offers of help and intervention.

So, this isn't a clear cut issue. There are, sadly, many really decent homeless people, there are nasty/aggressive homeless people, and there are adequately housed people who pretend to be homeless and beg with their pet dog to feed a habit.

Almost lost for words... What are you doing to meaningfully contribute to positive change in your community OP? Homelessness, deprivation and substance misuse are sadly rife everywhere. It's no good complaining about it. Take action. Understand people's challenges. Be a voice for change.
If housing options and support is poor, shout about it. Write to Andy Burnham. Add your voice positively for change. Be aware of the charity needs in your area. Press the P&CC office for meaningful support to drug and alcohol initiatives.
People have disfunctional lives have probably lived in cycles of poverty and deprivation unimaginable to many.
People can overcome enormous challenges but only with appropriate support and that is not simply the job of others. We all need to play a part. It takes vast effort.

Me neither. I'm just cowardly reading how others respond.

Personally speaking though I do give change if I have it. Unfortunately though it's probably gone towards funding their drug habit.