Homelessness

[mickythefish]

Just wondered your thoughts on it. We are not talking people with addiction problems etc just normal people who due to the cost of living, divorce, mental health etc, massively changing, not ticking boxes for social help, usually single males,

Just noticed a lot of people sleeping in their cars, and nomads nowadays. Is this acceptable?

[Bluevanman]

No

[Evanivitch]

mickythefish said:

Just wondered your thoughts on it. We are not talking people with addiction problems etc just normal people who due to the cost of living, divorce, mental health etc, massively changing, not ticking boxes for social help, usually single males,

Just noticed a lot of people sleeping in their cars, and nomads nowadays. Is this acceptable?

It's not acceptable.

The system is incredibly slow to respond, and drives people into deeper issues of addiction and mental health crisis.

[Ken_Code]

As long as they aren’t littering or using the streets as a toilet then there’s no great harm done.

[thepritch]

Ken_Code said:

As long as they aren’t littering or using the streets as a toilet then there’s no great harm done.

To you, no.

But to those who are homeless, yes a great deal of harm done to their health and well-being. The focus should be on those who are forced to live on the streets, not on what it means to us!

[Terminator X]

mickythefish said:

Just wondered your thoughts on it. We are not talking people with addiction problems etc just normal people who due to the cost of living, divorce, mental health etc, massively changing, not ticking boxes for social help, usually single males,

Just noticed a lot of people sleeping in their cars, and nomads nowadays. Is this acceptable?

There was a programme on the TV by the chap that does a lot of the wilderness challenges eg drop him somewhere and he finds his way home; he slept rough for a month or two and his major finding believe it or not was that the vast majority of homeless people prefer it to real life eg they can drop out of society and and long as they get fed and watered they have very few worries left (no tax, no bills etc).

Before people lay into me watch the programme.

TX.

[Ken_Code]

thepritch said:

To you, no.

But to those who are homeless, yes a great deal of harm done to their health and well-being. The focus should be on those who are forced to live on the streets, not on what it means to us!

OK, so given your focus on this what have you actually done about it?

[Red9zero]

I currently WFH, but pre-Covid, on my walk across the centre of Bristol from the NCP to my office I would pass four homeless encampments. One was in the car park itself, either in a parking space or in the stairwell, another would be in the Hippodrome doorway. There was one that was set up in a bus shelter, that looked very well organised and another in an empty office doorway just by our office. None of them ever hassled me, although the one in the car park regularly had people sat there injecting themselves at 7am, which was always a bit of an eye opener.
The one that always used to get me though, was when I would be passing through the centre to get to the M32 at 05.30. There was a bus shelter that would be full of homeless people, right next to a casino where people would be pissing huge amounts of money up the wall. You do wonder what would be going through their minds.

[mickythefish]

i came across a group on FB, basically a bloke living in shelters. i know a bloke who lived in a garage for a few years sue to lack of support. the common dominator is single man, just seems sad really in a first world country, there is more than enough money in the system.

[Spare tyre]

Druggies and stuff I do feel sorry for, but they are hard to help, having watched their behaviour you wonder how often they’ve been let down

There is a 52 plate berlingo that I see in various places around the city

I happened to be sat near it one evening and a youngish guy about 25 cycled up and got in, later that evening you see blankets up at the window

No idea what his situation is, but if you don’t have parents to fall back on it could be tough if wages are low.

Is he homeless I guess, I admire him for sticking with it.


I know it’s not the same as it’s different issues with different legalities but the centre of Southampton is a curious place, migrant hotel right in the centre (we won’t talk about them doing Uber eat deliveries on e-bikes) and homeless outside. Strange world

[Motorman74]

A school friend of mine was murdered in a homeless hostel - he'd had a troubled life, even when we were in school - but he didn't deserve that.

My wife's office is opposite the same homeless hostel, a number of homeless people have been hit by cars while totally out of it on spice or whatever.

Where I work, there are a large number of vans and caravans parked in non-residential streets around a park. They are being moved on - they need to go somewhere, it's probably going to be dispersal in the surrounding residential streets. Despite "van life" being this idealised youtube channel thing, none of these people are living in vans by choice. A bit more empathy/compassion is needed.

It's an epidemic of immense proportions, and it's not limited to the UK. The system is completely broken. I don't have any idea how this can be fixed, but just abandoning these people is really not acceptable in 2024.

[BoRED S2upid]

Van life is a movement not really homeless the van is their home.

Rough sleeping there is no need for that when we are finding homes for immigrants we should be finding a roof over everyone’s head.

[StevieBee]

Over the years, I've worked for and with various organisations that seek to address this issue.

What I've learnt is that there is absolutely no institutional driven need for anyone in the UK to sleep rough. If you lost absolutely everything right now, there is a bed, a warm meal, shower, etc for you this evening and for as long as you need. Plus, all the support you need to get back on your feet.

The government could spend £1b building new shelters, employing more staff and running more outreach yet there would still be people sleeping on the streets.

The reasons are hugely complex and far from being singular; addiction, mental health, etc... Almost always, the common denominator as being the root cause is family. What should be the ultimate safety net, for many simply does not exist. Sometimes through unfortunate circumstance, sometimes through deliberate abandonment.

[Ken_Code]

My wife works in Charing Cross where there are quite a lot of “elective” homeless (as in they have moved there) and she’s very often harassed and propositioned on her way to and from the office.
Any sympathy I once had has been eroded by what they put her through.

[Spare tyre]

Motorman74 said:

A school friend of mine was murdered in a homeless hostel - he'd had a troubled life, even when we were in school - but he didn't deserve that.

My wife's office is opposite the same homeless hostel, a number of homeless people have been hit by cars while totally out of it on spice or whatever.

Where I work, there are a large number of vans and caravans parked in non-residential streets around a park. They are being moved on - they need to go somewhere, it's probably going to be dispersal in the surrounding residential streets. Despite "van life" being this idealised youtube channel thing, none of these people are living in vans by choice. A bit more empathy/compassion is needed.

It's an epidemic of immense proportions, and it's not limited to the UK. The system is completely broken. I don't have any idea how this can be fixed, but just abandoning these people is really not acceptable in 2024.

Horrid thing to say, but stopping rewarding cretins for breeding with free houses and “pay” would be a good start

Edited by Spare tyre on Monday 1st July 10:06

[Evanivitch]

Spare tyre said:

Horrid thing to say, but stopping rewarding cretins for breeding with free houses and “pay” would be a good start

Edited by Spare tyre on Monday 1st July 10:06

So punish babies and children?

[nuyorican]

Housing has become a luxury at worst, a commodity to be bought and traded at best.

[Spare tyre]

Evanivitch said:

Spare tyre said:

Horrid thing to say, but stopping rewarding cretins for breeding with free houses and “pay” would be a good start

Edited by Spare tyre on Monday 1st July 10:06

So punish babies and children?

Well, no, but I suspect if you said after xyz there is no free housing just because you’ve popped out a sprog, it’d self control to some respects

So many people I know are not having families because they want to not live in a house share / flat before starting, whereas the feckless crack on and contribute not a lot.

Having lived between social housing I’ve seen it all, mostly not good

[TheJimi]

Spare tyre said:

Motorman74 said:

A school friend of mine was murdered in a homeless hostel - he'd had a troubled life, even when we were in school - but he didn't deserve that.

My wife's office is opposite the same homeless hostel, a number of homeless people have been hit by cars while totally out of it on spice or whatever.

Where I work, there are a large number of vans and caravans parked in non-residential streets around a park. They are being moved on - they need to go somewhere, it's probably going to be dispersal in the surrounding residential streets. Despite "van life" being this idealised youtube channel thing, none of these people are living in vans by choice. A bit more empathy/compassion is needed.

It's an epidemic of immense proportions, and it's not limited to the UK. The system is completely broken. I don't have any idea how this can be fixed, but just abandoning these people is really not acceptable in 2024.

Horrid thing to say, but stopping rewarding cretins for breeding with free houses and “pay” would be a good start

So within the context of homelessness, that's your answer?

[Spare tyre]

TheJimi said:

Spare tyre said:

Motorman74 said:

A school friend of mine was murdered in a homeless hostel - he'd had a troubled life, even when we were in school - but he didn't deserve that.

My wife's office is opposite the same homeless hostel, a number of homeless people have been hit by cars while totally out of it on spice or whatever.

Where I work, there are a large number of vans and caravans parked in non-residential streets around a park. They are being moved on - they need to go somewhere, it's probably going to be dispersal in the surrounding residential streets. Despite "van life" being this idealised youtube channel thing, none of these people are living in vans by choice. A bit more empathy/compassion is needed.

It's an epidemic of immense proportions, and it's not limited to the UK. The system is completely broken. I don't have any idea how this can be fixed, but just abandoning these people is really not acceptable in 2024.

Horrid thing to say, but stopping rewarding cretins for breeding with free houses and “pay” would be a good start

So within the context of homelessness, that's your answer?

No, I was suggesting that the money is about, but it’s spent in the wrong place