[News] £100m Government Plan To End Rough Sleeping

Chicken Run · Aug 13, 2018

The government has vowed to end rough sleeping on England's streets by 2027.
It has promised £100m "to help people turn their lives around", including support for mental health and addictions, and funding for housing.
Homelessness has been on the rise for the past seven years, with around 4,750 people estimated to be sleeping rough on any given night in England in 2017.

Can it be done? A small percentage are running away from society as a whole and don’t want to be herded, nether the less a positive step.

The opposition response ,

A Labour government would end rough sleeping within its first term by making 8,000 homes available to those with a history of sleeping on the streets.

They will pay their student loans as well if they have one.....

Bevendean Hillbilly · Aug 13, 2018

Offering addiction help to rough sleepers is not the answer. Getting to people before they are so hopelessly addicted that they're happy to sleep in a pissy blanket in the rain is far far too late.

Intervention while people are still in a property is a better idea. As it is addiction services are hopelessly over stretched and help offered too far distant to those in its midst to be effective.

Stopping putting addicts in jail would help too. Stealing to fund a habit is not a crime of acquisitiveness it's a crime to stop them going through massive withdrawals and possibly dying.

I worked in A&E for many years and got to know a lot of homeless people, mostly addicts mostly ex cons, all decent enough types who look out for each other but just left out.

The accomodation in hostels is another issue. Many are terrified of them as there are some proper mad characters in there too. Personally I'd rather take my chances on the street than share a room with a methed up schizophrenic kleptomaniac.

Herr Tubthumper · Aug 13, 2018

One of the very first things Theresa May said in her speech when she took over as PM was to prioritise help for mental health; she made a big deal of this. Her party has since gone silent and worse still, cut funding. Why would you trust her party with this latest attempt to look kind and caring?

The Clamp · Aug 13, 2018

You have to get to these poor people as children. That’s when the damage is done . More money for social services and child protection.

timbha · Aug 13, 2018

Show me a big city and I’ll show you rough sleepers. In places like San Francisco whole families are sleeping rough. Can’t blame Theresa may for everything.

beorhthelm · Aug 13, 2018

Bevendean Hillbilly said:
Offering addiction help to rough sleepers is not the answer. Getting to people before they are so hopelessly addicted that they're happy to sleep in a pissy blanket in the rain is far far too late.

isnt the core problem that people dont recognise their situation or dont seek help until its too late?

Stat Brother · Aug 13, 2018

beorhthelm said:
isnt the core problem that people dont recognise their situation or dont seek help until its too late?

Rough sleepers or Theresa May?

Justice · Aug 13, 2018

Bevendean Hillbilly said:
Offering addiction help to rough sleepers is not the answer. Getting to people before they are so hopelessly addicted that they're happy to sleep in a pissy blanket in the rain is far far too late.

Intervention while people are still in a property is a better idea. As it is addiction services are hopelessly over stretched and help offered too far distant to those in its midst to be effective.

Stopping putting addicts in jail would help too. Stealing to fund a habit is not a crime of acquisitiveness it's a crime to stop them going through massive withdrawals and possibly dying.

I worked in A&E for many years and got to know a lot of homeless people, mostly addicts mostly ex cons, all decent enough types who look out for each other but just left out.

The accomodation in hostels is another issue. Many are terrified of them as there are some proper mad characters in there too. Personally I'd rather take my chances on the street than share a room with a methed up schizophrenic kleptomaniac.

All decent enough types? That wouldn’t think twice about robbing and stealing.. ok then. Wonder if you would still say that if a couple of junkies broke in your home and stole all your shit?

Bakero · Aug 13, 2018

timbha said:
Show me a big city and I’ll show you rough sleepers. In places like San Francisco whole families are sleeping rough. Can’t blame Theresa may for everything.

Does the government have no responsibility for the year on year rise in homelessness?

Thunder Bolt · Aug 13, 2018

Bakero said:
Does the government have no responsibility for the year on year rise in homelessness?

Universal Credit.

The Clamp · Aug 13, 2018

It’s a fine line. Help has to be there to safeguard the vulnerable in society but one of the reasons they don’t change is because they don’t have to.
Yet we must safeguard against them falling into DV relationships, prostitution and further drug use. Once the spiral starts it’s almost impossible to halt. It’s heartbreaking how normalised some behaviour can become to some people. They talk about sex working to get crack as you or I would talk about going to get the weekly shop in. Once they have crossed those lines a lot of work has to done.

btnbelle · Aug 13, 2018

Very complex problem to sort out now. I am not sure that will be enough money.

Councils need to offer housing to anyone who needs it, so they don't end up on the streets in the first place. Not to mention sorting out the mess housing benefit has become for some people.

I hope this will work, it is heartbreaking seeing people living on our streets.

The Clamp · Aug 13, 2018

Justice said:
All decent enough types? That wouldn’t think twice about robbing and stealing.. ok then. Wonder if you would still say that if a couple of junkies broke in your home and stole all your shit?

You know, you can be throughly pissed off with someone for what they have done but also have empathy for their situation.

midnight_rendezvous · Aug 13, 2018

Plooks said:
How very nice of the party that INTRODUCED THEM IN THE FIRST PLACE!

And the Tories tripled fees so what’s your point? Neither party is absolved of responsibility in this case.

Diablo · Aug 13, 2018

Bevendean Hillbilly;8563756

mostly addicts mostly ex cons, all decent enough types

Are you serious ?

Nitram · Aug 13, 2018

As said by Bevendean Hillbilly intervention is needed before addiction is so far rooted all of the person's self esteem is lost and living on the street is a preferred option. Often accommodation is available but sharing with some seriously mentally disturbed people can be more dangerous than taking their chances on the streets. There are others that are so seriously addicted that they can't hold down living in a flat and the only way is back on the streets.
The problems need early intervention and therefore proper funding for children services and addiction programmes, however this would be very expensive, and this governments embracing of the Universal Credit, as pointed out above, shows they have no understanding of cause and effect. There are no easy solutions, just providing accommodation would not be enough either.

AmexRuislip · Aug 13, 2018

I did report that said there were about 13,000 ex armed forces sleeping rough on the streets of the UK.
Even with the help of SSAFA, it's still not enough.
London is rife with homeless, something needs to be done, not just throwing £100 million at the problem IMO.

happypig · Aug 13, 2018

No-one ever thinks "right, I'm going to quit work, get on heroin and go live in a doorway"
I've heard a lot of stories over the years when people have fallen foul of the law and in almost all cases there is some sort of trauma that leads people into homelessness; a relationship breakdown, job loss, thrown out by parents and dozens of other reasons. If there is a common factor it's that people who end up homeless often have less coping abilities or addiction issues and that can lead to bad decisions on top of bad decisions.
Once the relative stability of a home has gone then it's an easy slide into addiction and crime. One thing I am sure of is that sending a heroin addict to jail for a month after his 50th shoplifting conviction is neither just nor helpful (to either him or the victim).

alfredmizen · Aug 13, 2018

happypig said:
No-one ever thinks "right, I'm going to quit work, get on heroin and go live in a doorway"
I've heard a lot of stories over the years when people have fallen foul of the law and in almost all cases there is some sort of trauma that leads people into homelessness; a relationship breakdown, job loss, thrown out by parents and dozens of other reasons. If there is a common factor it's that people who end up homeless often have less coping abilities or addiction issues and that can lead to bad decisions on top of bad decisions.
Once the relative stability of a home has gone then it's an easy slide into addiction and crime. One thing I am sure of is that sending a heroin addict to jail for a month after his 50th shoplifting conviction is neither just nor helpful (to either him or the victim).

Im quite sure that they dont think "right , lets try heroin shall we, and i'll be the only heroin user who doesnt end up a skanky loser with no teeth" , i have sympathy with a.lot of cases , but skagheads ? come on , there is ONE end to that journey and you would have to be from mars not to be aware of that.

ManOfSussex · Aug 13, 2018

Sadly this map confirms what we see on a daily basis - https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-45162892

Highest levels of rough sleeping on the south coast - Brighton & Hove, Hastings and Eastbourne.

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