Corbyn Promises Homes For The Homeless

[emmie]

8,000 in fact, if he wins the next election..

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-42851024

[Khandro]

But such places exist;
https://england.shelter.org.uk/housing_advice/homelessness/articles/get_a_place_to_stay_if_youre_homeless_and_on_the_streets

[fiction-factory]

Yes, so are they all full or are homeless people turning down offers of help?

[Kromovaracun]

They do exist, Khandro, and they are typically full to capacity. Plus they work very closely with local councils - who are legally speaking obliged to house you if you fall under certain categories (e.g. you are a woman/child, disabled, etc.). This in practice means that single men who are homeless get zero support (or are forever next in line) and are expected to make it on their own because they are considered better able to help themselves.

Now, yes, that may be true in comparison to an invalid or a child. But the truth is that the existing system for dealing with rough sleepers is not working and cannot cope with them in the right numbers because those services just do not have the amount of accommodation they need - even for those small numbers I posted above.

[fiction-factory]

I don't think i would cope with a more than a few nights on the street but I think teh issues are much more complex than can be solved by giving a home- drugs, mental health issues etc. I would love to know the stories of homeless people and why they choose not to use the systems that exist.
A few days ago I stood behing an extremely smelly person whom i have seen on the streets in the town centre. He paid in a bags of counted out coins- pound coins and silver- and was able to provide a bank card when they asked him for it to pay the money in. he was on first name terms with the staff so must pay in regularly. To be fair he was not paying in a fortune- about £40-£50 I recall- but I wondered how he was able to get a bank account if homeless.

[EDDIE51]

Togo. For the record . Yes I have worked in Africa and the Middle East. But my chosen career was as a laboratory chemist. I have always enjoyed my work. I consider myself very fortunate to have been paid to live in and see places that would be very expensive to visit as a tourist. But the salary and therefore the pension for my line of work are FAR less than say a banking, or financial graduate would have got. It has never been even a possibility to buy a house, far too expensive,especially with 5 children.(all now adult and working full time) Even with my 2 company pensions my total income means I still qualify for Pension Credit.
The really daft thing is, that if I had never joined a company pension scheme at all ,but had just taken all the money as income, I would be earning exactly the same pension as now. Pension credit take money off the total payable £ for £ for any private pension. So what I lost on the private pensions would be made up for by Pension credit.

[Khandro]

Shouldn't British homeless take precedent over foreign immigrants?

[mikey4444]

Khandro...in what way do "foreign immigrants" take precedence over British homeless at the present time ?

Why can't we help our homeless and rough sleepers in spite of everything else we do ?

[bhg481]

ff //but I wondered how he was able to get a bank account if homeless. //
He might have had the bank account before he became homeless.

[Khandro]

mickey; //.in what way do "foreign immigrants" take precedence over British homeless at the present time ?//
Grenfell tower highlighted the fact, it was packed with foreign immigrants and the same pattern is repeated throughout the country.

[Kromovaracun]

How does Grenfell tower prove that the pattern is repeated across the country?

[emmie]

it is a complex issue and its simply not going to be solved by this or further governments it would seem.
Going on various news items that i have seen recently, many men on the streets are ex service personnel. Why can't the army help if that is the case.

[anotheoldgit]

Nothing further to be said that hasn't already been said, except to say I think some of you have been a little unkind towards our fellow ABer nailit.

Lets hope nailit managers to get his mental problems sorted out, and he will not be forced out onto the streets.

Best of luck, old chap.

[mikey4444]

AOG....on that I am in complete agreement. The attitude to nailit yesterday was appalling, and those responsible should be ashamed of themselves.

[anneasquith]

Actually, Mikey, the attitude to nailit was not appalling if one was following the thread at the time. Indeed some abers were very patient with him . sorry for the diversion on your thread.

[emmie]

back to the point gentlemen, having watched the news
the money collected, which was many millions, should see the survivors of Grenfell be able to rent/buy a new property, that is without the government money that was put aside.

[mikey4444]

Anne...yes some were. but others were not....some were very spiteful indeed.

[dannyk13]

In relation to the original post. When I was constable and patrolling a beat it was commonplace on night duty to come across someone sleeping in a shop doorway. The policy in my force was to direct that person to the local 'spike'( a place of refuge manned by the Salvation Army) It was a safe bet, that once I had moved to another part of my beat, that person would return to a shop doorway.Many of the homeless do not want to be helped and,in some cases seem to resent it.

[Khandro]

Kromo; //How does Grenfell tower prove that the pattern is repeated across the country?//
There is no end of anecdotal evidence; people on long waiting lists seeing immigrants getting priority - a contributing factor for Brexit votes.
What you should ask yourself is why would that one block be exceptional?

[emmie]

what i can add is that in our borough, now so diverse you don't know you are in England, many immigrants do get first dibs, its not right or fair, to those waiting years on the housing list, this info was imparted by an employee in the council to me a while back. They know it happens, and can't do anything about it seemingly

[Kromovaracun]

//There is no end of anecdotal evidence//

"Anecdotal evidence" is an oxymoron.