General Chat

Does anyone know what is being done for the homeless in this dreadful cold? I seldom see them in this area, but it has worried me all day. We feed the animals and birds, but what about humans?

n

Jean, why not contact your local council or Salvation Army and ask? Just because you don't see them doesn't mean they're not there.
Some people can afford to give financially, others give their time for whatever reasons. There is always something that each and every one of us who cares can do!

Hi
It is very worrying about these poor people on the streets
surley they could open community halls or village halls so they wont be out sleeping on the streets in this weather
what happens when the hostles are full to the poor people who cant get in
are they meant to sleep on the streets

PollyPoppett - cynical as it might sound, most village and community halls these days are run by groups of unpaid volunteers who have to meet their own running costs. To open their halls all through the night, running the heating and all other costs is something they just cannot afford to do.
Some areas of the country have what we call "Nightstop" schemes where volunteers take in homeless people (generally young people) for a night or two, give them a bed, bath & hot meal as well as somewhere to wash their clothes. These people are very special, opening their homes to total strangers (after having been CRB checked). Other volunteers might do things like picking up these homeless people and driving them to these volunteer hosts.
There are lots of ways that ordinary people like you and me can help but we have to remember that homelessness is not something that only happens in the winter.
You've set me off on my soapbox so I'll shut up now!

Hi Julia May
I can understand what your saying and as you say its not just this time of the year that there are homless people its just so sad to think in this day and age people are sleeping on the streets
you see enough houses boarded up standing empty that could be used to help or at least start clearing this problem up after all how many immigrants come into this country and get jobs houses ect
not all of the homless are drug users or drunks some are people just down on their luck and all they need is a helping hand to pick themselves up

There are what are called night shelters in certain towns. Also, there are "meal runs"; for instance, in Bournemouth, co-ordinated by local churches of various denominations, there is somewhere for someone to have a hot meal, and blankets and clothes if needed, each day of the week.

Also helping people without homes -
http://www.alabare.co.uk/

Not homeless people, but people stranded in the snow being helped -
http://www.urc.org.uk/news/2010/january/united_reformed_church_shelters_drivers_stranded_in_snow

I worry so much about them.
a bowl or cup of soup is nice, but so much nicer when we are dry, warm and comfortable.
I have always found it hard to take that in a country as rich as ours, we have homeless people.
God Bless them all.
Deanna X

Thanks for replying. It has always been a sore point with me that so little is done. I have slept rough in my teens for about a week after a row with my mother, and never went back there. My Dad found me somewhere to live, so I was lucky. My son lived a long way away from us, and when he and his partner split he finished up sleeping on a friends couch until the council re housed him because he had been a good tenant.

Hello Jean:o)

This is something that has always concerned me and have wanted to give money to so many out there. You're right we don't seem to have a problem here in Monmouth although l have seen people sleeping rough a few christmasses ago.
l have a website l can give you for a fairly local homeless charity if you want. They contacted me via freecycle about something l was giving away

l often have a quick chat with the big issue lad in town:o))

l don't know if there are any homeless charities set up in town, be interesting to know!!

Take care
jude :o) x