Would you give a homeless person a room?

[El Cid]

At the end of the programme, it said that the lady and children in question had been sent to a b&b in Southend, (she had been living and working in London), and given a one-way ticket to get there. She is no doubt still there, stuck in the system- or out of it?

 

She did seem upset by the experience, she might want to get herself some stability in the future.

[Chelle-82]

Yes I would... and breakfast, a bubble bath, some clean clothes and lend a kind ear if such is needed.

[Zamo]

Watching the BBC program about debt collectors, there was a foreign woman with 2 children that was being evicted. There was no help from the council of that area, because she was born abroad, lived in the UK about 8 years, partner returned to home country. Anyone see it, not sure if they followed up, to see what finally happened.

People get thousands in benefits, but this woman and children got zero. I think homeless people should be given a basic room, that is safe, you you have kept this family from being on the street?

 

The family may not have received thousands directly but indirectly the support, and the cost, is still there. The sad truth is that this is a politically induced charade designed to hide the true cost of immigration.

 

Families are pushed around like this by different social service department because of the pressure it puts on their budget when they have to provide expensive 'temporary' (if only) housing to immigrant families without access to public funds e.g. housing benefit. Social services costs are not counted as a 'benefit' but their statutory duties of care mean they end up providing housing benefits via the backdoor anyway. This backdoor provision of benefits allows the politicians to pretend they are being tough and to fiddle the figures. The real disgrace is that in doing so they have massively increased the actual cost (multiple social service departments doing assessments, housing department costs to assist social service with placements, travel expenses and ending up with the most expensive accommodation solutions e.g. hotels) and added to the pressure on social services who are now dealing with housing needs cases instead of focusing their precious resource on social needs cases. It is bad for families, wider society and the taxpayer... that's our politicians for you.

 

---------- Post added 20-04-2015 at 14:33 ----------

 

Yes I would... and breakfast, a bubble bath, some clean clothes and lend a kind ear if such is needed.

 

What, no offer to scrub their back? Selfish.

[Chelle-82]

What, no offer to scrub their back? Selfish.

 

I can't be too nice! they may want to stay... I'll be kind, but I'm not a saint!

[Berberis]

Well, it's all cool then, isn't it? If you did it, on the occasion you applied, then it must be really straightforward and equally easy and successful for everyone

 

Oh my, another armchair warrior. Like I said, I have first hand experience and its not hard.

[iansheff]

There was a woman and her daughter on the other week, they couldn't get through to the council and were going to be on the street at night. The Sherriff who went to enforce the eviction paid for them to stay in a hotel till the next day when the council got their finger out and found accommodation.

[Zamo]

There was a woman and her daughter on the other week, they couldn't get through to the council and were going to be on the street at night. The Sherriff who went to enforce the eviction paid for them to stay in a hotel till the next day when the council got their finger out and found accommodation.

 

All council's have an out of hours services dealing with homeless calls. If a mother and child are genuinely without anywhere to stay then the OOH service will always arrange overnight accommodation and let the day service pick up the case in the morning. You might not always get an immediate answer (there might only be one person manning the phone) but they would have eventually got through and been dealt with.

 

Still... good PR for the sheriff!

[onewheeldave]

Oh my, another armchair warrior.

 

Armchair warrior????????

 

How's that apply in the context of this discussion?

 

Like I said, I have first hand experience and its not hard.

I also have experience of the DWP- in my experience, it's very hard.

 

Then again, I am autistic- as are many of the homeless.

 

Plus, in the case of the homeless, many often have mental health issues and substance abuse issues. Plus, of course, the problem of not having an address at which to receive DWP postal communications.

 

But, plenty of neurotypicals also have great difficulties with the DWP.

 

And, like that link indicates-

http://blacktrianglecampaign.org/2014/10/21/uk-welfare-reform-deaths-updated-list-october-21st-2014/

 

 

 

many have committed suicide as a direct result of their dealings with the DWP.

 

So, putting aside your contribution of 'I was all right Jack', do you have any actual evidence or reasoning to back up your somewhat bizarre view that claiming what people are legally entitled to via the DWP is in any way easy or straightforward?

Edited April 20, 2015 by onewheeldave

[Berberis]

Armchair warrior????????

 

How's that apply in the context of this discussion?

 

I also have experience of the DWP- in my experience, it's very hard.

 

That's convenient. The whole process, start to finish may be long winded, caused by certain benefits only being available to people on another benefit, but each step, individually is not long winded and convoluted. Its simple and the Job Centre Plus is there to help you through it. You can do it all over the phone too and they call you not the other way round.

 

You can make it as easy as possible for people and there will still be people who will moan and complain its not easy enough. You cant please everyone and you certainly cannot please people who want to moan and complain.

Edited April 20, 2015 by Berberis

[onewheeldave]

That's convenient. The whole process, start to finish may be long winded, caused by certain benefits only being available to people on another benefit, but each step, individually is not long winded and convoluted. Its simple and the Job Centre Plus is there to help you through it. You can do it all over the phone too and they call you not the other way round.

 

You can make it as easy as possible for people and there will still be people who will moan and complain its not easy enough. You cant please everyone and you certainly cannot please people who want to moan and complain.

 

http://blacktrianglecampaign.org/2014/10/21/uk-welfare-reform-deaths-updated-list-october-21st-2014/

 

So- you got any theories as to why all those people committed suicide? They had lives and families- strange how they'd commit suicide if the process was so simple and the DWP so helpfull.

 

Here's a sheffield forum thread about experiences trying to claim PIP- perhaps you should pop in and inform them how easy it really is-

 

http://www.sheffieldforum.co.uk/showthread.php?t=1335642

 

here's a link to a FOI (freedom of information) request asking what percentage of jobseekers where sanctioned in the 5 year period 2007-2012

 

https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/223287/foi_4383_2012.pdf

 

It's 19% i.e. 1 in 5 of all claimants. Are 1 in 5 really that stupid/lazy/inept that they couldn't follow the jobcenters 'simple' procedures

Edited April 20, 2015 by onewheeldave