Beggars, homeless, street drinkers & drug users in Sheffield!

[redruby 279]

I find the argument that giving to beggars prevents crime a bit worrying. It feels too much like a threat of ‘give to beggars or else you might get mugged’.

 

[prince al 167]

I certainly wouldn’t encourage the homeless to drink and smoke, as I am sure this would disrupt the working and middle class recreational  consumption of cocaine.

[catmiss 12]

Heard a radio programme today featuring a man awarded in the New Years honours for his work with homelessness in Manchester. He’s pleased most people don’t give money to street beggars anymore but is now calling for the public to stop providing food and drink.  His argument is that giving these deters the homeless and vulnerably housed  from accessing statutory and charitable services who can provide social, medical and housing services-several charitable organisations supported his stance.  He is supporting the removal/relocation to a less visible location of a  nightly volunteer run ‘soup kitchen’ who also provide information re support services. His theory is to ‘starve’ people into accessing services and recommends this as a national strategy and asks that the public engage with individuals and provide info re services My question is are there enough accessible services and what about those  whose life experiences mean they won’t engage with or conform to service protocols of no substance  misuse  In the programme an almost incoherent woman interrupted the interview and the man stated ‘she’s a passer through with a butane gas canister’ so we couldn’t help her.

[overtheborder 0]

On 29/12/2019 at 00:07, catmiss said:

Heard a radio programme today featuring a man awarded in the New Years honours for his work with homelessness in Manchester. He’s pleased most people don’t give money to street beggars anymore but is now calling for the public to stop providing food and drink.  His argument is that giving these deters the homeless and vulnerably housed  from accessing statutory and charitable services who can provide social, medical and housing services-several charitable organisations supported his stance.  He is supporting the removal/relocation to a less visible location of a  nightly volunteer run ‘soup kitchen’ who also provide information re support services. His theory is to ‘starve’ people into accessing services and recommends this as a national strategy and asks that the public engage with individuals and provide info re services My question is are there enough accessible services and what about those  whose life experiences mean they won’t engage with or conform to service protocols of no substance  misuse  In the programme an almost incoherent woman interrupted the interview and the man stated ‘she’s a passer through with a butane gas canister’ so we couldn’t help her.

Do you know what the program is, or have you got a link at all?

[lottiecass 17]

On 28/12/2019 at 01:40, Longcol said:

And we'd see an increase in shoplifting, burglary, mugging etc. There are no easy answers - especially as services to support vulnerable people have been slashed thanks to the "austerity" regime.

 

In 20 odd years of working for homeless charities I never met anyone who "chose" to live on the streets - unless they'd been assaulted, robbed, raped etc in homeless hostels or suffered similar abuse in other housing / family settings - and couldn't see any better choices for themselves.

Glad you put chose in inverted commas because if you have spent 20 odd years working for the homeless you should have learned that some don't want the restrictions of hostels etc. 

[kidley 48]

On 28/12/2019 at 01:40, Longcol said:

And we'd see an increase in shoplifting, burglary, mugging etc. There are no easy answers - especially as services to support vulnerable people have been slashed thanks to the "austerity" regime.

 

In 20 odd years of working for homeless charities I never met anyone who "chose" to live on the streets - unless they'd been assaulted, robbed, raped etc in homeless hostels or suffered similar abuse in other housing / family settings - and couldn't see any better choices for themselves.

My Bold

C&P

Some homeless people in Sheffield have told a council they are better off begging on the streets than being placed in accommodation.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-south-yorkshire-47374336

 

this and my experience puts doubt on your claim  

[Longcol 598]

1 hour ago, kidley said:

My Bold

C&P

Some homeless people in Sheffield have told a council they are better off begging on the streets than being placed in accommodation.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-south-yorkshire-47374336

 

this and my experience puts doubt on your claim  

So how does being in temporary housing / a hostel stop them begging? They don't get locked up all day.

 

Pretty poor disjointed story from the BBC. For example, what does "better off" in the first paragraph mean?

[The Joker 10]

On 28/12/2019 at 07:48, prince al said:

I certainly wouldn’t encourage the homeless to drink and smoke, as I am sure this would disrupt the working and middle class recreational  consumption of cocaine.

I wouldn't cast Michael Gove as being merely middle-class.

 

Then again, now the Tories are allegedly the party of the Working Class, perhaps Mr Gove will spend the rest of this parliament slumming it out with the rest of us on the poverty line.

 

 

On 29/12/2019 at 00:07, catmiss said:

Heard a radio programme today featuring a man awarded in the New Years honours for his work with homelessness in Manchester..

It wasn't "Sir" Iain Duncan Smith, was it?

 

He's certainly been honoured for his contribution to homelessness 🙄

Edited January 1, 2020 by The Joker

[WarPig 75]

Sheffield town centre was an awful dump of a place to walk through today. The beggars were everywhere, most smelling strongly of cannabis. A few clearly on spice. Shouting and swearing aloud. What a dump of a city centre we now have. 

[lazarus 68]

24 minutes ago, WarPig said:

Sheffield town centre was an awful dump of a place to walk through today. The beggars were everywhere, most smelling strongly of cannabis. A few clearly on spice. Shouting and swearing aloud. What a dump of a city centre we now have. 

To many do-gooders feeling sorry for them, begging is the easy option for them, the women who sits outside a shop on Pinstone Street tries to look pitiful with a borrowed dog?

[lottiecass 17]

6 hours ago, The Joker said:

I wouldn't cast Michael Gove as being merely middle-class.

 

Then again, now the Tories are allegedly the party of the Working Class, perhaps Mr Gove will spend the rest of this parliament slumming it out with the rest of us on the poverty line.

 

 

It wasn't "Sir" Iain Duncan Smith, was it?

 

He's certainly been honoured for his contribution to homelessness 🙄

They will be able to join the champagne socialists for a p up then. 

[Mister Gee 813]

3 hours ago, WarPig said:

Sheffield town centre was an awful dump of a place to walk through today. The beggars were everywhere, most smelling strongly of cannabis. A few clearly on spice. Shouting and swearing aloud. What a dump of a city centre we now have. 

It’s no worse than any other big city. I went to Manchester before Christmas and was shocked by the level of homeless people in the city centre. Get used to it, it will not improve under this government.

Edited January 1, 2020 by Mister Gee