Lets all be gratefull

homelessskilledworker

http://uk.news.yahoo.com/homeless-die-30-years-national-average-003422247.html

We might have some really serious differences on this board, and it does not take a rocket scientist to notice that many posters on here really do not like each.
But lets all be gratefull that we will be climbing into a nice warm bed tonight, unlike some of these poor people.

Dan:_4

homelessskilledworker wrote: »

http://uk.news.yahoo.com/homeless-die-30-years-national-average-003422247.html

We might have some really serious differences on this board, and it does not take a rocket scientist to notice that many posters on here really do not like each.
But lets all be gratefull that we will be climbing into a nice warm bed tonight, unlike some of these poor people.

Thats not true - I can't think of one poster who I dislike

vivatifosi

Well said hsw. There has been some news that has really shocked me this year, but seeing homeless life expectancy in cold, hard figures was horrific. In the library we are getting more and more homeless people through the doors, coming in to stay warm.

Occasionally we'll get one who's quite ill, wrapped up in a sleeping bag with a temperature. When we ask why they aren't under a doctor, they say that they can't sign on as they don't have an address and they are too ill and have no money to get to the nearest hospital. It is very sad that people can so easily end up in a downward spiral like that. I've lost one of my favourite homeless people to the cold. I would say he was early 50s at the oldest, it is a complete tragedy.

kabayiri

vivatifosi wrote: »

Well said hsw. There has been some news that has really shocked me this year, but seeing homeless life expectancy in cold, hard figures was horrific. In the library we are getting more and more homeless people through the doors, coming in to stay warm.

Occasionally we'll get one who's quite ill, wrapped up in a sleeping bag with a temperature. When we ask why they aren't under a doctor, they say that they can't sign on as they don't have an address and they are too ill and have no money to get to the nearest hospital. It is very sad that people can so easily end up in a downward spiral like that. I've lost one of my favourite homeless people to the cold. I would say he was early 50s at the oldest, it is a complete tragedy.

It's a tricky topic. I am sure I am not alone here in having relatives who had issues with homelessness and other things like alcoholism.

The temptation is to impose your own value system on them, and expect them to want things like secure housing. It's actually more complex than that.

If we could just provide secure(ish), relatively dry areas, not overly cold, but where people can wander freely, would this work ?

vivatifosi

kabayiri wrote: »

It's a tricky topic. I am sure I am not alone here in having relatives who had issues with homelessness and other things like alcoholism.

The temptation is to impose your own value system on them, and expect them to want things like secure housing. It's actually more complex than that.

If we could just provide secure(ish), relatively dry areas, not overly cold, but where people can wander freely, would this work ?

Agreed, it isn't straightforward. Some of the homeless on the streets won't get accepted into shelters as they have drug or alcohol issues and have to stay clean in order to get admitted. We also had a period where I used to work where for a while, the shelter was full and so people couldn't get in.

Imo we need as a country to rethink what the safety net for homeless people looks like. It seems to me that street sleeping is at the other end of a continuum to housing security, but there is some middle ground there that could be filled with some lateral thinking, without giving every rough sleeper their own home when such facilities clearly aren't available.

homelessskilledworker

vivatifosi wrote: »

Well said hsw. There has been some news that has really shocked me this year, but seeing homeless life expectancy in cold, hard figures was horrific. In the library we are getting more and more homeless people through the doors, coming in to stay warm.

Occasionally we'll get one who's quite ill, wrapped up in a sleeping bag with a temperature. When we ask why they aren't under a doctor, they say that they can't sign on as they don't have an address and they are too ill and have no money to get to the nearest hospital. It is very sad that people can so easily end up in a downward spiral like that. I've lost one of my favourite homeless people to the cold. I would say he was early 50s at the oldest, it is a complete tragedy.

I don't know if you will remember a story just recently of an ex soldier who was in his late 40's who was looking after his mentally ill wife. They ended up living in squalor and for some crazy reason they were not able to claim welfare, they took their own lives, even now it chokes me typing this out. What super human that man was to stick with his wife to the end, pure love and real class.
I have had a little experience working with the homeless, and what I would say is that it really can happen to anyone.

homelessskilledworker

vivatifosi wrote: »

Agreed, it isn't straightforward. Some of the homeless on the streets won't get accepted into shelters as they have drug or alcohol issues and have to stay clean in order to get admitted. We also had a period where I used to work where for a while, the shelter was full and so people couldn't get in.

Imo we need as a country to rethink what the safety net for homeless people looks like. It seems to me that street sleeping is at the other end of a continuum to housing security, but there is some middle ground there that could be filled with some lateral thinking, without giving every rough sleeper their own home when such facilities clearly aren't available.

I have found that also when working with the homeless, there is a zero tolorance towards drink and drugs and violence. A few years ago I had a chap who had issues with all three and attacked me, he was slung out in minutes. I could not help thinking this bloke just could not articulate his frustrations and anger and lashed out, I really did not feel good about myself for weeks after.

CRASH_BANG_WALLOP

God bless the homeless especially during these cold winter nights