Rough Sleepers/Beggars in Stafford.

Floss

Well-Known Forumite
Not sure the staff of Pickering Butters on the high street would have much sympathy this morning.

a very small entrance to the building was blocked by 2 men with tennants super in each hand and cans all over the place. The older one then got his dick out and pissed on the wall. This at 8.15 this morning. This man is regularly spoken to by police

would put me off shopping here and setting up a town centre business. Outrageous- mental health, just another excuse for some


Where there is clearly a shortage of mental health facilities and people who are poorly treated in the system, there are also some who can't be helped and are probably 'classed' as having some sort of personality disorder like defiance disorder or something, these are the adults who from childhood cannot conform to rules, they are so used to ruling the roost at home and it's down to poor parenting, where people think the best form of parenting is to be the child's best friend and to do them favours like letting them have a 2ltr bottle of cheap coke and a family sized bag of Doritos and bag of haribos for breakfast and not forgetting, refusing to let them do a detention and letting them stay up on the Xbox all night.,,,,,,,, Normally found pissing in some doorway later on in life.
 

ATJ

Well-Known Forumite
I'm bemused as to how there are so many God damn magic psychologists and doctors on these forums that can diagnose from afar, never having met or conversed with a person, and yet they aren't out changing the world.
 

Dawz

Well-Known Forumite
I come through town about 6.30 am every day, been seeing more and more sleeping in shop cover. Was one where burtons is this morning. I wonder why they are not getting shelter.

I think there were a bunch climbing the rough of boots in the summer up that alley way to the church.
 

arthur

Nixon Garden Neatness
There is not always an answer - homeless people can access advice and information about housing, hostels and emergency housing from Stafford Borough Councils housing options team and Citizens Advice legal aid housing solicitor (one of the very few legal aid contracts left) It is extremely difficult to get a roof over their head for the night unless they are in a priority group - pregnant - have a child with them, just come out of care or prison.

Or of course if they are ‘vulnerable’ because of ‘mental health’ but the test to prove vulnerability is so open to interpretation.

The reason why they are homeless is also a key factor to giving help. The core group of homeless people in Stafford is single men aged 20 upwards, some of them have come from relationship breakups some kicked out of the family home because of their behavior.

Alcoholics and addicts are automatically vulnerable but people with mental health have to have medical evidence to prove it. Difficult to do if they have never sort help and so it goes on.

Whenever I see anyone in the street begging or homeless I tell them to go to the Citizens Advice the housing solicitor goes out of his way to help and really cares about helping homeless people and Citizens Advice have a list of crisis support, things like where a homeless person can wash, where they can get a cooked meal.

The house of bread now has a permanent base in Browning Street and they do excellent work with food clothing and toiletries.

So whenever you walk past anyone sitting on the floor looking helpless signpost them to an organsiation that will try to help.
 

Withnail

Well-Known Forumite
So turn a blind eye and allow the situation to escalate?
Do people choose to become homeless?

Or rather... would more people choose to become so, and indeed jump upon the chance of sleeping in the streets, if suddenly a 'blind eye' were turned to finally allow them to do so?

Because that's the only way that the 'situation' could 'escalate' - at least by my understanding of the word - if suddenly word got round that the Big there-is-no-such-thing-as Society says its now hunky dory to sleep in a doorway, shit in an empty McDonalds cup and piss in a doorway.

Surely we'll all be be running to the streets? Now the 'blind eye' has been turned?
 

Floss

Well-Known Forumite
I'm bemused as to how there are so many God damn magic psychologists and doctors on these forums that can diagnose from afar, never having met or conversed with a person, and yet they aren't out changing the world.

How do you know they have never met or conversed with anyone and how do you know they haven't got a psychology degree? Now I'm bemused!
 

ATJ

Well-Known Forumite
How do you know they have never met or conversed with anyone and how do you know they haven't got a psychology degree? Now I'm bemused!
Because people with psychology degrees know better than to group diagnose a section of society with that well known mental illness called 'I blame the parents'.
 

Floss

Well-Known Forumite
Because people with psychology degrees know better than to group diagnose a section of society with that well known mental illness called 'I blame the parents'.

But how do you KNOW this?
 

Withnail

Well-Known Forumite
... By all means increase the care, resources, housing etc. to help people out but there has to be a strong line against begging and anti social behaviour.
But isn't that the case?

By all means-tested measures there has been no increase in care, resources, housing etc and there hasn't been for a long time.

Why would you advocate a 'strong line' against begging?

What do you hope to achieve with your 'strong line'?

Would you wish for your undesirables to just Leave?

What would you do if they decided to Remain?
 

andy w

Well-Known Forumite
Well I suppose what you accept as unacceptable behaviour. I imagine a number don't see any harm in begging but a number of us do. As I said before their is a clear distinction between rough sleeping and begging.
 

Withnail

Well-Known Forumite
As I said before there is a clear distinction between rough sleeping and begging.
But not so clear a distinction between Rough Sleepers /forward slash/ Beggars as per your thread title.

It is not something that exercises me greatly, so i will bow out.
 

ATJ

Well-Known Forumite
But not so clear a distinction between Rough Sleepers /forward slash/ Beggars as per your thread title.

It is not something that exercises me greatly, so i will bow out.
It's OK. The distinction is clear as long as we're entertained with songs.
No, wait, that's buskers, not the needy...
 

proactive

Enjoying a drop of red.
Town was full of the buggers last night.

Littering up doorways as they settled for a night of cheap cider and luxury in the balmy weather we had.

Bunch of scoungers.

SOMETHING

MUST

BE

DONE

!
 
Top