[Politics] Brighton's homeless and that Victor Meldrew feeling

[Harry Wilson's tackle]

Well done that council. The homeless are scum mostly

What an absurd ignorant comment. They may be 'annoying' but the genuine homeless are tragic. I watched an ex soldier, who was clearly off his tits, refuse all help, sleeping rough outside where i worked at the time, drink and starve himself, and eventually die, having been beaten up, hit by cars and suffered repeated indignity, back in the 80s. A former school mate of his, a journalist, actually found him and set him up in a flat, but he just pissed the bed and went back on the street. We has another poor old fellah, didn't drink, died in a cardboard bed outside the fire station near where i work. If you ever get mentally ill, drop me a line, and I will take satisfaction in calling you scum.

 

[Fitzcarraldo]

I live in Poole, population 150,000....

The council banned begging this year (and started fining them ), all the do gooders naturally kicked off but the problem disappeared overnight. The dogs, the harassment, the druggies, the mess - all magically upped and went.

What happens when they don’t pay the fines? They take up police and court resources, eventually, maybe, going to prison. We all pay.

Where do they go when they have been moved from Poole? The next town. Somebody else’s problem, for now.

Sounds like short-term nimbyism to me. Why not invest in services that help people in need get back on their feet and into work?Poole sounds like it it punishing them for being down and out. Could happen to anyone.

 

[spence]

What an absurd ignorant comment. They may be 'annoying' but the genuine homeless are tragic. I watched an ex soldier, who was clearly off his tits, refuse all help, sleeping rough outside where i worked at the time, drink and starve himself, and eventually die, having been beaten up, hit by cars and suffered repeated indignity, back in the 80s. A former school mate of his, a journalist, actually found him and set him up in a flat, but he just pissed the bed and went back on the street. We has another poor old fellah, didn't drink, died in a cardboard bed outside the fire station near where i work. If you ever get mentally ill, drop me a line, and I will take satisfaction in calling you scum.

Lots have homes/bedsits to go home to. They beg for money. As i said most are scum. Spare me the bleeding heart pal. As for being ignorant. You need to wake up. Very few are genuine homeless people.

 

[blue-shifted]

Blaming political parties for this in unhelpful, but this is a national problem which needs to be dealt with in a holistic way

Totally agree with "I remember the good times". It's too simplistic to bundle them all together, there are different reasons they are out there.

I think there are solutions, but ultimately we have to be prepared to pay higher taxes. So for example, reversing the housing benefit cuts of recent years, increased provision for dealing with drug and alcohol addiction, increased provision for mental health issues and increased as well as increased capacity for homeless shelters . The carrot stuff should also be backed up with some stick as well, campsites in towns shouldn't be tolerated and the laws should be made so it's quicker and easier for the police to move people out of these and clear tents and mattresses away.

We also need a national strategy with clear accountability to stop organisations kicking the can to each other.

 

[Official Old Man]

Reasonable commentary from someone with the eye witness data. Appreciated.

I worked (on the deckchairs) in 1977 and 1979 at the bottom of West Street. There was a gaggle of 'alkies' drinking 'jack' (a mix of surgical spirit and water - which will cause brain damage and blinndness). Several jocks, on the sosh in the sun, giro posted to cheap bed and breafast (we had some back then) but not exactly a plague of locusts. Fast forward to now and it sounds like London has come to the coast.

But as @Uckfied Seagull notes there are genuine homeless and it strikes me as quite disgusting for other posters to band together these poor buggers, most of whom will be depressed at minimum and mentally ill, possibly with schizophrenia, at worst, with the gangs of professionals. And the police need to sort this out. Where I work there are occasionally build ups of flim flammers and pick pocketers on Westminster Brdge. Every now and then the police kettle them and they are gone for months. In fact they have been gone all year. It isn't.....that difficult.....I don't think.

HWT
I bet you came in to see me with a bag full of change that I swopped for notes back in '79!
If you look outside the 24 hour off licence about 150 yards left at the foot of West St there is a genuine homeless chap who just sits and reads all day. Never speaks or begs but has his cap in front of him for change. Few weeks time he'll be kicked out when the pros arrive. Meanwhile something is going on with another gang of around four blokes who may be pick pocketing or some scam as they walk up and down Kings Road (seafront road) all day but always a set distance apart. Haven't seen the 'guess where the bean is' gang yet but they are an art to watch (although should be locked up) with the con artist, an accomplice and three look-outs.

 

[Harry Wilson's tackle]

HWT
I bet you came in to see me with a bag full of change that I swopped for notes back in '79!
If you look outside the 24 hour off licence about 150 yards left at the foot of West St there is a genuine homeless chap who just sits and reads all day. Never speaks or begs but has his cap in front of him for change. Few weeks time he'll be kicked out when the pros arrive. Meanwhile something is going on with another gang of around four blokes who may be pick pocketing or some scam as they walk up and down Kings Road (seafront road) all day but always a set distance apart. Haven't seen the 'guess where the bean is' gang yet but they are an art to watch (although should be locked up) with the con artist, an accomplice and three look-outs.

I plead guilty, milud.

There was a picture of me and the boys in the Argus in 79 when we went on strike. Mr Mace sacked us, then asked us to come in 2 days later as he hadn't recruited any replacements. Happy days.

 

[Thunder Bolt]

Lots have homes/bedsits to go home to. They beg for money. As i said most are scum. Spare me the bleeding heart pal. As for being ignorant. You need to wake up. Very few are genuine homeless people.

That post says so much about you.

 

[Official Old Man]

Lots have homes/bedsits to go home to. They beg for money. As i said most are scum. Spare me the bleeding heart pal. As for being ignorant. You need to wake up. Very few are genuine homeless people.

That post says so much about you.

Yes but it is true. #Thunder Bolt, come down to Brighton Seafront for yourself and see. As I've said, there are the few genuine homeless and the drug/alcohol addicts who need help, but a large majority are professionals making a lot of money.

 

[Thunder Bolt]

Yes but it is true. #Thunder Bolt, come down to Brighton Seafront for yourself and see. As I've said, there are the few genuine homeless and the drug/alcohol addicts who need help, but a large majority are professionals making a lot of money.

I agree there are professional beggars which is different to homeless. I've seen professional beggars in court. I am not naive.
Calling everyone on the streets, scum, is not useful. It dehumanises them.

I will never give money to the homeless, but have given sleeping bags, hats, gloves, socks, water or tea/coffee and something to eat.

My church also works with St Peters to run the Night Shelter in winter, and we have a great scheme called Friends First who bought a house in Hove, which acts like a halfway house. There is room for 12 people, who are clean and dry, to retrain for jobs and many have passed through, now living in their own places and fully employed.
I also have a friend who runs Off the Fence, which is another great organisation.

 

[mikeyjh]

Sometimes you can tell a lot about a person from how they think about an issue like homelessness - Some people feel enormously sad that there are people in 2018 who don't have a roof over their head, can't afford to feed themselves or their families and have to resort to begging. People that are probably mentally wrecked and have a short life expectancy

Others focus on the possibility that there are professional beggars, littering the town and upsetting their customs and children.

 

[aolstudios]

Well done that council. The homeless are scum mostly

Think you might be projecting there mate...

 

[Mellotron]

I'll be homeless next month.

Well according to some on here, you're shortly to be a filthy creature.

 

[Mellotron]

I agree there are professional beggars which is different to homeless. I've seen professional beggars in court. I am not naive.
Calling everyone on the streets, scum, is not useful. It dehumanises them.

I will never give money to the homeless, but have given sleeping bags, hats, gloves, socks, water or tea/coffee and something to eat.

My church also works with St Peters to run the Night Shelter in winter, and we have a great scheme called Friends First who bought a house in Hove, which acts like a halfway house. There is room for 12 people, who are clean and dry, to retrain for jobs and many have passed through, now living in their own places and fully employed.
I also have a friend who runs Off the Fence, which is another great organisation.

We probably have some mutual friends - I have worked at the Night Shelter a few times. St Peter's Church and Off The Fence both do a huge amount of great work with the homeless in Brighton.

 

[Mellotron]

Very few are genuine homeless people.

Please show me the stats/evidence for this. Or is it just a baseless prejudice?

 

[Since1982]

We probably have some mutual friends - I have worked at the Night Shelter a few times. St Peter's Church and Off The Fence both do a huge amount of great work with the homeless in Brighton.

I have been involved in the work of Off The Fence over the last three or so years and it has opened my eyes to the complexity and challenges of homelessness and rough sleeping in the city. I cannot see any simple, quick solutions but I do know that care and compassion go a long way to making the lives of some of our most vulnerable neighbours slightly less awful.

 

[Thunder Bolt]

We probably have some mutual friends - I have worked at the Night Shelter a few times. St Peter's Church and Off The Fence both do a huge amount of great work with the homeless in Brighton.

I have been involved in the work of Off The Fence over the last three or so years and it has opened my eyes to the complexity and challenges of homelessness and rough sleeping in the city. I cannot see any simple, quick solutions but I do know that care and compassion go a long way to making the lives of some of our most vulnerable neighbours slightly less awful.

There are also the military charities such as the Royal British Legion, SSAFA, Soldiers off the Streets etc who will help when asked.

 

[BBassic]

Can you volunteer at Off The Fence if you aren't Christian?

 

[Thunder Bolt]

Can you volunteer at Off The Fence if you aren't Christian?

Of course. It isn't a requirement and they would love help, as would the Night Shelter in winter.
Antifreeze is the section you want.

http://www.offthefence.org.uk/

 

[BBassic]

Of course. It isn't a requirement and they would love help, as would the Night Shelter in winter.
Antifreeze is the section you want.

http://www.offthefence.org.uk/

Excellent, thanks!

 

[Official Old Man]

I agree there are professional beggars which is different to homeless. I've seen professional beggars in court. I am not naive.
Calling everyone on the streets, scum, is not useful. It dehumanises them.

I will never give money to the homeless, but have given sleeping bags, hats, gloves, socks, water or tea/coffee and something to eat.

My church also works with St Peters to run the Night Shelter in winter, and we have a great scheme called Friends First who bought a house in Hove, which acts like a halfway house. There is room for 12 people, who are clean and dry, to retrain for jobs and many have passed through, now living in their own places and fully employed.
I also have a friend who runs Off the Fence, which is another great organisation.

That's great and fully appreciate the work you are doing. It's good that the people who need help do get help. As I say, there are a few that I speak to daily to check on there well-being.