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Helping the homeless when it gets below zero

Sifter22Sifter22 Posts: 12,057
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in General Discussion #1
I don't know if you have it in your city but when it gets below zero here we have what's called cold weather provision. Basically all the services open up more bed spaces, including Churches. So if you see a homeless person out and about let them know about it as there's a lot better chance of them getting a bed this time of year.

I realise they won't all be homeless and some I talked to weren't interested but it's always worth a go.

Comments

  • stud u likestud u like Posts: 42,100
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    #2
    The problem with the long term homeless is they can get very sick indoors.
  • valkayvalkay Posts: 15,726
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    #3
    On local t.v. news recently they went out with charity workers helping the homeless, it seems that some of them of Eastern Europeans sleeping rough who want to go home. The charity has helped some but surely it would be cheaper for Social Services to give them a ticket home instead of handing out benefits.
  • Sifter22Sifter22 Posts: 12,057
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    #4
    valkay wrote: »
    On local t.v. news recently they went out with charity workers helping the homeless, it seems that some of them of Eastern Europeans sleeping rough who want to go home. The charity has helped some but surely it would be cheaper for Social Services to give them a ticket home instead of handing out benefits.

    A lot of the Eastern European ones are trafficked and it often gets very complicated,
  • LakieLadyLakieLady Posts: 19,719
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    #5
    I think councils might have a duty to provide emergency accommodation when it gets below a certain temperature. We always get details of the emergency night shelters emailed to us at work when sub-zero temperatures are forecast, and the email comes from the council's homelessness team.

    When we had a long cold snap a few years ago, they opened a school that had been closed down, and the WRVS and people from various churches turned up with food, heaters, bedding etc to kit it out.
  • Bob_WhingerBob_Whinger Posts: 1,098
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    #6
    There seem to be more homeless this year. They are every 50 meters on our high street now. Shameful.
  • Sifter22Sifter22 Posts: 12,057
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    #7
    Going on a homeless count tomorrow from 11pm until 4am so we'll hopefully get a realistic number of who's sleeping rough out there.
  • LabhaoiseNiMhaoLabhaoiseNiMhao Posts: 2,224
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    #8
    They need shelters full stop.
  • darkjedimasterdarkjedimaster Posts: 18,621
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    #9
    I make a donation every winter to my local homeless charity either in the form of money or some tins of soup / bread or other foods. The homeless charity helped me get back on my feet years ago & I will never forget the kindness from them and to the people that donated to them, volunteered in the Salvation Army etc, so made a promise to myself that I would help in some way every winter.

    A lot of homeless charities in the UK get hardly any help from the government with funding and they rely on the public to help the homeless in some way or other. Year after year we hear "do they know it's Christmas", but we never hear Ralph Mctell's "Streets of London", a song that most people can relate to, either by seeing the homeless person, or having been the homeless person.

    Everyone must have heard this song and if they haven't then they should do

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M2r97Fo_HWE
  • Sifter22Sifter22 Posts: 12,057
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    #10
    LabhaoiseNiMhao wrote: »
    They need shelters full stop.

    Cool, ask the government then.
  • LabhaoiseNiMhaoLabhaoiseNiMhao Posts: 2,224
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    #11
    darkjedimaster wrote: »
    I make a donation every winter to my local homeless charity either in the form of money or some tins of soup / bread or other foods. The homeless charity helped me get back on my feet years ago & I will never forget the kindness from them and to the people that donated to them, volunteered in the Salvation Army etc, so made a promise to myself that I would help in some way every winter.



    That is really cool :-)
  • LabhaoiseNiMhaoLabhaoiseNiMhao Posts: 2,224
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    #12
    Sifter22 wrote: »
    Cool, ask the government then.

    ok :confused:
  • valkayvalkay Posts: 15,726
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    #13
    Sifter22 wrote: »
    Cool, ask the government then.

    You mean the taxpayer.
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