Things that really bother you. Mine - Homelessness

[steken1]

I've recently moved up to Warrington to start my own business.

I was walking though the town centre dropping some leaflets in to local businesses around mine about 8pm. I noticed that quite a few doorways had people in them.

In Liverpool I'd never give it much thought as it's a big city and more often than not the tramps are blagging for drugs or ale.

But, that just wouldn't happen here as the place is dead at night, especially through the week.

I noticed one lad who looked particularly young and offered to buy him something to eat and a drink and that. Once I had I got talking to him a bit and he said a lot of vagrants come here because the YMCA will let a lot more in than they should and they can get a free meal in the morning off the local church. I reckon he was early 20's tops.

I've seen some rough times in my own life but I can't even imagine what that must be like. I seriously can't believe people have to sleep on our streets in what I believe to be the most charitable nation on earth.

 

[Jacko93]

I live in Warrington mate, and Homelessness does bother me. However, sometimes they just dont help themselves.
I used to buy the Big Issue of the same fella every issue, without fail. Then one day, after my car had broke down, I rode into work. On the way home, I was passed by a man on a bike, the same fella I'd buy the Big Issue off and he was on a pretty much brand new bike, listening to a CD player, happy as larry. Day after, selling the big issue in rags.
A girl used to sleep outside the old bus-station, and when I was walking past one day, she was having an argument with what must of been her parents. They were begging her to come home, but she was saying that there was no point as she'd make more money begging on the streets than she could being at home.
There's also a fella called Chris, Ex Para who lives outdoors, and currently plays his guitar, and sings on the bridge at Bridgefoot. He became a little bit of a local celebrity through his antics, he was offered homing by the council, but he refused in on the grounds that he was making a nice little living out on the streets.

I'm not by any means saying all homeless people can help themselves, as they clearly cannot, and any help that can be given to the homeless, should be given. However, it just seems a shame that some people treat it like a living, when some people seriously have no choice. We do get a lot here from Liverpool and Manchester though, cause, while they cant make as much on the streets, due to the town being pretty much dead, there is more help for them here.

You'd be surprised at the levels of homelessness in any city/town though. My boss in work is a pretty involved member of the church in Widnes, the Foundy, and they used to organise a mobile soup wagon, which was effectively a double decker bus where they could freshen up and get warm for a few hours, and get some proper food in them. he went out with the m a few times and was surprised at the hundreds around Widnes, like actual hundreds living on the streets, he said that there are almost ommunities living in areas that you would never see. I'm sure Warrington is exactly the same. The real desperate people sometimes aren't even noticed.

 

[JamesEFC]

I certainly agree about the homeless.

Lacklustre sentances inside also really annoys me especially when they're normally out in half the time.

 

[steken1]

I live in Warrington mate, and Homelessness does bother me. However, sometimes they just dont help themselves.
I used to buy the Big Issue of the same fella every issue, without fail. Then one day, after my car had broke down, I rode into work. On the way home, I was passed by a man on a bike, the same fella I'd buy the Big Issue off and he was on a pretty much brand new bike, listening to a CD player, happy as larry. Day after, selling the big issue in rags.
A girl used to sleep outside the old bus-station, and when I was walking past one day, she was having an argument with what must of been her parents. They were begging her to come home, but she was saying that there was no point as she'd make more money begging on the streets than she could being at home.
There's also a fella called Chris, Ex Para who lives outdoors, and currently plays his guitar, and sings on the bridge at Bridgefoot. He became a little bit of a local celebrity through his antics, he was offered homing by the council, but he refused in on the grounds that he was making a nice little living out on the streets.

I'm not by any means saying all homeless people can help themselves, as they clearly cannot, and any help that can be given to the homeless, should be given. However, it just seems a shame that some people treat it like a living, when some people seriously have no choice. We do get a lot here from Liverpool and Manchester though, cause, while they cant make as much on the streets, due to the town being pretty much dead, there is more help for them here.

You'd be surprised at the levels of homelessness in any city/town though. My boss in work is a pretty involved member of the church in Widnes, the Foundy, and they used to organise a mobile soup wagon, which was effectively a double decker bus where they could freshen up and get warm for a few hours, and get some proper food in them. he went out with the m a few times and was surprised at the hundreds around Widnes, like actual hundreds living on the streets, he said that there are almost ommunities living in areas that you would never see. I'm sure Warrington is exactly the same. The real desperate people sometimes aren't even noticed.

I can't comprehend how that can happen. I agree though that there's people making a living from the streets. Shame because the people that need genuine help will never be reached while those guys are about.

BTW, It's a really nice place. Was suprised by how nice really. Expected it to be a typical satellite type town.

 

[Bungle]

I was homeless for a brief spell in my late teens and the YMCA did a great job for me, roof over my head, helped get some basic qualifications and into full time work, I was probably there for 5 years and you see them turn around so many peoples lives, but people need to be willing to work at it. I don't know what the system is like up North but there are definitely places that people can seek help from but it seems so many people choose not to or don't know what's available.

There's a guy that claims to be homesless that sits down the alley way by where I work begging all day, however he takes regular breaks to pop into the bookies across the road, it's difficult to tell who genuinely needs help and who's taking the pi$$

 

[steken1]

I was homeless for a brief spell in my late teens and the YMCA did a great job for me, roof over my head, helped get some basic qualifications and into full time work, I was probably there for 5 years and you see them turn around so many peoples lives, but people need to be willing to work at it. I don't know what the system is like up North but there are definitely places that people can seek help from but it seems so many people choose not to or don't know what's available.

There's a guy that claims to be homesless that sits down the alley way by where I work begging all day, however he takes regular breaks to pop into the bookies across the road, it's difficult to tell who genuinely needs help and who's taking the pi$$

Did you live in the YMCA for 5 years bungs or is that on and off?

 

[Allezfan]

If we're talking about serious issues that bother us, like homelessness.

For me it's rape. Or rather the perceptions around it. It's one of thsoe things where I unfortunately have experience of it happening to a loved one and it's probably one of the commenest crimes around and yet we have such a culture of blaming the victims for it. I've sat in court and watched some dick lawyer call a family member all sorts of things for the crime of being drugged and assaulted in a bar.

I mean beyond the asking for it thing and the dwelling on the dress sense and promiscuity of the victim as it that matters at all. There's the whole myth about woman crying rape, and women who claim rape often get charged with wasting police time even when it later turns out their claims were genuine. A survey recently said that something like only 0.7% of rape claims were proved to be false but only 40% ended in a conviction. This whole myth has arisen about how a woman can have sex with you and then cry rape and ruin your life and it just doesn't happen. And even when people admit rape like assange and polanski have done they get huge support and petitions to not try them for it.

There's a big high profile case in america at the minute of a bunch of young american footballer filming themselves raping an unconcious woman and then putting it on youtube and all the coverage from trash like cnn is about how tragic it is that these promising young athletes have had their lives ruined by being sentenced to jail. Just [Poor language removed].

 

[Bungle]

Did you live in the YMCA for 5 years bungs or is that on and off?

5 Years straight mate, from the little bedsit room you first get and then into one of their flats on the same site, great place and made a lot of good friends, obviously there's a fair amount of twa*s as you would expect somewhere like that with 60-70 teenagers or early 20's but they worked well for me.

 

[Baines' left foot]

If we're talking about serious issues that bother us, like homelessness.

For me it's rape. Or rather the perceptions around it. It's one of thsoe things where I unfortunately have experience of it happening to a loved one and it's probably one of the commenest crimes around and yet we have such a culture of blaming the victims for it. I've sat in court and watched some dick lawyer call a family member all sorts of things for the crime of being drugged and assaulted in a bar.

I mean beyond the asking for it thing and the dwelling on the dress sense and promiscuity of the victim as it that matters at all. There's the whole myth about woman crying rape, and women who claim rape often get charged with wasting police time even when it later turns out their claims were genuine. A survey recently said that something like only 0.7% of rape claims were proved to be false but only 40% ended in a conviction. This whole myth has arisen about how a woman can have sex with you and then cry rape and ruin your life and it just doesn't happen. And even when people admit rape like assange and polanski have done they get huge support and petitions to not try them for it.

There's a big high profile case in america at the minute of a bunch of young american footballer filming themselves raping an unconcious woman and then putting it on youtube and all the coverage from trash like cnn is about how tragic it is that these promising young athletes have had their lives ruined by being sentenced to jail. Just [Poor language removed].

Like Ste, homelessness is something which upsets me, but above almost anything else is rape. Personally I think it's worse than murder as the person has to live with that for the rest of their life, I can't imagine many worse an ordeal to have to go through. The prison sentences handed out should reflect that, but I won't get in to a debate about the judicial system.

 

[steken1]

5 Years straight mate, from the little bedsit room you first get and then into one of their flats on the same site, great place and made a lot of good friends, obviously there's a fair amount of twa*s as you would expect somewhere like that with 60-70 teenagers or early 20's but they worked well for me.

As a charity you don't really hear much about them or from them. Shame, it sounds like they do an amazing job. I was always under the impression they gave people very short term help.

 

[steken1]

If we're talking about serious issues that bother us, like homelessness.

For me it's rape. Or rather the perceptions around it. It's one of thsoe things where I unfortunately have experience of it happening to a loved one and it's probably one of the commenest crimes around and yet we have such a culture of blaming the victims for it. I've sat in court and watched some dick lawyer call a family member all sorts of things for the crime of being drugged and assaulted in a bar.

I mean beyond the asking for it thing and the dwelling on the dress sense and promiscuity of the victim as it that matters at all. There's the whole myth about woman crying rape, and women who claim rape often get charged with wasting police time even when it later turns out their claims were genuine. A survey recently said that something like only 0.7% of rape claims were proved to be false but only 40% ended in a conviction. This whole myth has arisen about how a woman can have sex with you and then cry rape and ruin your life and it just doesn't happen. And even when people admit rape like assange and polanski have done they get huge support and petitions to not try them for it.

There's a big high profile case in america at the minute of a bunch of young american footballer filming themselves raping an unconcious woman and then putting it on youtube and all the coverage from trash like cnn is about how tragic it is that these promising young athletes have had their lives ruined by being sentenced to jail. Just [Poor language removed].

One of mine too AF. I know people who have been through the similar events and it's a lifelong issue that only the strongest recover from.

My main gripe is how the press handle the claims and the coverage they give. Mike Tyson being a prime example. Because he was a great sportsman they're more than willing to forget he's ruined lives in the most despicable way.

 

[Bluenose1995]

agree mate whilst we feed and give rapists and killers food and xbox's tv's, a warm bed etc. disgusting make prisons like they should be and get the money out of the EU and start spending it in our country the clowns.

agree about sentences aswell their should be no early release good behaviour should mean you get out on time not earlier if you mis behave in school you stay behind for longer same should apply to prison.

 

[Bungle]

As a charity you don't really hear much about them or from them. Shame, it sounds like they do an amazing job. I was always under the impression they gave people very short term help.

As long as you behave yourself then they allow you to stay up to the age of 30, well that's what it used to be. You've got pretty much all the facilities and help you need to live independently, with the benefit of support workers on site if you need to just have a chat. The boss of the Wycombe one was a great bloke and he's now a friend, he always said the budget was so tight and there were plenty of restrictions to what they could and couldn't do. I wouldn't hesitate to recommend it to someone that was struggling for accomodation, you have a brief interview and find out within a few hours if you get a place, you have to be a massive dick in the interview not to though.

 

[jtl60]

I think like most things in life its a few idiots that give these things a bad name.
I'm lucky enough to have a big family and could never imagine not having someone to turn to, however my best mate as a kid was an only child and when we were about 16 his dad who worked on the ships never came back from a trip ( he'd skipped the UK, probably with a bird) and his Mum had a nervous breakdown over it. My mate ended up staying on my bedroom floor for 7 months at my Mums as the social weren't interested and he didn't have any other close relatives. Its easy for good people to end up in the mire and hopefully some of the examples given of people taking the pi55 are just one offs

 

[HSD]

The amount of houses/flats above shops/abandoned shops that are empty and just left to rot REALLY annoys me, especially considering how many people don't have homes.