Angry

I'm somewhat angry about the issue of homelessness. I had always assumed in my ignorance that local authorities had a legal duty to house those who do not have anywhere to sleep for the night. I'd assumed that somehow people who sleep on the streets in London did so out of choice.
I found at recently that local authorities only have a legal duty to house those 'at risk' such as pregnant women, those with young children etc.
I find it frankly disgusting that in a modern, prosperous 21st centruy society, where we can find the money to pay for wars abroad and nuclear weapons, that we are happy to let some of the weakest in society sleep on the streets in the middle of winter.
I am angry.

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Reply 1

Aphotic Cosmos

I know - it's pretty damn wrong, isn't it?

I don't want to turn this into an anti-Thatcher rant, because I do respect her to an extent, but you can trace the explosion of homelessness in the UK from the mid-eighties onwards - take a guess why. There are currently more than three hundred thousand homeless people in the UK.

Frankly, it just makes me feel utterly sick to my stomach.

Reply 2

DannyBoy123

sulpicia

I felt the same when I first came to London - the divide between obscene wealth and abject poverty is no more obvious anywhere in the country (ferraris and lamborghinis rolling past blokes trying to cobble a few pennies together for a can of lager sums it up quite nicely).

Unfortunately there is not an awful lot a poor student can do about it. Maybe you'll use your degree from LSE for the benefit of others in later life instead of just concentrating on yourself like 99% of the student population here though?

Reply 3

thunder_chunky

You know another sad part to it?
Many of the homeless people are ex-service.

People who once served this country proudly are on the streets, cold and hungry.

Reply 4

CHRIS_PARTLOW

thing is my man is so 'angry' but i bet he ain't gone out and offered a tramp back to his gaff for a hot shower and meal. just sitting there fuming on the net.

Reply 5

*Star*Guitar*

sulpicia

Do something about it? One of my lecturers runs a charity for the homeless.

Reply 6

tinktinktinkerbell

CHRIS_PARTLOW

thing is my man is so 'angry' but i bet he ain't gone out and offered a tramp back to his gaff for a hot shower and meal. just sitting there fuming on the net.

totally agree, those that moan loudest are usually those that do the least

Reply 7

right_good_boodjie

sulpicia

I'd assumed that somehow people who sleep on the streets in London did so out of choice.

What made you think that? That happy joyous look they always have on their faces?

Reply 8

Captain Nebula

right_good_boodjie

What made you think that? That happy joyous look they always have on their faces?

I think you'll find that's the heroin.

Reply 9

Historiana

tinktinktinkerbell

totally agree, those that moan loudest are usually those that do the least

Utter rubbish.

Reply 10

tinktinktinkerbell

Choccielatte

Utter rubbish.

prove me wrong then, what is the OP doing about it other than coming on here and moaning about how angry he is, does he give to the homeless, offer his gaff so they can have a shower and a kip, give them food, help out in homeless shelters

or does he come on here and bitch how its a disgrace that the government dont do **** about it :rolleyes:

Reply 11

right_good_boodjie

Captain Nebula

I think you'll find that's the heroin.

Oooooh. That's a can of worms you've opened there! :woo:

Reply 12

sulpicia

CHRIS_PARTLOW

thing is my man is so 'angry' but i bet he ain't gone out and offered a tramp back to his gaff for a hot shower and meal. just sitting there fuming on the net.

Frankly I'm not prepared to do that. I'd just rather that some of the income tax I pay was diverted from buying aircraft carriers to helping people without a home. Not much to ask is it.

Reply 13

Rucklo

We help Haiti but not our own.

Reply 14

Aphotic Cosmos

tinktinktinkerbell

The problem is larger than being able to be solved through a few homeless people being offered beds for the night. We've had charities caring for the homeless for more than a century - the problem still persists and has actually just gotten worse over time, despite work with the best of intentions by the Salvation Army, Red Cross, etc.

They may be cared for, but they will still be homeless. Feel-good charity is not the way to solve the problem. We need a way for the homeless to become re-enfranchised, and this inevitably involves government.

Get a clue.

Reply 15

sulpicia

tinktinktinkerbell

I give them all the cash I can afford to do so. I live in student halls of residence - I'd get evicted if I took one of them back...

Reply 16

Historiana

tinktinktinkerbell

I'll bet the OP is provoked into making a contribution to helping the homeless. Usually, the most indignant do the most to promote the problem?

How juvenile to suggest I should "prove it" - totally ridiculous impossibility! :rolleyes:

You've got no right to cast judgement on the OPs charitable intentions, unless you can successfully claim to donating the same effort in eradicating the problem. Grow up!

Reply 17

sulpicia

Aphotic Cosmos

The problem is larger than being able to be solved through a few homeless people being offered beds for the night. We've had charities caring for the homeless for more than a century - the problem still persists.

They may be cared for, but they will still be homeless. Feel-good charity is not the way to solve the problem. We need a way for the homeless to become re-enfranchised, and this inevitably involves government.

Would it be such a radical idea to give them a permanent home. We're one of the wealthiest nations in the world. And then they wouldn't be homeless. I know it wouldn't eradicate the social problems a lot of these people have - but it would make the situation a lot better.

Reply 18

paddyman4

Well you can't expect us to home the homeless and pay for India's space programme/nuclear deterrent.

Aphotic Cosmos

I think Thatcher was necessary. I dread to think what the national debt would be like now if she hadn't made the hard choices. And massive national debt => being downgraded by credit raters => more interest on massive amounts of government borrowing => much higher taxes => even more people who shouldn't have been given 100% mortgages defaulting and becoming homeless.

Reply 19

amenhotep

thunder_chunky

You know another sad part to it?
Many of the homeless people are ex-service.

People who once served this country proudly are on the streets, cold and hungry.

I don't mean any disrespect to ex-servicemen/women, but that's not important.
A homeless person is a homeless person.

Ex-servicemen/women were paid. Everyone serves this country, whether it is by buying or selling or something else. People in the services are paid using tax and where does tax come from?...