>The Homeless
>The UK has one of the most powerful economies in the world. Yet our homeless number in their thousands! Councils are now trying to force ‘rough sleepers’ (one very small section of homless people who sleep on the street rather than in hostels, squatting or other temporary accomodation) into homeless shelters. Some councils do this by hosing down places where these rough sleepers stay, preventing them from sleeping there.
Understandably this has provoked outrage. But what do you think? Do we need to treat our homeless better? Or did they bring it upon themselves?
Battison's Blog 
>I believe that homeless people get the rough end of the stick in some cases, but then you have to ask, do they want to be helped? its all well and good getting them into temporary accomodation, gets them off the street and prevents having some unfortunate person come across their dead body propped up against a doorway the following morning. But its not just about getting them off the street, we need to help them get back into work so that they can again contribute to society. in an ideal world there would be jobs around and plenty of help to get them back on their feet, but thats just not possible in some cases. I think one solution is to get the homeless to do a little maintenance for their keep. They can live in homeless shelters providing they do a little work, gardening perhaps?Obviously this would then be back to the original problem, what to do with those that dont want to be helped? there will still be those that choose to live in a doorway rather than do a little work for a bed and a roof.Its a tough choice for anyone to have to make, i wouldn’t want to make anybodies life more difficult in those situations, but i have to agree with the stance of the councils attempting to get them into shelters.
>We absolutely need to help these people. And before we start agreeing with such barbaric actions think why people choose not to stay in the shelters.People who study 3rd world economics neglect the fact that homeless people are in many cases like countries facing the poverty trap. Both cannot save. Both face increasing costs for their basic needs as inflation pushes prices higher. But in both cases they don't have the capital needed to invest in themselves, either with technology, infrastructure etc or with education and training.Some people may not want helping. That is true. That is something we have to face. But what we can do is ensure all people i.e. not only those on the streets today but also those about to run away tommorrow, know and have easy access to help. This help needs to come in the order of:. Psychological help (many people on the street face mental problems others simply refuse to accept).. Help to wean people off drugs and excessive amounts of alcohol.. Shelter and an address so that they can open a bank account and gain a job (both of which they cannot do without an address to put on forms).. Safety. Rough sleepers i.e. those on the street often choose the street because the shelters are unsafe. This is tragic and must be solved with police presence if necessary.. Regular and direct one on one advice from careers and financial advisers for free. This advice needs to help them work towards an end goal that they say they will be happy in.. Financial help in the form of food, education and training.. Goals and achievements: Time limits, sanctions and rewards must all be applied in order to motivate.Is this possible? Affordable? Yes! And easily. If the G20 all gave 0.7% of their GDP we could wipe out extreme poverty in the world! Think how little we would need to help those within our own country.Unfortunately most people look down their noses at homeless people. This extreme gap in society, evoking fear on both sides, most be bridged. Hence homeless people must be asked to prove their ability and desire to get back on their feet. In payment for their aid the homeless must be seen to be doing community work, and also be willing to appear in the local and even national media. This would personalise their efforts to get back on their feet and hopefully prevent people complaining about a waste of their hard earnt pennies.If you are still in doubt then I can tell you that it has been done many times before. For example two people who found themselves on the streets in Sheffield for years managed to pick themselves up with a little help. They not only managed to sustain themselves, but build a succesful and prosperous business that now aims to help employ other homelss people in the area.