Vocal Voices

Are there a lot of them near you?
They seem to be on the increase around here.
Growing up, I can't remember any at all and that is when most people had a lot less money than now.
Recently there have been a couple lying around outside one of the Sainsbury's in Wakefield. There's even one outside Aldi in Featherstone.

Yesterday our daughter was in B&M in Wakefield and outside there was a drunk man; really drunk, roaring drunk. He waltzed into B&M, picked up two bottles of Jack Daniels whisky and shot off like Linford Christie. He got away.

Just round the corner is where some street drinkers hang out. Any money that's where he went. Crime like this doesn't seem to be a priority for the authorities but surely they will have to do something about it eventually?

There’s a homeless man always sitting in Tesco doorway in Hednesford but he doesn’t seem to want help and there was another who used to sleep in the subway outside Home Bargains in Cannock, he seemed a nice fella and lots of people would stop and chat with him, give him a bit of cash or food from Home Bargains, we did too on occasions, but he didn’t actively beg. Sadly he died a few months ago, flowers were placed where he used to be.

Wolverhampton is awful for beggars though, and not just recently. When Tom was at uni we were followed several times by people asking for money as we walked from the city centre to his halls. John picked me and Joe up from the station there late one night in February said he was followed from the station car park to the station doors by a man asking for money and it really unsettled him. Me and Joe are doing the same train journey later this month and can’t avoid using Wolverhampton station on the return late at night, I’d rather not but there’s no way around it.

When we moved down here, there was one regular beggar, with his dog, every day on the pavement half-way down the town High Street. People would stop and chat and give him and the dog food and drink, but a shop-keeper told me he came from the local travellers' camp just outside town, and was dropped off / picked up from his pitch by his girlfriend.

That travellers' camp (about 5 static caravans) has within the last month been cleared; no-one known where the occupants have gone, but the site (opposite a lay-by) is now cordoned off with a sign saying "Do Not Enter - Hypodermic Needles".

Thereis usually one on the main street in the centre of town.
Have also seen one near the entrance to the big Tesco.
There is an active local charity which seems to keep homeless people off the streets.

There quite a few in our city centre, but then Gloucester isn't the most prosperous of cities Mick's friend who has been a Councillor for many years says there are plenty of beds available in various shelters, but - and it's a big but - they have to be clean ie drug-free to stay there. Bit of a Catch-22 situation really

That sounds like a very uncomfortable situation Jo. Yes Kaz, very much a Catch-22.

Down here last winter the council installed about 40 container like shelters with running water ,electric ,heaters .
On conditions of no dogs no drugs.
Over half not taken up so they removed them
All they want is money,1 guy with a dog outside Greggs who only wanted money not food or drink,very abusive towards anyone who offered him food