I guess the point is that a significant number of them, NOT ALL, should be out working like the rest of society to do their share and earn a wage.

If you pay "silly money benefits" all you do is create a nation of scroungers. Let's unpick this though.

Here's the thing. A significant portion of the so called "Homeless" demographic are not homeless at all. To be more accurate, they have CHOSEN to be homeless.
That's because we have large numbers of people who are addicted to alcohol or drugs or who have mental issues.

There are countless organisations and properly supported companies who DO HAVE ACCOMMODATION for these people. Most of the people living on the street however purposefully choose NOT to use them. Why? Because they would prefer any benefits they receive to go into their own pocket for drink and/or drugs rather than it go towards accommodation rent. For many of these people the benefits "pay day" comes, and is completely spent, blown the same day/night on a big binge or fix. Then they start up begging again.

These people have chosen to live this way of life. Some engage with the support centres and are helped from there to rehab but few come right through that chain and end up clean imo.

So the rest have chosen a path through life that is different from the mainstream one. They can't work or hold down a job for any length of time because of their drink and drug issues and thus are effectively trapped in a cycle.

Handing them out lots of benefits wouldn't solve the problem. It would exacerbate it as the money would go to more drink and drugs and they would still live on the street.

This is why it is folly to give street beggars any actual money. Begging IS their day to day job and they do it for one reason only which is to buy more drink and drugs. Giving money fuels that problem. Buy them some hot food or a drink but never give them money. You are not helping them when you give money, even a few coins. In many cases you are putting them at risk because there are usually others watching and if they see you hand that £5 note to a beggar they will mug him/her afterward for that cash.

As for the benefits levels £361 . . . . . I have a standing order from my personal bank account to our joint account of just £350 per month. My wife does the same. This covers all our regular costs (council tax etc) plus a decent allowance for food. We paid that amount for years.

I cook really good meals for the homeless and vulnerable every week catering for about 20 to 30 people at a time. The meals I cook are good quality with meat and veg and the costs average at about £2 to £3 per head. That's just 1 good meal but shows that you could cook yourself a decent healthy meal every day for a week for an outlay of about £20.

The city I live in is one of the best cities in the country for providing accommodation to the homeless. It's a big city. In fact the number of REAL HOMELESS people here is something like 30 to 50. All the other people seen on the streets are either :

1. Choosing to live on the streets

2. Have been given accomodation but spend their day time begging for drink/drug money

3. Have travelled into the city from elsewhere in order to beg in busy city centres before then going back to their accommodation.

People should be wary of being duped about all of this "homeless" stuff. The socialist agenda will always be disingenuous about it.

We are not overrun with homeless people. We are overrun with people with severe issues which include drink, drugs and mental issues. What we need is money being made available for support centres to help those people overcome their problems and get back into mainstream society. Plus we need to crack down on the wider drug trades.

Throwing tons of benefits at these people achieves absolutely nothing and serves only to exacerbate the problem. These people only engage with the various support centres when they need something. That might be food, medical help, advice on getting accommodation, help with domestic issues. getting a bank account and so on. If they don't engage, they can't be helped. If they have no needs they don't engage.

It's what they call in the business "The Long Game".

A long steady build up of trust between the "guests" as they are called, and the support centres so that they can be directed along the right path to recovery.

Of course none of this will impress our old fossil UJ languishing as he does in his comfy armchair posting endless anti Tory vitriol.

lol the sheer arrogance of that statement is astounding.

Your assumption or presumption that YOU own parts of a public forum and can use it for your personal discussions is as telling as the vitriol you post.

You already abuse the forum by using it as your personal platform to conduct a political agenda.

Sorry to disappoint but if you post here, on a free and open forum, then others ARE going to make comments, and indeed they should, and if you don't like that then I'm sure there are plenty of other internet forums you can go haunt.

did it go on to say they "Chose" to be mentally ill or alcoholics too ?

Babies are born to be prone to addiction, either drug alcoholism or gambling.

Choice does come into it at different stages of their addiction, tough love can help, support is essential.

There are a certain classification of homeless people that would be homeless if you provided them with a palace a chef and butler.....................but we are not talking about them.

I am talking about the families that are falling through the cracks made by an inadequate long term housing policy, created by governments of various shades over many decades.

“120,000 children will be homeless this Christmas” 2016 Christmas

I wonder why the Royal family get off scott free?
They the first family in the land have innumerable properties yes everyone oohs and aws over them and insist they are doing a good job.
Why dont they lead the way and donate one of their many properties to be converted into flats .
or a more likely alternative provide a block of flats.
If every seriously wealthy person/company in the country donated the cost of one social housing unit how would that be?
Every Russian billionaire had to for the pleasure of living in our country have to pay the cost of one social housing unit .
This would almost overnight increase the stock of social housing .
lets see Queenie is a Billionaire she has many homes and a huge income she could be good for 10 at least .
Goodness she keeps any amount of racehorses in training they cost far more to keep that people
Philip could stump up a couple
Charles could easily donate five
ditto the rest of them they are all seriously rich.
I mean how many properties does one family need ?
Where the Queen leads it is to be hoped the rest would follow and donate units of social housing .
This is a radical solution but it would generate much good will.
JRM could earn himself instance popularity people like him already so a good will gesture would seal it.
However social housing needs to more fairly distributed not just on a needs basis .
People like nurses firemen and other working people should have the right too not always being second to families with children.
Social housing should comprise of a mixture of society not just the people who cant manage their own lives and lets fact it many homeless people cannot .
In every city there are hostels and shelters no one really needs to sleep out on the street
Firstly people have to go on a waiting list.
Absolutely no non British citizens.
Its totally ridiculous that people come from the EU and the rest of the world and are given social housing, This doesn't happen in any other country in the world .
There could be some very basic housing made available.
Blocks of bed sits for emergencies .
Loads of people in London pay through the teeth to buy tiny bed sits so why cant the homeless live in them ?
yes it may be cramped but perhaps people should consider how the rest of the world live.
Most of Europe has a housing problem .
In Spain there are blocks and blocks of tiny flats and this is the same everywhere only in the UK do people demand the state give them larger housing just for having children.
There must be some innovative methods of building ie flat packs
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/arti...0-minutes.html

We have to change our perception re traditional housing if all are to be housed.

I wonder why the Royal family get off scott free?
They the first family in the land have innumerable properties yes everyone oohs and aws over them and insist they are doing a good job.
Why dont they lead the way and donate one of their many properties to be converted into flats .
or a more likely alternative provide a block of flats.
If every seriously wealthy person/company in the country donated the cost of one social housing unit how would that be?
Every Russian billionaire had to for the pleasure of living in our country have to pay the cost of one social housing unit .
This would almost overnight increase the stock of social housing .
lets see Queenie is a Billionaire she has many homes and a huge income she could be good for 10 at least .
Goodness she keeps any amount of racehorses in training they cost far more to keep that people
Philip could stump up a couple
Charles could easily donate five
ditto the rest of them they are all seriously rich.
I mean how many properties does one family need ?
Where the Queen leads it is to be hoped the rest would follow and donate units of social housing .
This is a radical solution but it would generate much good will.
JRM could earn himself instance popularity people like him already so a good will gesture would seal it.
However social housing needs to more fairly distributed not just on a needs basis .
People like nurses firemen and other working people should have the right too not always being second to families with children.
Social housing should comprise of a mixture of society not just the people who cant manage their own lives and lets fact it many homeless people cannot .
In every city there are hostels and shelters no one really needs to sleep out on the street
Firstly people have to go on a waiting list.
Absolutely no non British citizens.
Its totally ridiculous that people come from the EU and the rest of the world and are given social housing, This doesn't happen in any other country in the world .
There could be some very basic housing made available.
Blocks of bed sits for emergencies .
Loads of people in London pay through the teeth to buy tiny bed sits so why cant the homeless live in them ?
yes it may be cramped but perhaps people should consider how the rest of the world live.
Most of Europe has a housing problem .
In Spain there are blocks and blocks of tiny flats and this is the same everywhere only in the UK do people demand the state give them larger housing just for having children.
There must be some innovative methods of building ie flat packs
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/arti...0-minutes.html

We have to change our perception re traditional housing if all are to be housed.

I have a better idea.

Why don't we just kick out all of our unwanted immigrants, especially the illegals and jihadists?

I see zenophobia is alive and well and living in the arse end of Cheshire!!!