08 June, 2005

It Could Be You

Last night I needed to go out for a walk. Just to get away from my newly formed crack house. So I decided to go into the west end of London. I took my camera of course. Some of the sights I saw reminded me to think about my own future as I could easily be like the people in the photos below again. Just seeing some of the people making up their beds for the night reminded me that was my life once.
It could be you is the lottery saying but there is more chance of you becoming homeless than winning the bloody lottery, it's just a simple fact of life.
Governments may say we are trying to cure this problem like they would normally, but it is not a disease that you can find a quick cure for. It's a social problem. It's something that needs to be thought about carefully and then any plan to eradicate homelessness should be put into action. Huge amounts of money spent on quick fixes can longer be a viable answer to homelessness. We need a sustained effort on behalf of government to help in the fight to eradicate this problem because taking people off the streets and bunging them into hotels and hostels is not the answer, especially when it cost the tax payer three times as much to do this. It may seem expensive to teach someone life skills so that they can live independently but the strain on tax payers would be far less in the long run. At the moment it cost local councils around three hundred and fifty pounds a week to keep someone in a hostel around two hundred and fifty in a hotel. Just think most people don't even earn that a week, but enough about that it's only money. The government have plenty to help the NHS, schools, build houses for buyers, modernize roads, Oh and pay themselves mustn't forget that, but not enough to cure homelessness or poverty come to think of it, once and for all. I'll shut up now being flippant doesn't suit me does it?
There's one thing I am personally am concerned about and that is the right for any one person to choose his way of life because there are! People who have become so used to living on the streets that they do not want to change their life style and I personally don't see why anyone should be forced too. Asbo's are being issued because some councils who have decided. It is anti social for some one to sleep rough. Although these people are few and far between they still should have the freedom to live the way they want to live. Any Government initiative should have a provision in it for these people. Well be lucky because it could be you.

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