Steemit and @article61, Helping the Homeless.
Last-night, after turning my central-heating up another notch, I sat down to go through the latest local-news stories. I intended to write a light-hearted post and indeed I did, after sifting through various different topics. It was whilst I was "sifting", that I came across a story that I could not ignore...
It was this report that inspired me to go out and do what I did today...
Putting steemit's donation to good use.
I arrived in Nottingham today, at around 2pm and left the train-station in search of charity shops, where I could buy various items of warm clothing. On the way, I nipped into 'Pound-land' to pick up a few extra 'bits and bobs' to give out.
I have never done this and I have never been homeless either, so thinking what they would need/want was a little tricky.
After a long blank stare into space my brain spluttered into life and belched out a few ideas.
- 3 boxes of water-proof Plasters(Band-aids)
- 3 packs of medicinal sweets. (1 x Honey lemon sweets 1 x cherry menthol sweets 1 x blackcurrant sore-throat sweets)
- 6 pack of cleansing wipes
- 3 Bananas
- 3 Apples
Then it was off to the Charity shop to buy some winter clobber. After some more blank-stares, spluttering and general procrastination, I decided to just go for it and grab anything that I would consider wearing on my night-fishing adventures.
- 4 x padded water-resistant trouser
- 2 x padded coats
- 2 x padded body warmers
- 1 x wholly jumper
- 2 x hats
- 3 x thermal under-vests
Looking back now, as I type up this experience, I realise that being dressed from head-to-toe in black, complete with matching hoodie, may have not been the most welcoming look I could have gone for...
When I approached Daniel, looking like something between Darth-Vader and Santa Claus, he wasn't exactly sure what I was there for.
"Hello mate, I've got some clothes and other things, to help you get by in the cold. Would you like any?"
Daniel only chose to take a thermal shirt, an apple, a banana and a cup of tea. Oh yes, I forgot. He loved the cherry menthols :)
After this I sat down with Daniel and asked him if it was OK to talk to him about his situation. I told him that I was writing a blog and I that I wanted to interview him on camera. Daniel happily agreed and we proceeded to walk in his shoes...
- Before you watch the video, I would like to state that I felt very uncomfortable doing this as I am sure Daniel did too. Those who know me on steemit, will know that I like to find long-term solutions to things that bother me in society. After child abuse, homelessness is my second-most important cause to fight for and I am not just interested in a 'quick-fix'. Although this may appear exploitative, the only reason for me asking Daniel to tell his story is so we can all hear what needs to change if we are to help solve this problem. Politicians are only interested in finding ways to steal money from the public and as we have seen from Oxfam's latest antics, we can't even trust the charities they endorse. It seems even the charities have been sold to the highest bidder and with every council doing its best to ostracize the Homeless, by labeling them "Chuggers", "Aggresive-beggars" and "Rough-sleeper"(Oh how I hate the term "Rough-sleeper"), I am left with only one conclusion.
If it is left to the government to help the homeless, the streets will be lined with dead bodies. I have learned today that two more people have been found dead, after freezing to death in the cold. The system does not want to fix this problem as there are now too many people who rely on it for Tax-revenue, employment, share prices and eventually asset stripping for profit. If you think I am talking rubbish then I would advise you to watch any of Gordon Bowden's YouTube videos. He will be all to happy to tell you about how Africa has been raped for years in the name of "charity".
So now, let us give voice to those who have to deal with this horrific reality, every day. A reality that is, more often than not, down to nothing more than poor planning and lack of care by those who chose to put themselves in places of significance.
Daniel tells it how it is
After our conversation, Daniel and I parted and I said that he would see me again. Before I left Daniel told me that there was someone in the doorway just around the corner and that there was a theatre that had opened its door as a shelter.
So I rounded the corner and sure enough, there was Ben. For now the camera had done its job and it was down to business. I had 3 bags full of clothes and it was starting to get dim and very, very, cold.
Ben was it a bad state and he was very pleased to see clean, dry, clothes. At this point I wished I could have brought more. For now though, Ben had himself some dry clothes and amazingly he managed a smile, followed by lots of unnecessary gratitudes. After chatting with Ben, I discovered that he was unaware of the services available to him. I informed him about the shelter and said that I would return once I had been down to see if it was open(Most homeless folk have to carry so much gear with them that moving around is not as easy as you would imagine, especially in the snow. They do have the option of leaving their valuables behind, but that has obvious consequences).
One thing that was mentioned, by those I spoke to, was the need for a safe place to hold their belongings during the day. This is not a difficult, or expensive, thing to do and I will suggest this to the council in future. These people are moved from pillar to post, 7 days a week, 365 days a year. Between going from shelters and being moved-on by the police for "chugging", it seems little to ask for somewhere safe to keep your things, while you politely stay out of the way.
On to the shelter
After a short walk, I located the theatre that had opened its doors to the homeless. After introducing myself to the lady in charge, I found out that they were not open until 8pm. Whilst chatting at the door, we were joined by a young lady. Because of her deep-red hair, that glowed in the current climate, I failed to notice the little red trolley she had been hauling through the snow.
"Looks like you're doing the same as me then, ay?"
The UK does have a heart
After talking and walking around with Sadie, handing out clothes, hand-warmers, food, drinks, lip-balm, shoes, pants, socks, gloves and all manor of other things, we were joined by two of Sadie friends. And guess what? They had a trolley too! (As much as I think them a brilliant idea, there is no way you will ever see me with one of these.
The three Musketeers. All for one and one for all.
I am embarest to admit that I can't remember the names of these two wonderful human beings. What I can tell you is one is a teacher and the other is a scientist/musician. I'll let you guess which ones which. It appears that I was in the presense of music lovers, because Sadie had told me that she too, was part of a band(The lead singer no less). Apparently she does a good 'Jolene', by Dolly Parton, but we will have to wait and see, as I still have a little more to tell you about the rest of the night.
The Nottingham Street -Knights
Part of the routine for Sadie and the gang, is to head to Mark's and Spencer's and join up with a group name Nottingham Knights. This group travel to Nottingham every night and hand out hot drinks, hot food, and all the other types of essentials that I have already mentioned. The group can be identified by their blue vests and also by the huge flasks of tea that they were carrying. Along with members of 'The Knights' and ourselves, there were even more volunteers who had come into Nottingham to help out. This was definitely one of the most heart-warming things I have ever seen and it has restored my dwindling faith in humanity.
Again my memory shames me and I fail to recall the name of the Lady in the middle. For now we will call her Angela.
Angela seemed to be the person in charge and from what she told me, the Nottingham Knights are completely funded by donations from the public. Angela and all those at the Nottingham Knights, I doth my cap to you all. Speaking of donations, it was only through Sadie raising £300, via FaceBook, that she was able to be so generous and helpful. Again, I doth my cap to you too.
Tonight I have seen people from all walks of life, going out of their way to help the homeless. It wasn't about colour and it didn't matter if they were holding a can of beer and spilling it while they spoke. Nothing mattered, except trying to make the lives of these HUMAN BEINGS, a little less perilous. I watched Blacks giving to whites and witnessed "Euro-skeptics" helping out foreign migrants, who had not found the, gold-paved, streets they were promised.
Homeless is homeless and thousands of wrongs will never make this right. Do not let this become 'the norm' and an acceptable part of society. After being flooded with terrorist attacks we are now asked to accept that this is, and I quote London Mayor, Sadiq Khan: "Just a part of modern-day society that we have to live with".
Sorry Sadiq, but your plan is failing. The more you leave us stranded the more we reach out to one another. Through our common hardships we are making bonds with our foreign brothers and sisters. Bonds separated by a life lived inside a prism, casting a defined social spectrum.
Drop the barriers and cross the lines. It is time to stand up and BE THE CHANGE!!
Special thanks go out to Daniel, Ben, Foreign-Daniel and all the other freezing cold homeless-folk, I met today.
Also have to give big respect to Nottingham Street-Knights and all the great volunteers who help them.
Shout-out to Nottingham Peace Project. (Soon to be coming to steemit, I'm sure)
And last but not least, to the Three Musketeers. Thank you so much for guiding me round on my first day and teaching me about all the different ways people are trying to help. Whoever knows you, should be very proud to do so and their lives must be richer for it.
So thank you steemit for reading this post and I hope it has helped shed some light on what's happening in the UK.
I will just take this moment to highlight a cause I am fighting for and I hope you will all try to spread this story across the world. Please support Deborah Milazzo in her fight to save her son.
PTYAY
Sources
- Metro Report - http://metro.co.uk/2018/03/01/homeless-man-found-dead-tent-snow-covers-uk-7352954/
Permission given by band, to promote music video
You are right - we need to do more for the homeless. That could be us with one bad decision or an emergency situation that we aren’t ready for. That is a great idea to have a place for the homeless to hold their items during the day. My thought is like a bus locker that you need to use a fingerprint to open. That may be very expensive to implement, but it’s a thought....
Great article!
Thank you for the support. It has certainly reached a tipping point. I think it could be as expensive or inexpensive as you want it to be. they just need some basic services to help with everyday life. It must be so draining to have to stay with your property all the time.
This is some really great stuff. 100% upvoted. I wish you best of luck to carry out more things like this. Hats off :-)
Hey! hows it going? And thank you for the support. That is good of you to support this post :)
All is well :-)
interesting post, i like your every post, and injoy it, thanks for sharing it, and keep it up, thank you
Thanks buddy, glad you liked it and thanks for the vote.
This was so wonderful. Thank you for this!
It was a great experience and one I will be repeating. I have promised to take a tent up to a couple tomorrow. It is horrible to think what they are dealing with tonight. So many of them won't get into a shelter tonight.
Thank you for your support.
Thank you for your kindness. Thank you for treating these folks like real people, with dignity.
It helps to be seen. Truly seen.
I'm resteeming. Thank you.
It certainly does. Saw so many good people that want to help and it is a shame our leader do not do the same. There were many food outlets who are helping out but McDonalds are a disgrace. "No we can't help you or give you a discount because it will encourage others to do the same"
I could have throttled him, but it was a day for good deeds.
Should have put that in but I wanted it to be a positive post.
Thank you for the support, it means a lot.
#ophumanangels
Good for you! So much better to go out and be a positive influence for people whose lives have crashed and burned, than to sit back and assume the government will take care of them. It wont.
I think the biggest problem for these folks is government. Socialist promises are seldom met and when people are mightily taxed for government services to take care of the less fortunate they feel that they've already done their part and are hard-pressed to do more. But most government funds go toward administration costs and very little aid is available to those who actually need it. If government downsized and stopped taxation for social programs (or programmes in your case) the folks would know that the unfortunate were on their own and would be more likely to do the sort of charity that church groups and concerned individuals like yourself have historically done. The homeless would be far better off under circumstances like that. Government is a thief: organized crime.
I have been homeless and so understand much of the problem. I was never a drug addict or alcoholic and so was able to take care of myself and find food, shelter and clothing when I had to. Thank God for charitable people like you, however. I believe that most folks are kind and giving if left to their own devices.
If you do this again, realize that most thrift stores will give cold-weather gear to homeless people if they simply ask. No need for you to buy clothing and distribute it, though some folks are so addled by their situation that they are unable or unwilling to fend for themselves. Food and drink is always appreciated, though.
Thank you for your support.
Sorry for the late reply. Been addicted to discord lately :)
You are bang on but not surprising if you have been through this. The gov are nothing but pirates who make money and half-hearted promises. Most homeless have so many mental issue that they also need attention along with accommodation. But if they accept the help and then relapse, they go back to the bottom of the board. A lot of the guys I spoke to said that they do not like to use the mainstream services because it surrounds them with drugs/alcohol. Its' a horrible assumption to make but there seems to be the type of homeless who couldn't care less and then those who really need help but a too messed up to access it. Misplaced help that looks good on the surface but does nothing but generate profit. The charity shops have strict instructions to only hand out a phone number so the "homeless person" can be seen to and guided to a shelter. They wouldn't even reduce the prices for me. I was shocked to be honest. What's worse is that when I saw Ben, who I mentioned in the article, he told me someone had phoned this group to come out and see him. That was at 14:00 and when I saw him at 18:00, nobody had come. It is completely down to us now. Thanks for that cracking comment. Appreciate the feedback.
I'm shocked by this but not surprised. The government tends to do everything it can to interfere with charity that doesn't flow through their coffers.
I was also involved in a firestorm disaster in California where my house burned down along with 1200 others (why I was homeless) and for 3 days there was no government intervention. The local Buddhist were handing out cash, the churches and the Red Cross was handing out bottles of water and the local stadium filled up with donated goods from the public. When the government did finally did enter the fray, their first act was to put a stop to most of the charity from the public sector. While the charitable organizations were freely handing out commodities and money, to receive anything from the government you had to provide identity documents and proof that you had been paying your taxes.
Central government is corrupt, divisive and parasitic. We'd be far better off without it.
So true buddy we are 100% improved without the gov. We have evolved and the system is straining to hold us back. Shame they have all the guns... Man that is fucking awful how they treated you. They love leaving you guys in the mire, when a natural disaster hits. Sounds like you already have the community around you and they just spoil it. But we both know that. Mad world my friend and lets hope steemit clears a path :)
The funny thing about people being left to their own devices is that during a normal day, they will be rude, cut in front of you in traffic, cheat you, ignore you, be condescending, but when disaster strikes, those same people suddenly become giving and caring and not because it's the right thing to do but because it's in their nature. People are a strange animal. Keep up your good work.
We certainly are, buddy. Maybe we will get it right one day...
Thank you for sharing this! It's very important to help people who need help. But it's the same important in my opinion to get in touch with the people, in this case to the homeless... They also need someone to talk and a little bit human love, like everyone else on earth...
To write about and sharing an interview is a little step to convince other people helping is a necessary thing in life.
You should help others as much as it is possible for yourself without destroying yourself at the same time...
Thank you for the comment. Very true, we need to stop dehumanizing these people. Soon as you speak to them you see the person inside. Very humbling experience.
absolutely agree... sometimes is a kind smile more worth than 10 dollar...
You are right. When you have a house, you don't think about a lot of things. After your post, I thought about the problem. I used to have a lot of homeless people in my city, but I don't see them now. Perhaps because the street is cold and they hide in the cellars. There are 2 special places in my city, where homeless people can get food. I think, if someone wants to help, they can pack warm clothes and bring out to this place.
Thanks for the support. They get shoved out of the centers and generally keep moving. Many of them have mental issues and need so much more. still it is good to see how people came from all over to help.
This post has received a 71.43 % upvote from @kittybot thanks to: @article61.