Entries by Jamie Leeming

Drink And Drug Problems Soar Amongst The Homeless

More than 21,000 homeless people have been admitted to hospital with problems relating to drink and drugs over the past three years. A BBC investigation found the number of people of no fixed abode admitted for drug addiction increased by about a quarter between 2014 and 2016. The government said the issue was “complex” with […]

A Declaration Of War On Poverty

The founder of The Big Issue says that homelessness in the UK has reached a state of emergency. Lord John Bird, 71, said that UK Governments have wasted hundreds of thousands of pounds to prolong poverty, rather than working to prevent it. The social entrepreneur and homelessness activist says that we’re sleepwalking straight into a […]

Cold Weather Shelter To Open In Liverpool

A cold weather shelter for rough sleepers in Liverpool city centre could save lives this winter, a police superintendent says. Liverpool City Council wants to use the ground floor of a building in Camden Street, off London Road, as a severe weather night facility for homeless people between October and March. The council has applied […]

Scandal Of London’s ‘Hidden Homeless’

A new report reveals that one in five young people in the UK have sofa-surfed in the past year – and almost half of them have done so for more than a month. London Assembly housing committee’s report on hidden homeless sheds light an issue that is invisible to most of the public and by many […]

Manchester GPs Rally Round To Help Homeless Patients

Homeless patients are being urged to seek treatment at ten GP practices in Greater Manchester rather than hospital A&E departments. Contrary to popular belief, patients do not need identification or proof of address be seen by a GP, but some homeless people claim they have been turned away. So practices in Manchester, Oldham, Bury, Bolton […]

Venus Provide Help To Overcome Phobias

Counselling may help you overcome some common fears, says Jo Kenyon at Venus. Jo says that whilst this particular case relates to a person who had a terrible fear of birds, (which is called “Ornithophobia” if you’re interested!) counselling may be helpful to address a whole range of different issues. Jo adds: Before I tell […]

Benefit Reforms Hindering The Fight Against Homelessness

The government is “seriously undermining” the fight against homelessness with its benefits reforms, says the Chartered Institute of Housing. This comes just a week after the National Audit Office condemned the government for not assessing the role of welfare reform was playing in the rise in homeless since austerity began in 2010. The NAO pointed […]

Universal Credit Under Fire From CAB

The Citizens Advice Bureau has published a report analysing the implementation of Universal Credit and rising debt – and it identifies a number of problems that could cause or exacerbate debt problems. In the report the CAB says that Universal Credit (UC) represents the biggest change to the welfare system undertaken since its inception by […]

Everton In The Community Fundraising Challenge To Help The Homeless

The Goodison Sleepout fundraiser returns for its second year on Friday November the 10th with one of Everton In The Community’s toughest challenges. The challenge gives participants the chance to raise money for a pioneering charity while spending the night in one of the world’s most famous football stadiums. The overnight fundraiser follows on from the […]

Rise In Homelessness “Driven By Welfare Reforms”

According to the National Audit Office (NAO), government welfare reforms have led to an increase in rough sleeping in England of 134%, with homelessness overall costing the public sector more than £1bn a year. The number of families in temporary accommodations across England has increased by 60% to 77,240 since March 2011, the public spending watchdog said […]