Police in San Diego say the arrest of Jon David Guerrero last Friday will bring to an end a series of attacks that left three homeless men dead and two critically injured. Police told reporters that they have no doubt they have the right man.

Guerrero was arrested in the early hours soon after a fifth homeless man was attacked whilst sleeping under a motorway bridge. Two officers heard the 55-year-old man’s screams and found him with severe trauma to his upper body, Captain David Nisleit said.

Police found Guerrero riding a bicycle nearby and uncovered physical evidence at the scene and at his San Diego home linking him to all the crimes, Nisleit said. He would not give details about the evidence or the victims’ injuries because investigators are still talking to witnesses and want to ensure the credibility of their stories. “We have the right person in jail,” Nisleit said.

The attacks began on July 3rd, when police found the badly burned remains of Angelo De Nardo near some train tracks. The 53-year-old had been murdered before his body was set on fire. The next day, officers found Manuel Mason, 61, who suffered critical injuries to his upper torso. A few hours later, police discovered the body of Shawn Longley, 41, who bled to death from injuries to the upper torso. Dionicio Derek Vahidy, 23, died on Sunday four days after he was set on fire in downtown San Diego.

In all five attacks, the men suffered severe trauma to their upper body and most had been sleeping alone. Advocacy groups have urged homeless people to sleep closer together in well-lit areas.

Guerrero grew up in the wealthy community of Coronado, across the San Diego Bay, known for its mansions and picturesque beaches. Police have not determined a motive and didn’t say if Guerrero had a lawyer who could speak on his behalf.

He faces three counts of murder, two counts of attempted murder and two counts of arson in the attacks that Police Chief Shelley Zimmerman called the worst she has seen in her 34 years in law enforcement.

“I firmly believe Guerrero is the suspect responsible for these vicious crimes,” she said. “I say that with complete confidence after receiving a thorough briefing from our homicide unit and fully understanding the amount of physical evidence they have collected today and throughout this entire investigation.”

A homeless man was given a job for the day in a random act of kindness by a group of painters.

He was spotted in Manchester’s Northern Quarter helping out the men as they worked on a building on Copperas Street, according to a report in the Manchester Evening News.

Eyewitness Darren Wheatcroft said the homeless man had asked a passer-by for some change, and was very polite when he was told the man didn’t have anything to give him.

“I’ve seen him around a few times,” Darren said, “I work for United Utilities so I’m in the area on call-outs fairly regularly. He asked a passer-by for some change and the guy apologised and said he was sorry but didn’t have anything.

“The homeless man was really polite, telling him thank you anyway, it wasn’t a problem and he hoped he had a nice day. The next thing he was shouted out by one of the painters, he asked him if he’d been drinking, and the homeless man said he hadn’t.

“The painter went and spoke to his colleagues and said they should give him a job – and they did! They had a bit of a long chat between them then he put his bag down and picked up a paintbrush and got to it.

“He was being given tips and shown what to do, it was really great to see. The man really seemed grateful and was enjoying himself. He was having a chat with the other painters and people walking past were speaking to them too.

“It was a really good deed, they took someone off the street and gave him work and he was going to get paid at the end of it.”

Amongst all the bad news and uncertainty circulating at the moment, it’s good to see small glimmers of humanity shining through. Well done those painters!

Staff and residents of Bosco House recently attended a Life Coaching course delivered by New Beginnings – and the feedback was overwhelmingly positive.

The six, two-hour sessions covered areas such as self-awareness, self-esteem and confidence building, stress and anger management, and forgiveness and acceptance. Course leader, Julie Awang, said: “The New Beginnings vision is to guide and support participants to find peace of mind, to move forward in their lives with a healthy, positive approach.”

Julie added that this was particularly beneficial to staff involved in the challenging and stressful work of providing supported housing, as well as service users themselves who may have experienced difficult life events.

Julie continued: “The levels of stress, depression and anxiety felt within our communities is at its highest historic level. Modern day technology adds to the already, very often, unaddressed issues individuals are struggling to deal with. The objective of the course is to enrich the lives of the participants. Key emotional, social issues and challenges are addressed, thus empowering participants to reach their highest potential.”

Bosco housekeeper, Wendy Roberts, said: “The group I was in was comprised of staff and residents. I think that the course was very good and can be really useful for people trying to cope with stress, anxiety, low self-worth and help with anger management.”

“Julie was very approachable, friendly, knowledgeable and helpful, and gave us some nice handouts to go with each session. She provided the group with advice and practical activities that kept us engaged and interested. We always looked forward to the next meeting.”

“I really enjoyed learning about mindfulness, which I have been able to put into practice after the course finished. It helps me cope with stress better. Mindfulness is a method of paying more attention to the present moment – to your own thoughts and feelings and to the world around you – practicing mindfulness can improve mental wellbeing.”

“We also did some meditation that I know the residents enjoyed very much.

Two of the residents said that it was a pity that the course wasn’t longer as they said they thoroughly enjoyed it and found Julie very down to earth and easy to talk to.” More sessions have now been booked at Bosco.

If you think your organisation could benefit from the New Beginnings approach, contact Julie Awang at Jsawang@outlook.com or give her a ring on 07913 685 191.

At long last the new Bosco Lodge has opened and is fully occupied. The new premises are just around the corner from Bosco House and provide the same high-quality accommodation and facilities.

Bosco Society manager, Sheila Howard, said: “We’re all so very pleased that Bosco Lodge has now opened. It took a while to get it just right, but we demand the highest quality accommodation for our service users. So I would like to thank everyone that supported us, particularly Sefton Council, but also the Deposit Protection Service and Help The Homeless who provided funding for new furniture.”

The facilities and services on offer mirror those of Bosco House. There are 13 individual rooms, all with en-suite bathrooms, over the three floors with a resident’s kitchen on both the second and third floors. On the ground floor there is a reception area, office, staff kitchen, meeting rooms and resident’s TV lounge with a computer terminal. The sit-up service also has its own room, just opposite the reception.

The front car park will soon undergo a massive change as Linda Van Nooijen, Bosco’s garden guru, has plans to brighten up the area. Linda said: “As car parking areas go its pretty bleak at the moment but, even though it’s tarmacked, there’s plenty of scope for flower tubs and hanging baskets. Give us a couple of months and the front of house will be a riot of colour!”

At the rear of the building is another, huge, tarmacked area that is also ripe for new ideas. A seating area, flower borders, bike shed, gym, and workshops are all ideas that are being considered. But it’s the residents that will have the final say on how these spaces are utilised.

The man in charge of the new venture, senior worker James Heller, said: “At last we were able to move out of the old Sead project and into this state-of-the-art building. Our resident are made up, as are the staff. The building is bright and spacious and everyone involved is really optimistic about the future. It’s a great place to live and come to work.”

“This is really great” said one resident, “there’s a real buzz about the place. Everyone’s got a smile on their faces. It’s such a difference from the other place. Everybody who lives here really wants it to feel like home, so we’re settling in nicely and we’re all going to look after it.”

The Bosco Society AGM will be held alongside the official opening of Bosco Lodge on Friday the 29^th of July.

A homeless former soldier has been inundated with offers of help after taking a whiteboard sign on the London Tube in an innovative attempt to find work.

Bradley Henderson, 39, was overwhelmed by the response from passengers after he began parading the whiteboard through the train carriages on Wednesday. Originally from Leeds, Mr. Henderson said he has been sleeping rough in the Hampstead area for about four months after leaving an abusive relationship.

His sign begins: “Hi my name is Brad and I have been homeless for four months. I am looking for any work. I have very good skills in bar, promotions, sales, marketing. Any donations of clothing, food, money or help towards work would be amazing. I will do any job.”

Several commuters tweeted pictures of Mr. Henderson after meeting him during their journeys to and from work on the Tube. He told the London Evening Standard he has been inundated with people wanting to help, including a Harrods recruiter who invited him for an interview, and a man who bought him a new suit.

Mr. Henderson said: “When I started walking up and down the Tube with the sign I had no idea that I would end up getting this kind of response. I just can’t believe it. I have been trying to find work for months but the minute people find out I’m homeless they assume I’m on drink or drugs and they’re not willing to give me a chance. The amount of people I have met in the last two days is crazy.”

One passenger on the Victoria line, Sharron Edmonds, shared a picture of Mr. Henderson’s sign on Twitter and wrote: “Met this enterprising guy on the Tube tonight homeless and just wants a job. So, come on people, let’s spread the word and see if we can find him some work. He has army references and is polite and well spoken.”

Another commuter, Jonny Durgan, who met Mr Henderson at Archway station, said: “When I got chatting, we realised that we had a lot in common, he’s from Leeds and knew the places where I grew up. Bar a few forks in the road, we could be living similar lives now. He’s looking for work and to get himself back on his feet.”

Mr. Henderson said he has previously done bar promotion work and also gained experience in marketing and sales. He added: “I am in the situation I am in and I am now trying to get myself back on track. It’s just amazing how far it’s reached. It now feels like things are on the up.”