Why homeless Britons are turning to the Sikh community for food

[Irn Bru]

Homeless people in the UK are getting free meals thanks to a centuries-old Sikh tradition. Why, asks Rajeev Gupta.

"We come here because we get food... A hot meal. It's a luxury for me." John Davidson is 55 and homeless. He is one of 250 people who have just received a hand-out of hot soup, drinks, chocolate bars and other supplies from the Sikh Welfare and Awareness Team van parked up on the Strand in central London on a cold Sunday evening. The Swat team, as they're known, park at the same spot every week so a group of volunteers from the Sikh community can hand out vital supplies. Homeless people, who overwhelmingly are not Sikh, patiently wait in line to be served.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/blogs-magazine-monitor-31557192

Well done the Sikh community for the sterling work they do. This happens in Edinburgh and Glasgow and many other cities around the UK.



Well done to them.

[Cass]

good work and thanks to them.

kind of ties into essays other thread about a charity dealing with homelessness.

there for the grace go I......

[Guest]

good work and thanks to them.

kind of ties into essays other thread about a charity dealing with homelessness.

there for the grace go I......

why "but for the grace of"???

you DO realise that in the main homelessness for a substantial number is a life style choice?

they are drunks
drug abusers
drop outs

a few are
ex vets who need help and have been abandoned by the society they gave all to protect/serve

a few are

silly air heads who need to get their life in order


a few are

abused youngsters with nowhere to run

and a very few have mental problems THAT CAUSED them to be homeless.

the majority are.......pathetic.....

its not "fate" or "luck" or indeed "god's will" (who ever you wish to blame)

[Guest]

Shelter is rather the expert on the reasons:

What causes homelessness?

Sadly, many people view homelessness as the result of personal failings, and consider that if the economy is going well, there is no excuse for not getting on.

But this belief is belied by the facts, which show that homelessness is caused by a complex interplay between a person's individual circumstances and adverse 'structural' factors outside their direct control.

These problems can build up over years until the final crisis moment when a person becomes homeless.

Personal causes of homelessness

A number of different personal and social factors can contribute towards people becoming homeless. These may include one or more of the following:

individual factors including lack of qualifications, lack of social support, debts - especially mortgage or rent arrears, poor physical and mental health, relationship breakdown, and getting involved in crime at an early age

family background including family breakdown and disputes, sexual and physical abuse in childhood or adolescence, having parents with drug or alcohol problems, and previous experience of family homelessness

an institutional background including having been in care, the armed forces, or in prison.

Tackling these problems is a complex business and normally requires support from public bodies, friends and family, combined with a lot of hard work from the individual or family in trouble. Public support might include intervention, advice, counselling, training or provision of alternative accommodation by a local authority where appropriate.

However, in all instances Shelter believes these problems can be best resolved when the person or family in question has a decent and secure home.

Structural causes of homelessness

Structural causes of homelessness are social and economic in nature, and are often outside the control of the individual or family concerned.
These may include:

unemployment
poverty
a lack of affordable housing
housing policies
the structure and administration of housing benefit
wider policy developments, such as the closure of long-stay psychiatric hospitals.

These problems require long-term policy solutions such as changes in the housing benefit system, the building of more affordable homes, and ensuring that a wider cross-section of society benefits from the fruits of economic growth.

Reasons given by homeless people for being homeless

The three main reasons for having lost a last settled home, given by applicants for homelessness support from local councils are:

parents, friends or relatives unwilling or unable to continue to accommodate them
relationship breakdown, including domestic violence
loss of an assured shorthold tenancy. [1]

However, these reasons are only the catalysts that trigger people into seeking assistance, and not the underlying issues that have caused the crisis to build up in the first place.

For many people, there's no single event that results in sudden homelessness. Instead, homelessness is due to a number of unresolved problems building up over time.

[Guest]

Shelter is rather the expert on the reasons:

What causes homelessness?

Sadly, many people view homelessness as the result of personal failings, and consider that if the economy is going well, there is no excuse for not getting on.

But this belief is belied by the facts, which show that homelessness is caused by a complex interplay between a person's individual circumstances and adverse 'structural' factors outside their direct control.

These problems can build up over years until the final crisis moment when a person becomes homeless.

Personal causes of homelessness

A number of different personal and social factors can contribute towards people becoming homeless. These may include one or more of the following:

   individual factors including lack of qualifications, lack of social support, debts - especially mortgage or rent arrears, poor physical and mental health, relationship breakdown, and getting involved in crime at an early age

   family background including family breakdown and disputes, sexual and physical abuse in childhood or adolescence, having parents with drug or alcohol problems, and previous experience of family homelessness
   
an institutional background including having been in care, the armed forces, or in prison.

Tackling these problems is a complex business and normally requires support from public bodies, friends and family, combined with a lot of hard work from the individual or family in trouble. Public support might include intervention, advice, counselling, training or provision of alternative accommodation by a local authority where appropriate.

However, in all instances Shelter believes these problems can be best resolved when the person or family in question has a decent and secure home.

Structural causes of homelessness

Structural causes of homelessness are social and economic in nature, and are often outside the control of the individual or family concerned.
These may include:

   unemployment
   poverty
   a lack of affordable housing
   housing policies
   the structure and administration of housing benefit
   wider policy developments, such as the closure of long-stay psychiatric hospitals.

These problems require long-term policy solutions such as changes in the housing benefit system, the building of more affordable homes, and ensuring that a wider cross-section of society benefits from the fruits of economic growth.

Reasons given by homeless people for being homeless

The three main reasons for having lost a last settled home, given by applicants for homelessness support from local councils are:

   parents, friends or relatives unwilling or unable to continue to accommodate them
   relationship breakdown, including domestic violence
   loss of an assured shorthold tenancy. [1]

However, these reasons are only the catalysts that trigger people into seeking assistance, and not the underlying issues that have caused the crisis to build up in the first place.

For many people, there's no single event that results in sudden homelessness. Instead, homelessness is due to a number of unresolved problems building up over time.

In other words, apart from those suffering mental heath problems, it ius due to the PERSON failing to manage their lives?

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