I thought I would take this opportunity to express my admiration for a large group of young people (and older ones too) who spent Saturday night (30th January) outside, at the Old Cemetery, Rosemary Lane, in a temporary cardboard city, on one of the coldest nights of the year.
Their aim was to draw attention to one of the problems of our time – homelessness.
Reg and Jonathan Goldsmith
This major issue can be witnessed virtually any day as you walk through the city. I have witnessed the homeless in several locations including; under Brayford Bridge, in the High Street and under Pelham Bridge as well as the Polish encampment, on the banks of the Witham.
The charity Crisis estimates that some 380,000 people are without a home, almost equal to the population of Manchester. It projects that this figure could rise to one million by 2020 on present trends
Crisis found 33 percent suffered complex problems including mental ill health and addiction. They are urgently in need of specialist help including psychiatric assessment and care, detox and rehabilitation support. Many are not in touch with specialist drug or mental health workers and few are even registered with a GP.
I recall a tragic story in Lincoln from just a few years ago where a former pupil of mine, suffering from a raft of personal problems including addiction, health and mental health issues, died alone in a disused service station right in the heart of our city. It was heart breaking.
However, less obviously but probably much more widespread, is the related problem of ‘couch surfing’. These are people who also have no home of their own, for whatever reason, who simply move from one house floor or sofa to the next, depending on the kindness of their friends for a roof over their heads. They live in constant insecurity, are vulnerable to all manner of danger and are in no position to start to build any sort of a life in an increasingly challenging and competitive world.
We desperately need to address these issues and develop a much more caring and people centric society that gets the best out of people and does not leave them to wither on the vine.
I am extremely grateful to all the workers and people down at the YMCA for highlighting this important concern but I am particularly thankful for the hard work of one volunteer at the centre, Jonathan Goldsmith, for his vision and hard work. Well done to everyone involved. You are showing us all how effective young people can be. Now let’s hope that the authorities make the efforts required to support the needy in this city.
Reg Shore