We all have a responsibility to help the homeless but how can we make a difference? - Daxa Patel

While there I saw a chap huddled outside, thankfully, the weather was mild, but as I left the store, I felt guilty for not offering him anything as I was in a rush.

After I got home it niggled me, so I prepared a bag of food, and my dog and I went back.

The gentleman was called Anthony. He looked like he was about 35 to 40. I imagine when he was born his parents named him Anthony after someone special and he was special to them. I wondered what made this person homeless and why we see more people sleeping rough?

The week before I met another man with his dog, Casper. He too was sitting outside a supermarket.

We talked a little and I asked if he had sought help from a local charity, he said he had but having a dog made it tricky for him to be helped. They had been together for eight years. I am not sure of the facts, but regardless, a dog is a companion so I can understand him preferring to sleep rough rather than give up his precious dog.

The ‘problem’ is not new, if we walk through the city centre or by the railway station the situation is more noticeable but on the outskirts of Leeds, not so much. Yet in the space of 10 days I saw two men sleeping rough.

The Council has a dedicated sum of money to help those sleeping rough and for housing. There are laws that require them to be proactive.

Charities such as St. George’s Crypt, Shelter and Crisis do an enormous amount of good work. In a western society like ours which is developed, and relatively affluent, notwithstanding the cost-of-living crisis, the mind boggles as to how we have allowed this to perpetuate.

Homeless people are not a nuisance, but this way of life is because most of us turn a blind eye or believe there is nothing within our power to change things for the better.

During the pandemic a temporary solution of housing the homeless in hotels was found and this was seen as a good way of providing people with a safe and clean space until they could find a place to go to.

In fact, there was an extraordinary response to take care of the homeless then but it took a crisis. We could ask are asylum seekers being housed at the expense of our homeless? Perhaps controversial. We have a housing shortage and families do break up, but I have seen mostly white men between the ages of 20 to 50 sleeping rough. It is a tragic indictment of our values.

Is our insular behaviour partly to blame because we are too busy seeking likes on social media than thinking about what is happening on our doorstep.

According to the Office for National Statistics (ONS), in England alone, 278,110 households were assessed as either being at risk of homelessness or already homeless in April 2021 to March 2022.

The numbers will probably double in another 20 years. In a country with a population of 67 million, this is still unacceptable.

Local authorities and central government will probably say they are doing all they can. There are a few stakeholders who can make a tangible difference such as builders providing more affordable housing, and the availability of more urban shelters. Vocational training and subsidised apprenticeship, universal benefit income so people have at least the basics. Do we need to incentivise our local authorities to cut homelessness down by half in return for a more generous budget from the national government?

Can we as citizens offer our time and expertise to help, and empower those who have lost hope? I think yes.

I certainly would be happy to offer coaching to someone who wants to sort out their life for free, and I am sure many like me would do the same, but we need a platform where we can offer our help.

However, if a person is homeless unless they have a place of their own and food in their belly, they will not be ready to get back into work. It is a vicious cycle, without work they have no income to pay the rent. Without a home, they cannot get a job.

The charity Shelter will say ‘everyone deserves a place to live’. Humanity is built on social justice where we are obliged to help one another.

I read somewhere the definition of wealth is no longer being financially fit, it also means being healthy, happy as well as being able to pay one’s way. We all desire the same things in life so let’s take responsibility for this.

Daxa Manhar Patel is a solicitor, author and executive coach.