Homeless people and drugs problem outside St John's church, Waterloo

I certainly don't envy them having to sleep rough in this weather and don't begrudge them an old churchyard as their hangout, where else can they go? Most of the hostels in the area are for overnight stays not daytime activities.

I have recently given up the chair of a charity based in SE1 working with the homeless across the world.

In the UK a problem has been a combination of the No 10 drive to establish that there are no homeless in London. If there are none, no facilities need be provided to help them. Equally what provision there is has been bounced around from local authorities to central government to hospital trusts. One result was that a health centre we used to operate for the homeless in SE1 has been closed.

I am sorry the original poster has been upset, I know how it feels. But for anyone to choose to sleep rough when there probably are beds available shows just how desperate their state is.

The park behind the church is OK in daylight, the homeless can either be ignored or you can have a conversation, probably the thing they crave most ( apart from more Carlsberg)

Being ignored is something most of us hate. We tend to give them food, cloths and some money. I know that you are not supposed to give them money as they spend it on drink and drugs. Reminds me a bit of some of the people working in the City.
Good morning gentlemen (and ladies sometimes) costs absolutely nothing and I'm sure will elicit a more pleasant response.
I will also repeat that they are not a problem in the threatening sense. The only people they seem to attack, is each other

Until recently I used to go to sit in the park behind the church after I'd had acupuncture nearby (every 2-3 weeks mid-afternoon weekday). I never once felt threatened but felt it was a peaceful atmosphere to absorb before facing the big wide world again. The homeless people there always kept themselves to themselves. I really miss it & can't wait for it to re-open...

My experience is that they look intimidating but are ok on the whole. One accused me of carrying a man bag the other day which i found witty .
'Love your man bag' was shouted and him and his chums giggled like schoolgirls. O Well I think i cheered them up a little.
I remember a long while back there were carboard cities on the other side of the river then they were moved - they ended up in the bull ring - I think and hope they are harmless but not being a woman I do not have to deal with their comments.
To end on a positive note , on the cut the other day I was sure the homeless were knocking up some kind of stir fry which included broccoli florets .
To be honest i enjoy the fact waterloo is such a mixed and tolerant community - ages , races, poor, rich and as long as we show each other respect and commit no crimes, I do not see why we cannot continue to live side by side and cherish our tolerant ,unique and special neighbourhood which still feels like a community.

Hiya,
I work at the Thames Reach hostel on Stamford Street and thought I'd add my thoughts about this issue. I can see that it must be easy to feel like nothing, or not enough, is being done when homeless people continue to be seen there. It will always feel wrong that people should continue to be in that situation. I know that many of the residents I work with in our hostel continue to spend a great deal of time on the streets- it can take a long time for this way of life to change, and for some it never does. Many of the people sleeping rough around Waterloo have been homeless for many years. It is an incredibly difficult transition moving back indoors, learning to accept support, and facing some of the emotions and problems that may have contributed to someone becoming homeless in the first place.
In terms of the support available to those sleeping rough, there are outreach teams who work on the streets, making contact with homeless people with a view to hopefully referring them into accommodation of some sort. This is also no easy process, and some people refuse help for years. It can be very difficult for people to accept help, self esteem can be extremely low and takes a long time to rebuild. Re-entering a world with rules and structure and expectations is also a difficult transition.
Hostel bed spaces have been becoming increasingly difficult to access as there is a shortage of longer term accommodation, which causes a sort of bottleneck at hostel level. At Stamford Street we house 18 residents, and aim for move on within approximately 2 years, though this can vary. This means beds come up fairly rarely, and this situation is mirrored in many other hostels. Lambeth are increasingly working on the private rented sector (with optional support) as a move on option, and they are working with services to try to find solutions to the lack of housing options.
From our contact with the police they seem to be quite sympathetic to the needs and issues that homeless people have, and they do a lot of work in conjunction with local services, including St Johns and hostels. But they face all the issues of people with entrenched street lifestyles, so progress is tough.
I hope this is not too much of a ramble and that it helps add additional perspectives about this issue.
Steph

St John's has had a long history of 'helping' the homeless. This can also be seen as 'encouragement' depending on your point of view.

Yes indeed; all those shocking agencies encouraging people to be homeless. Something must be done. We should write to the Daily Mail at once.

It does seem a shame that more is not done for the homeless in Waterloo, given their strong connection with the area. I also think St John's is to be applauded for the work they do.

Markies - your summary is very interesting indeed. It allows me to see that the availability of help does not mean people will take it up.

Who can say that they always take help that is offered?

I am sure that there are layers of issues for those rough sleepers-you mention self-esteem as one.

There is no easy answer, I suppose.