Homelessness

This causes problems and work for the police so why not – in conjunction with the Salvation Army – open up the building to the homeless and allow them to use its basic facilities.

The use of the electricity can be supervised by Salvation Army workers.

The Salvation Army do a brilliant job, but they are often looked upon as being just another “collection box” shaker outside major shops.

The homeless can be given basic medical checks and care to help them back into the system that is obviously failing them.

Remember a lot of homeless are there not by choice but by circumstance and it is something that can happen to anyone through marriage breakup, job loss or home loss.

You may not care about a homeless person but it could be you, through no fault of your own.

There is no safety net, but using redundant office buildings owned by the state is a start.

In the long term there is the old tax office standing empty and is owned by us, the tax payer.

This could very easily be converted into small one bedroom/ ensuite rooms to provide a semi permanent or halfway accommodation for homeless people.

As soon as they are accommodated in the building they cease to be homeless and have an address.

They are then able to have help to apply for jobs and apply for any benefits due. Once they have reached a point of being back in society then they are helped to find accommodation whether private or social housing.

They are then working and paying tax into the system.

The accommodation could also be used for people who are “sofa surfers” – the homeless who benefit from friends who put them up on a settee or in a spare room.

This group have no fixed abode and are technically homeless.

How many people have this existence is unknown.

This country willingly aids refugees from Syria and other places so why does the state not help the “refugees” in this country.

That is a question for parliament who have been unwilling to help the homeless in this country in the past 100 years.

Even the powers that run the welfare state have been unable or unwilling to stop the homeless problem in the UK, especially ex servicemen who would have died for this country.

Instead of being hailed as heroes from recent conflicts are treated as nothing, especially by the Blair/ Brown Labour government who took us to war in two conflicts.

I have waited for Jeremy Corbyn to bring attention to the homeless people in the UK, being the leader of a socialist government with its supposedly caring and sharing outlook on society – but nothing.

So Cheshire West and Chester Council could easily help the homeless of Northwich for zero outlay even in these supposed times of austerity.

Richard Cawley Northwich