Whilst catching up on the local news recently, I see a problem being brought to our attention in Norwich that is not only affecting towns and cities nationally but is also a well known global concern as well.
You may have guessed that I am referring to the increasing number of beggars, homeless or pan dealers as they are known in the United States on our streets today and the way in which the police and the authorities and indeed the public are dealing with this, and what is being referred to as a 'problem'.
Is it a problem or just a sign of the times we are living in? It has of course been going on since time began and varies in severity depending on where you are in the world.
Yet with all the amazing charities, hostels and help being offered around the globe it appears to make rather frustratingly little or no difference to these vulnerable human beings.
I am of course aware of recent news reports of 'fraudsters' pretending to be homeless and penniless asking for money by day and caught on CTV returning to expensive cars and comfortable lifestyles by night. These are of course not who I am referring to in this article.
What is the best way of dealing with the true homeless and the people subjected to rough living often labelled beggars or undesirables particularly when they start displaying anti-social behaviour?
In Norwich anyone displaying aggression or abusive behaviour can be ejected by the police to outside the inner ring road for 48 hours, implementing a section 35 order.
But is this the answer or indeed is it solving the situation? I am not equipped to answer this and probably the only people who can are the Norwich police force.
But does it solve the root cause of the problem or is it just merely a way of papering over the cracks?
When I am in the city centre it is a familiar and rather distressing sight these days to see men and women huddled in shop doorways sometimes with only cardboard and a ragged sleeping bag to keep the north wind chills at bay, their whole world packed inside a plastic carrier bag.
What must it be like to wake each day and not have the luxury of a bathroom to use or a kettle to boil for that much-needed cup of coffee? All things I know I take for granted.
Not forgetting of course they must be getting very poor, erratic sleep patterns, cold, uncomfortable, hungry and vulnerable and no doubt scared. And this is just physically but let's consider their frame of mind mentally.
For starters just the concept of living rough has its many deeply negative points but coupled with the trauma of becoming homeless, poor hygiene, lack of self worth and very limited nutrition, dehydration and depression makes it horrendous.
These men and women are in fact remarkable. If they were doing this on a reality show they would not only be heralded heroes they would also be making a fortune.
The tenacity they display and the massive strength of character, determination, strong will and acceptance of their plight would be highly applauded if they were appearing in a jungle or rocky gorge behind a set of filming cameras and celebrity presenters.
This is however sadly not the case for our homeless men and women and unfortunately for them it is ongoing and a permanent nightmare. They do not have the promise of being voted off by the public or a six-week cut off point. This is real life for them day in and day out.
What can we do and how can we help? It is not a problem that is going to go away anytime soon or indeed ever but can we offer comfort and hope to ease their situation?
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