Harringay online

Harringay, Haringey - So Good they Spelt it Twice!

This is a tricky forum post for me... I am a compassionate person (or at least I'd like to think so) but I do not want to have to encounter this supposedly homeless petson's little encampment on my journey to and from work every day. I suspect they are what I describe as "professional beggars". The little tin with a teddy and loose change are presumably there to encourage "donations" even when they are not physically there. I reported my concerns to the Council and whereas when I reported dumped rubbish or other routine issues, I got an almost instant acknowledgement I've yet to hear anything back from them. As far as I'm concerned, the Council should be putting him in appropriate temporary accommodation or, if he is indeed a professional beggar, moving him on.

Tags for Forum Posts: homelessness

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Streetlink - link here - is a way of reporting your concern. This, with much wider issues around local authorities' duties, has been discussed in other recent posts.

Already done that... not going to hold my breath though

And here - link - is information on Haringey's current scale of provision, from one who knows.

There is often two people sleeping there.   I have noticed the police talking to them, but they are still there.

There is very very little provision for homeless people in Harringey - even less if they have no recourse to public funds (in which case begging may be the only 'profession' open to them).  Sadly they would be marginally better off if they moved their sleep site down the road to Hackney or Islington.  Should anyone need it there is a list of services that will work with homeless people in/from Harringey here.

You're a compassionate person who's decided someone is a professional beggar and you'd rather not have to be confronted by him as you go past on your way to work.

That's some definition of compassion you've got going on there.

Fancy putting them in your spare room?
For the record, if someone asks you for money, when prompted they say it's for food, but when I offer to take them to buy something to eat they laugh disdainfully in your face, then concluding they may be a "professional beggar" is really not far fetched

I see. I hadn't realised there was a test they'd determined in order to work out the relative sincerity / purpose of homeless people's begging. Having settled that, you should nbow be able to walk blithely past safe in the knowledge that you've done the right thing by not donating. All's well that ends well, eh.

No. I've bothered to refer the issue to Streetlink. I've bothered to ask the homeless team at the council to do whatever they should do to help. I'll happily give a meal to someone who is hungry, but I won't fund fags, booze or drugs and that's my prerogative. If you think that's wrong I think you're hopelessly naive.

Thanks for taking action, Antoinette.

I think thinks there's a valid sense of personal safety issue that it may be all to easy for men to ignore.

I've been told by an expert- if there is such a thing as an expert on homelessness: it's such a broad and complex problem - that you should never give homeless people money.  If we're thinking of the same man - dark hair, serious looking, baseball cap - then I've often given him food and he's always been extremely grateful and not to mention sheepish.  I don't think it's fair to call him a professional beggar.  He should be alternatively housed of course but the shortage of social housing is dire and he's probably caught in the kind of vicious circle and catch 22 scenario that economic migrants are often caught in, or even people who have just lost their jobs fallen through the net.  Is it really so offensive to walk past?  I find your stance extremely odd, I have to say.

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