'Tuesdays and Thursdays... you have to disappear.'
Rough sleepers in Blackpool say they are told by officials to disappear from the seaside town two times a week - or face the threat of sanctions.
In response, however, the council says extensive provisions are available for homeless people every day of the week. Other worries are the ‘cruelty’ he says has been inflicted by members of the public on homeless people, which makes him fear for his life. “I’ve heard tales of people having petrol poured on them by members of the public, I’ve had a mate have a Stanley knife pulled on his in the town centre about a month ago - some of the nightlife can be ridiculous and people can be cruel.”
He tells us: “The police keep giving us warnings that we can’t sit and sleep or they will arrest us. I’ve been sent to prison for being homeless last year. Hell, who wants to be locked up? People around here don’t help the homeless people.” Meanwhile, Michael, 49, has just come out of hospital and been diagnosed with COPD. He spent last night sheltering from the freezing cold in the public toilets at North Pier, where he was ‘never so cold in all his life’.
And he reports exactly the same twice weekly sweep of the town centre, telling us he believes the police and the council are doing it, adding: “Half past one, they come out on a Tuesday and a Thursday, and they give you an ASBO, if they catch you begging. And he believes people are lured to Blackpool by the bright lights and the crowds, but the streets are in no way paved with gold for people like him. “People think Blackpool is an answer to their prayers. It's probably the worst move I've ever made. It looks good as a town but it's not.”
Dean, who suffers with mental health issues, has no qualms about foraging in bins to survive and would prefer to be out in the bitter cold instead of in a hostel, where feels frightened and depressed. “I feed out of the bins - I beg for food; I find it in the bins.” According to the latest figures from the Office of National Statistics, the number of homeless people actually fell in Cumbria last year, from five to three, but Liverpool, Hull and Tower Hamlets had the second highest number of estimated deaths of local authorities in England and Wales, with 19 each.
“The government promised to end rough sleeping, but things are getting worse not better. The government must immediately unfreeze and increase housing benefit to protect people from the ravages of homelessness this winter, and to keep people off the streets for good it has to invest in building good quality, supported social homes.”
“Blackpool Council’s public protection team work in partnership with the BID, the Police and other agencies to engage with people of concern that aggressively beg in the town centre. We use a public health approach to address any vulnerabilities in the first instance and always offer support and advice to ensure, any needs are met.
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