The Socialist Way: Back On The Streets Of York

Well I haven't been able to write or post a York update for some time now, and that's because so much and I most say regrettably, has befallen me recently. Sadly the camp (a land squat) setup by myself and one other has come to an end, there is no mileage to be made in laying blame with anyone for this but only to say that my compatriot moved off camp after a  short lesion with a young lady who has a very serous drug addiction problem and which then backfired on him. I've been under no illusions about working with and trying to help others out who live on our sheets by encouraging them to do thing's for themselves, but this can be an uphill battle at the best of times.

End Of The Field Of Dreams

So our field of dreams has come to an end, for now that is, and can be reestablished next year all being well.  So I would like to take this opportunity,  and thank all of those who gave or offered us help in the three and a half months we stayed on the camp, a very big thank you to all of you!

Back On The Streets

So for the time being it's back on the streets for me, and for the last two weeks I've been sharing a basement doorway with one other friend, it offer's  or it did offer shelter form the elements and is quite safe which of course, is all important. However, on discovering that this is being used by others in the daytime to take drugs has meant that we have had to abandon this place as well and find an other location, this is only for a short while as we have been offered a garden outhouse for the coming winter for the two of us which comes as a relief having spent most of last winter on the street's,  something that we are both looking forward to, will post more information in the fullness of time.
Drugs Or Addictions Are Not The Problem But Poverty Is
We are one of the richest countries in the world, and there is absolutely no reason why anyone should have to live in poverty, or even to be homeless and have to live on our street's, which is the most extreme form of homelessness. Shelter the national housing campaign says that the average age of death of a homeless person is 47 years old and even lower for homeless women at jut 43 compared to 77 for the population in general, and by all accounts those now hitting the streets are getting younger.

Drug and alcohol abuse are particularly common causes of death amongst the homeless community and accounts for just over a third of all deaths. I can tell you that being homeless is incredibly difficult most of the time both physically and mentally and has a significant impact on peoples health and well being. Ultimately homelessness kills people. Not to put to finer a point on it, the link between durg and alcohol abuse and homelessness have been well established over the years, and drug's and alcohol are known to be both a cause and consequence of homelessness.
Four out of five people start using at least one new drug since becoming homeless.

Over the many years of living and campaigning for the homeless I've learnt not to judge others partially those who are homeless, but instead, to try to love them all and if I can to bring a little love into each homeless persons life.