Where homeless deaths are concerned we have blood on our hands.


Back in October 2018 I wrote this article, so I am not surprised one bit that another homeless person has died on our streets. Unless the government and the council act there are going to be more, this isn’t something unforeseen which is happening. We knew this was coming, we know there has been hundreds of homeless deaths on the streets of this country. Sadly there are going to be many, many, more.

Last week a homeless man was found dead on the streets of Corby, his name was John Holland. Unless we want this to become the new norm, it is imperative that the council act to avert any more homeless deaths this winter.

The Dying Homeless campaign recorded a minimum of 449 homeless deaths in the past year, with seven of those deaths being attributed to our county.

Unless the county and the government start taking immediate steps this figure is likely to increase, in the last year alone 43,140 families were accepted as homeless by their local authority. Rough sleeping has risen year on year for the past seven years, with homelessness charities claiming it has risen a whopping 169% since 2010!

The government put forward the Homeless Reduction Act 2018, which came into force in April – yet this clearly falls short, as the problem shows no signs of abating.

Northampton and the 20 or so local authorities in similar financial dire straits are clearly going to have problems with the financial commitments, yet the current approach is costing us millions already.

Wellingborough spent £1m on temporary accommodation last year, while councils in England spent a combined total of £937m.

There are huge sums of money being spent on putting a plaster on the problem, because our approach to helping the homeless is itself problematic.

It is time we went back to the drawing board and moved back to the basics, because unless there is a cultural shift in how we are helping the homeless, then it looks like huge sums of money are going to be wasted and people are going to continue to die.

There needs to be a more holistic approach to helping the homeless, purpose run and built accommodation that provides much more than shelter from the elements. Homeless people have a very complex set of needs which require specialist long term support. Unless we are working to address the underlying causes of homelessness, then no amount of temporary accommodation will solve the problem.

There are also barriers to seeking out help which can prevent the people in need getting what little help that is available. For example if a homeless person has a drug or alcohol problem they could be shut out from getting help, and mental health problems mean a homeless person may not be capable of seeking help at all.

In Northampton the task has fallen largely to the voluntary sector, yet these organisations can only do so much with the limited resources available to them.

We know these people are vulnerable, we know they are at risk, and if the authorities do not act to help them, we know some of them will die. Make no mistake the inaction of our authorities to protect and help the most vulnerable will mean they have blood on their hands.

It is time we start treating homeless people with dignity and respect, not judging them. Nobody should be living on the streets, and we should be doing everything we can to help those vulnerable members of our society who are


Generation Alienation


Dreaming of a life we can never attain
Drinking in big brother convincing ourselves sane
Brainwashed on reality TV, fame aint setting in
Where did it go wrong, where did it begin?

Brought up to believe the world could be ours
Told to constantly keep looking at the stars
Now it has turned to ash in our mouths
We are pissed off for being left behind
No second to stop constantly on the grind

We thought we’d be kings of a better tomorrow
Our dreams slowly fade as reality sets in
Before you know it we are settling for sorrow
Hiding in vain all our shame and our pain
Lost in a world focused on material gain

Northampton’s Road To Nowhere


Take a walk through my town
Down the dark and dirty paths
We got no money for street lights
There are no wages for street cleaners
Peer from the lofty lift tower heights
Drink in the run down derelict sights
Hear the dereliction of council duty
Drunk on their neoliberal counsel booty
We have been cut raw to the bone
Dying homeless on the streets alone
Where is the council’s ghost at the feast
Playing host to our very own beast
Draining the lifeblood of our town
We have even been abandoned by the clown
Society now secondary to loan repayments
Who gives a fuck about benefit claimants?
Tear the bus stop down one won’t be soon
Expect one along once in a blue moon
Repeat to me we are all in this together
While I freeze to death in the cold weather
These fair weather friends provide no service
Do they forget they are suppose to serve us!

Fallen Hero


I shall rise like the phoenix in my hour of despair
The wounded hopeless hero damaged beyond repair
Discarded demented awaiting with bated breath
My desperate final stand against the darkness
I cry out a cry of shame resigned to my fate
Swallowed hole by the sound of my own voice
Naive in the illusion I ever had a choice

Depression Path


Losing interest in your interests
It’s a warning sign you no longer feel fine
Empty and numb got you feeling dumb
Depression may have you under the thumb

Self hating continually cries out in the night
Dabble in drink and drugs with silent shrugs
Self medicating trying to keep it out of sight
Struggles the morning after the night before
Depression can rip you apart to the core

Hopelessness and despair no surprise life isn’t fair
It gets even worse when you no longer care
But dare to go outside find someone to confide
Lack of confidence have you trying to hide
You probably have depression by your side

Suicidal spikes penetrating your thoughts
Every action you take feels for nought
Lonely mirror hanging upon my wall
Why is it that I constantly feel so small
Depression it can be oh so cruel

No need to suffocate in silence
It doesn’t make you feeble or weak
You are not meek it is a evil streak
Seek help and stand tall in defiance
Depression can be defeated if it’s treated








So how do we move that forward?

1. A county wide response

2. Raise awareness

3. Protests

4. Direct action

5. Local support, local led
