Letter: Clarke's cuts are no way to help homeless

Adam Blue
Wednesday 15 January 1997 00:02 GMT
Comments

Your support helps us to tell the story

From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.

At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.

The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.

Your support makes all the difference.

Sir: "Every time we go and check we find they [the homeless] won't go in hostels" - Home Office minister David Maclean (report, 11 January).

The reason so many homeless reject hostels in preference to sleeping rough is because in ever more hostels today the homeless individual, as a condition of staying in the hostel, is forced to see a psychiatrist, who after a very brief interview diagnoses, as often as not, mental illness - a stigma for life - and prescribes tranquillisers of one sort or another, which have to be taken as a condition of accepting shelter, rehousing etc.

For many of the homeless it is an unacceptable deal.

ADAM BLUE

Carlisle, Cumbria

The writer was once homeless

Join our commenting forum

Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies

Comments

Thank you for registering

Please refresh the page or navigate to another page on the site to be automatically logged inPlease refresh your browser to be logged in