Coventry has one of the highest rates of homelessness in the country, more than the national average. Despite this, we have the space that could house every homeless person in Coventry but bureaucracy stops the council doing just this!! It's inexcusable when we have so many empty buildings. Coventry City Council - please open your empty buildings to the homeless in winter. Just a few years ago, there were fewer than 10 rough sleepers in Coventry on an average per night. If someone lives and works in the city, there's a good chance that they will see that many just on the way home now. Coventry City Council, you need to address the root causes of homelessness, however in the meantime, let's give rough sleepers some shelter at least over the frigid winter months.

Tower House is not just a day centre for us. This is where we've all grown very close friendships with each other and this will break up our friendship and harm our mental well being. There are no other services in the area like this for service users with so many complex needs. Some of us don't see any one in the week, so without our centre we would be totally isolated. Some of us are wheelchair bound and are being looked after by our partners or family. So coming to Tower House is a respite for our loved ones and a chance for us to be in a social environment. Some of us elderly, disabled from birth or disabled due to illness or injury. Please save our centre as this is a lifeline for us and we have nowhere else to go.

To plead to the Council to open its empty buildings to the homeless in winter. I cannot imagine sleeping rough in driving, biting winds, snow, ice and winter rain. It's inhumane. It's also inexcusable when we have so many empty buildings.

To plead to the Council to open its empty buildings to the homeless in winter. I cannot imagine sleeping rough in driving, biting winds, snow, ice and winter rain. It's inhumane. It's also inexcusable when we have so many empty buildings.

To plead to the Council to open its empty buildings to the homeless in winter. I cannot imagine sleeping rough in driving, biting winds, snow, ice and winter rain. It's inhumane. It's also inexcusable when we have so many empty buildings. I'm not asking for permanent shelters; just somewhere warm and dry for our homeless to sleep in winter.

More and more people are becoming homeless everyday, particularly in the climate of austerity and we are all susceptible to the adverse effects of harsh winter weather. With babies and children dying in cars when sleeping rough with their parents and number of people, even with houses, dying due to the bitter cold it is of vital importance that people are protected this winter. Furthermore, preventative action to reduce health problems as a result of cold weather could save the NHS money as they would not have to treat illnesses due to harsh weather. It is therefore simply logical to open up empty buildings this winter to provide shelter for those who are in need. References : http://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/home-news/baby-who-was-forced-to-sleep-in-car-with-homeless-parents-dies-a6669301.html http://www.theguardian.com/society/2015/feb/04/uk-death-rate-above-average-winter-cold-flu

For people in one of the wealthiest societies that has ever existed to be sleeping in the open in winter is inhumane. It's also inexcusable when we have so many empty buildings.

It is simply important because no one should sleep rough at any time of the year let alone Christmas, when others are spending time with their loved ones, and during the Winter, when conditions can get bitterly cold. This move would be important because it would provide respite for those homeless people who may have endured months and years of sleeping rough. It would provide them with somewhere warm to stay, somewhere where they can be in the company of others over Christmas/Winter time and most importantly, they would be safe from outside elements, which are no good for the healthiest of people to endure for a long period of time, let alone someone who is homeless. It is our duty, as human beings, to look after other human beings, especially in times of need. Helping others is something we pride ourselves on; we see acts of kindness all over the world, why can't we do the same for the poorest in the city of Leeds? Please, let's use buildings that are no longer in use to good effect and show that the city of Leeds is a compassionate place. A move like this can change public perception of homelessness overnight and we can then move on to getting homeless people off the streets and into homes, into work and living a happy healthy life in society.

Christopher Clinton Wilkinson – who was said to be sleeping in the woodland surrounding a hospital because it was the only place he felt safe – was hauled before Doncaster magistrates. Representatives from Doncaster-based charity The M25 Housing and Support Group said using anti-social behaviour legislation to criminalise people sleeping rough was a ‘significant concern’. Wilkinson, aged 40, was given an absolute discharge after pleading guilty to failing to comply with a Community Protection Notice on October 5 – but told the offence would stay on his record. Prosecuting at Doncaster Magistrates’ Court, David Sheppard said it was the second time Wilkinson had been found sleeping in the grounds of St Catherine’s Hospital in Tickhill Road, Balby, after struggling to find accommodation. Mitigating, James Gray said: “His situation is an unfortunate one. “He suffers from mental health problems and is clearly out of the care of mental health services at the minute and not receiving any medication. “He told the police he felt safer being in the grounds of the hospital sleeping rough than anywhere else. “He was in his sleeping bag when police woke him up.” Mr Gray said Wilkinson had struggled to find accommodation but was hoping to receive help from Doncaster Council and M25. Community Protection Notices and Orders are issued under the Anti-Social Behaviour, Crime and Policing Act – legislation introduced last year to stop ongoing environmental anti-social behaviour. Specialist housing advisor Vince Bell of M25 said: “It is of significant concern that the police and local authority are using what can only be described as Dickensian measures to tackle rough sleeping in Doncaster. “Using anti-social behaviour legislation to address issues such as rough sleeping is not going to help but will hinder their situation. “Dragging a vulnerable rough sleeper in front of the courts to give them a criminal record serves only to exacerbate their situation. “This would appear to be a new mindset which undermines all the hard work M25 has done to dispel myths and convince communities that rough sleepers are not to be feared and can be supported to change their lives.” Mr Bell said the police should be offering support to those who find themselves sleeping rough rather than criminalising them. He added: “Considering the person in question suffered with mental health issues and was sleeping in the woods within the hospital grounds because it felt safe, then it would appear we have lost all sight of humanity and good sense. “If you judge a society by the way it treats its most vulnerable then I believe we have failed in this instance.” http://www.doncasterfreepress.co.uk/news/crime/doncaster-man-prosecuted-for-sleeping-rough-1-7513585 and.. Dr Jane Martin, Local Government Ombudsman, said: “I am concerned that a vulnerable young girl, who has repeatedly asked for help from Doncaster council, has been told at every turn that she is ‘not their responsibility’. “The law is clear on this, a child does not have to be ‘ordinarily resident’ in a council’s area – and Doncaster council should have assessed the girl’s situation when she came to them and presented as homeless. “I hope this case reminds other councils of their legal position when considering children in need who are from outside their area.” http://www.lgo.org.uk/news/2014/mar/homeless-teen-turned-away-doncaster-social-workers-when-she-turned-help/ From tme to time people will need help. Not prosecution or avoidance of the responsibility to help.

Professor Sir Bruce Keogh, NHS Medical Director for England has opened a £75 million super hospital in Northumberland. It is his vision of the future for all hospitals in the U.K. Sir Bruce explained: “This is all about ensuring patients with complicated needs or life threatening conditions get to a centre with the appropriate expertise in place.The challenges facing A&E services across the country are immense and OUR VISION FOR THE FUTURE is very much in line with what Northumbria Healthcare have already been developing with the opening of the Northumbria Specialist Emergency Care Hospital to look after THOSE WITH SERIOUS, LIFE THREATENING EMERGENCIES." (Please see photo / http://www.mirror.co.uk/news/uk-news/nhs-whistleblower-fears-patients-die-6875670 .) “It is testament to the clinical teams at Northumbria, who began thinking about their NEW MODEL OF EMERGENCY CARE many years ago, that the North East is now well ahead of other parts of the NHS in making THE NATIONAL VISION for urgent and emergency care a reality for patients." (See photo.) “I very much look forward to returning to the North East to see first-hand progress with the hospital which will be at the forefront of emergency medicine.” My name is Martin Jackson and I work for a North East Ambulance service and I would like to invite Bruce back to the North East to see first-hand the progress. At least 3 local A & E units, from North Tyneside to Hexham have now changed into 24/7 'Urgent care centres'. This super hub which you have created may work for parcels or pizza delivery but we are talking here about peoples’ lives. This is one result of your vision for the future of all hospitals... 120 mile emergency round trip passing Berwick, Alnwick, Ashington and Cramlington Hospitals. This is a fact which can be verified by the Ambulance service. The Ambulance service uses a TerraFix system. It is a sat. nav. which logs the location and time of every ambulance in the North East. We had just cleared at your new super-hospital in Cramlington and got a shout to a sick baby. Driving in fog up the A1 on blues and twos 60 miles north to Berwick hospital. The infant was in a hospital with a mild case of croup. The Berwick hospital could not cope and wanted the child to be seen at Cramlington. We blue lighted the infant to Cramlington and fortunately arrived before 11 o'clock because paediatric A & E closes at 11. If the call had been life threatening we would have had to continue an extra 20 minutes to Newcastle. This must raise several serious questions. My main question is to Jeremy Hunt and Sir Bruce Keogh: If this was your child with meningitis, would you be happy with this service? A 2 hour stretcher wait before even being booked in? This is happening NOW. This is a fact which can be verified by the ambulance service TerraFix system. Thinking about the "Golden Hour", so crucial to stroke patients. This is your NHS. Is this what you want? This is not the desolate North East. Please take a second to stand up and be counted. Please click this petition and feel good for the rest of the day. Thank you! martin The views expressed in this petition do not necessarily reflect the views of the North East Ambulance service.

because it degrades these people working those hours for no pay and no chance of being employed by ikea they just move on to the next batch of unfortunate people

Mental health services were reduced disproportionately - Art psychotherapy - one of the core mental health services was closed down without adequate measures put in place to substitute the gap in services.