Help them up

Most of us are looking forward to Christmas this year despite having to make some adaptations due to the Covid situation.

For those unfortunate enough to be living and begging on the streets

however it is just another day of misery, cold and despair.

If one is kind enough to make a donation, it is worth noting that while a hot snack or a cup of tea will always be welcomed, a cash gift may well be a godsend.

They may for instance be able to take a break from their begging routine that day, giving them time to do other things like sorting out their housing situation or at least organising a bed for that night.

They may need cash for debt instalments to an unpleasant loan shark, one who you and I would not wish to be indebted to.

They may indeed use it to buy drink or drugs - for the regular user the cold and heartless street is no place to undergo the horrors of withdrawal, and in certain cases, in particular with alcohol detoxification, this can be dangerous if not monitored and medicated in a clinic or hospital.

By giving money you will not worsen an addiction - only the addict can do that.

What you may be doing is giving him or her a little breathing space.

Let us not forget that addiction and homelessness can affect all types, from prince to pauper and all those in between, the soldier and the surgeon, industrialist and loafer, the single mother or the student nurse.

Finally, let me sign off with a quote from US civil rights activist and Baptist minister Jesse Jackson: ‘Never look down on anybody unless you're helping them up.’

Tony Fenlon Bursledon Road, Waterlooville