Sleep-outs don’t solve the real issues

Sir, – Did the much publicised sleep-out in Edinburgh’s Princes St Gardens really do anything to help the homeless, other than simply highlight their plight (The Courier December 11)?

It is, of course, one thing to volunteer to sleep outside in freezing conditions. You know that the next day you can return to a job or the comfort of your own home. If you are forced into it then there is no way of knowing where it will all end.

Over the years there have been numerous reports and research projects into what actually causes homelessness.

We all are aware of domestic violence and relationship breakdowns; people leaving prison and the armed forces without back-up and support; growth in the number of people with mental health problems, and too few houses.

There is no shortage of agencies set up to solve these difficulties. Yet so many people avoid seeking their help and end up with nowhere to go. Why?

There might be a need for the agencies to look closely at their communication systems and how they project themselves. There must be a reason why people fall through the net. If the agencies could identify this, they might be able to persuade a puzzled public that having to sleep rough is not, for some, simply a fact of life.

Bob Taylor. 24 Shiel Court, Glenrothes.

People taking part in Sleep in the Park in Princes Street Gardens in Edinburgh.