Web
chat with Mike Parr |  | Down
and out on the streets of Newcastle |
HomelessnessWhat
is it like to have no home? What's it like not knowing where you will sleep
tonight? Unlike some places the North East's homeless problem is a hidden
one. There are some who still spend the nights on the streets and far more
who will find a friend's floor - or the sanctuary of a hostel. Read
the web chat with Mike Parr Radio Newcastle's Mike Parr decided to find
out for himself just what it's like not knowing where - or if - you'll get a bed.
"The whole thing has had a real effect on me. "I'll
be honest with you, until now I've always walked past rough sleepers on the street.
I've even thought some of them might just be begging for money to see how much
they can make. "From now on though, not only will I give them a pound,
I'll stop and talk to them."
Sleeping roughOn one of the
coldest nights of the year Mike Parr set off into Newcastle upon Tyne.  | | On
the streets - Mike Parr sleeping rough |
Mike came across people
sleeping rough in alleys, lanes and doorways. Their stories were all unique
- but all faced the reality of facing a windswept, rainy night on the streets
of Newcastle without shelter. As the rest of the city slept, Mike settled
down in a doorway to see just what life is like without a home. The bigger
pictureMike Parr was in good company when he took to the streets of Newcastle. The
homelessness charity Shelter says that there are just under 100 people sleeping
rough across the North East.
According to the latest Government statistics,
there are 730 households in temporary accommodation in the region - a 12 per cent
fall on the previous year.
 | | Mike
Parr meets homeless people on Tyneside |
But that hides the
fact that there are thousands drifting through hostels or sleeping on other people's
floors.
They may have a roof over their heads but they are still homeless
because they might not have a right to stay or the place is unsuitable. The
homeless charity Crisis is due to open Skylight, its first learning centre for
the homeless, in Newcastle in the near future. It will be the first centre
of its kind for homeless people outside London.
The charity chose Newcastle
because it has one of the highest rates of homelessness in the country.
Mike
Parr web chat | | Mike
Parr after his experience of sleeping rough |
Mike Parr answered
your questions about his experiences of sleeping rough in Newcastle.
His
responses are now available on our web chat feature page. Read what Mike
had to say about his experiences on the streets: Mike
Parr Web web chat A helping hand...If you are concerned about
the problem of homelessness and want to know what you could be doing to help,
why not take action? Contact the CSV Action Desk for a Homelessness fact
pack on volunteering opportunities in the North East - 0191 221 2815. Links
relating to this story:The
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听听Inside
Out - North East: Monday January 19, 2007