On the way to the Museum of London recently I came across a homeless person in filthy clothing lying unconscious/prone in a stairwell. He reeked to High Heaven – the whole stairwell was rank – and he had pissed himself and the urine cleverly found its way to the drain all by itself, leaving an evidential trail the Met could follow. He had two £1 coins and half a litre of White Ace cider in front of his face. Apart from a good bath he needed a place to live as a base to give him at least a slim chance to attempt to stagger back up the hill into the land of the living. But the Tories sold so many council houses too many of which over the years ended up in the hands of buy-to-let landlords and Labour (in 10 years) built so few there is nowhere for him to live and if by chance he can find somewhere himself, he can’t afford the rent. Even migrant asylum seekers don’t want him living next door. But shouldn’t the Government be sorting this mess out? What’s the point of a local authority setting a level of housing benefit less than the cost of local rents? On the other hand the buy to let landlords would increase their rents monthly given half a chance and it’s tax-payer money funding the rents. The drunk needs somewhere to live. If it’s a hostel or social housing he must obey its rules and standards of behaviour and some struggle with this. He needs help to release himself from the grip of alcohol with its drip, drip, drip cravings. And then he needs a purpose in life that prevents him opening another bottle of white cider and slipping into oblivion once more. Is this the role of Governments or the individual? What if the individual doesn’t have the skill set for the task? Maybe more night hostels is the cheapest answer? Although they may roam the streets by day at least they’d have a meal and a bed for the night. There is barely any rehabilitation from alcoholism offered by the NHS. Surf the net and you’ll see many offers of help with addiction – drink or drugs – but it’s almost all in expensive privately run clinics. If the employed working class /lower middle class wouldn’t be able to afford these fees what hope for the homeless drunk?