New Anti-Begging Campaign in Sheffield
Charities, police and the city council are encouraging people not to give money to street beggars but to those who support them instead.
Homeless charities in Sheffield are backing a new anti-begging campaign in Sheffield to help make sure those on the streets get the best support possible.
They've teamed up with South Yorkshire police and the city council for it.
They're all encouraging people not to give cash to beggars but to donate to local charities which support them instead.
Hear our special report here:
Aaron used to beg in town but is now backing the campaign.
He said:
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"People obviously were giving me money thinking they were helping me. Now I look back and those people that gave me money, you might have thought you were helping but you didn't. You were actually making my life worse. You were putting me on drugs. You were giving me my money for my drugs.
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"People felt sorry for you because you were cold and wet. They'd buy you food and then give you money as well. So you'd already have your food, you'd be full, then you could spend that money on whatever you wanted. You haven't got to worry about your rent or anything so you can spend it on alcohol, drugs, gambling, whatever you want."
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He's now a Big Issue seller.
He added:
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"I've come off begging. I've got a lot more pride in myself again. I feel like I'm becoming the old me again feeling happy rather than sitting on the floor asking people for money. Would I rather my son saw me sat on the floor begging for a living or me trying to provide for a living and working. I know what I'd rather my son see me doing. I've found my motivation. That's all it took. You need someone to push you in the right direction."
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One of the main aims is to make sure more people know what services and support is available and the key message is that the best way for people to help is to donate to local homeless charities and organisations.
Darryl Bishop works for Ben's Centre which is a drop-in centre for street drinkers where they can provide hot meals and wash their clothes.
He told us that when people give their loose change on the street they don't always know how it'll get spent:
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"They sort of have a bit of a romatic view of a homeless guy who's desperate for food and somewhere to live - and a lot of people are like that - but a lot of them are sort of quite clever. They put people into these begging scenarios or they use drugs to force them into doing what they want. That's quite a prevalent thing in the city centre unfortunately.
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"There's quite an underbelly on the street. There are a lot of say, alpha people, who are practically running other beggars and force them into begging and take their money off them to spend it on whatever they spend it on. There's defintely a dark side to where their money goes - in some cases."
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Tim Renshaw's the chief executive of the Cathedral Archer Project - he says it's not about clearing the city's streets but making sure the right kind of support is out there so homeless people aren't just existing.
He said:
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"Typically we work with around 70 to 80 people a day on a varying scale, some still sleeping rough and others doing extremely well and moving on. Everybody has the potential to move on but equally those who live rough sleeping lifestyles are more likely to to die earlier and many times from addictions to alcohol.
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"We know that those people who are begging in Sheffield have a really poor lifestyle. However, through begging they manage to maintain that lifestyle, they manage to maintain the income they need to just exist. We actually want those people to engage with services so they get a better support and the ability to move on away from homelessness, away from begging."
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The number of people sleeping rough and those begging on the streets has gone up over the last few years, according to charities in the city.
It's estimated that at the moment there are around forty people who regularly beg in the city centre.
The full list of organisations backing the campaign are:
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