Jump to content

Recommended Posts

There's a woman begging in the street outside the newsagents in Inverton Road, Nunhead. She starts to cry when people come and go from the shop. She says she only has ?33.50 a week to live on plus ?17.50 in child benefit for three under fives plus a baby, her gas and electric have run out and they are all freezing and she hasn't eaten for three days. Her hands were freezing. She says she has an appointment at the CAB in Lewisham tomorrow to try to find help.


I gave her ?1. She said two other people had already given her ?1. She spotted a ?10 note in my purse and said "Look, there's a ?10 note, why won't you give me that?" She is standing outside the newsagents sobbing and saying "Why won't anyone help me".


Would she be better off seeking help in East Dulwich?

Link to comment
https://www.eastdulwichforum.co.uk/topic/4676-woman-begging-in-inverton-road/
Share on other sites

Did you ask her why she had children if she barely has enough money to live on for herself? Harsh and perhaps circumstances have changed for her since having kids, but begging surely isn't the solution (people using the guilt trip, especially mentioning children as an excuse, really gets my back up). I've come not to trust any, since so many make up ridiculous stories and expect people to fall for them. Professional beggers can make more money per day than someone on the min wage. It's just not right.
Same thing with people who say they haven't got anywhere to sleep for the night, that the hostels are full. I've worked for a housing agency and yes sometimes there are no places but people don't get turned away for fun. They would always be told of where there was a bed for the night. Anyway, that's a whole different ca of worms. Sorry.
I have also seen her and she approached me asking for baby milk for a 6 week old baby. I have seen her several times since and she has always been crying. I also didn't think that her story rang true and asked her to take me to the baby and told her that I would then take them to buy milk formula. She became very evasive and ran off crying and asking why no one would help her. I don't believe there was a baby. At least I hope there wasn't.

I once was approached by a guy at Waterloo Station who said he was starving and so was his dog....I am furious at how the dogs who have no bloody choice get dragged about, receiving abuse at the hands of it's owner when they've run out of money for booze and fags (seen it, so am not maiking it up).So I bought the guy a sandwich and a can of dog food for the dear dog. Went off and watched from a distance, as the bastard went back into the shop and took both the tin of chum and the sandwich back and got the cash for it instead! Pissed off.

Maybe next time someone sees this woman, they should call the police and they can check up to see that she is alright and we hope, there really is no baby starving somewhere.

Having just read this thread, I think I will contact the PCSOs. This woman has benn begging for at least the past 3 years. I first encountered her in Brockley about 3 years ago when her request was exactly the same. I suggested she contact Social Services Emergency Duty Team as it was out of hours, but this was not received well.

My daughter was then approached by her a year ago. My daughter was in school uniform and shaken by what she perceived as very real distress in this woman.

About 3 months ago, she accosted my neighbour who agreed to go home and get some money. She then thought about this and decided against it. I was then asked to explain that there would be no money as the woman was waiting at the bottom of our road, spotted us and again asked for money. Several neighbours then began debating the situation; pros and cons with one very carefully explaining that they knew this woman and her story was completely fabricated. Another expressing outrage that there was no help for her ( an assumption on her part). As the debate raged, the woman walked away and no resolution as to what we should do was reached. I will contact the PCSOs and request that they make enquiries of the local services to at least ascertain that she has support around her. As a mental health professional I am not naive about the complexity of these situations and if she refuses support (which seems possible) and until she is a danger to herself or others, there is unlikely to be much in the way of help unless she wants it. If she breaks the law, the PCSOs can make their own decsions about how to deal with it.

MadWorld74 Wrote:

-------------------------------------------------------

> I once was approached by a guy at Waterloo Station

> who said he was starving and so was his dog....I

> am furious at how the dogs who have no bloody

> choice get dragged about, receiving abuse at the

> hands of it's owner when they've run out of money

> for booze and fags (seen it, so am not maiking it

> up).So I bought the guy a sandwich and a can of

> dog food for the dear dog. Went off and watched

> from a distance, as the bastard went back into the

> shop and took both the tin of chum and the

> sandwich back and got the cash for it instead!

> Pissed off.

>


I have been fooled by people like this once or twice , never again .

Keef Wrote:

-------------------------------------------------------

> I think PSCOs are a good way to go, they're not

> going to throw her in a cell, they'll get her the

> help she needs if indeed she needs it. If she is

> just taking the p!ss them she'll know they're on

> to her.


Will they fine her for begging with all the money she got given?

Well that's useful to hear from other people about the history.


I know that women can be left desperate with children to feed (gambling gene in male line) but I also know that practised blaggers spot me coming. I used to go out with a bloke who had the same effect on sellers of Old Moore's Almanac and between us we couldn't get more than 6 feet down the high street without being accosted.


I don't think this woman is mentally ill though. If her choices for making a living are very limited I give her a gold star for not choosing prostitution. I have myself taken payment for my labour from companies that make huge profits out of causing social and environmental devastation, and no one is calling the rozzers on them. I don't regard myself as in any position to cast stones.


This person obviously has some dramatic talent as she apparently puts on (at least a partial) performance several times a day for her money. There are lots of BBC types and thespians living around here, couldn't someone give her a job on Casualty or something?

Create an account or sign in to comment

You need to be a member in order to leave a comment

Create an account

Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!

Register a new account

Sign in

Already have an account? Sign in here.

Sign In Now
  • Latest Discussions

    • A Google search brought up eleven Chango  branches, although they don't all seem to be listed on their website. In the order they came up: East Dulwich, Clapham Common, Mayfair, Wandsworth, City of London, Wimbledon,  Parsons Green, Kensington, Highgate, Richmond, Hampstead. I think it is the positioning of this new branch that has mostly got to me. I accept that they would have to go for where a space became vacant, but Lordship Lane is pretty long, even just the part with shops in,  and choosing to  open a stone's throw away from Chacarero seems mean, to say the least. I wonder if they have made contact with Chacarero. It would be nice to think they had (in a friendly way, obviously!)
    • I like empanadas. I don't think Chango is a massive chain - it's got a few stores all in London I believe (stand to be corrected if I've got that wrong). I don't see a problem with them opening on the Lane personally. I really like Chacarero, but that doesn't mean that they should be immune from competition - if they're successful and open a couple more stores, are we then meant to stop supporting them for being a 'chain'?  That opening post does sound a lot like marketing spiel though. Is the OP perhaps connected to the new business I wonder?
    • According to what I can see online, Dynamic Vines and Cave de Bruno sell totally different kinds of wine to each other.  Dynamic Vines  "work with independent winemakers who produce outstanding wine using sustainable practices in the vineyard and minimal intervention in the cellar".  Cave de Bruno specialises in French wines and spirits from small independent producers. So two different USPs, and no doubt two different but overlapping customer bases who can afford these wines. Probably different again to the people mainly  shopping for wine at Majestic or the Co op. On the other hand, the two empanada shops appear on the face of it to be selling virtually identical products. But time will tell, won't it? Let's see how they are both doing in - say - a couple of years' time. Impossible, of course, to compare that with how they would have done if there had been only one of them. I just feel more  sorry for the original one than for  the one which can apparently already afford to have a number of shops in places like Mayfair and Highgate. I'm tempted to buy something there every week, and I don't even like that kind of pastry 🤣
    • Not only can he turn olive oil into Vermouth, but also water into a wine. A true miracle worker.  I wouldn't say a wine shop sells a wide variety of things - and there are two right next to each other.  And once upon a time, upmarket pizza shops were very specific. So were burritos etc. These Argentinian cornish pasties are clearly becoming mainstream; we should consider ourselves lucky to be witnessing this exciting upward trend within our lifetimes and on OUR HIGH STREET. We can tell our grandkids that we remember when there was no internet and no empanadas.  I'm sure that if the family empanada people have a good business head, they'll be able to ride this wave of competition, just like Bruno has. 
Home
Events
Sign In

Sign In



Or sign in with one of these services

Search
×
    Search In
×
×
  • Create New...