“We gave them hope, but they gave us much more,” Mike Mathews owner of the Prince Rupert Hotel. This book begins with Mike Mathews, owner of the Prince Rupert Hotel, contemplated lockdown while Boris Johnson continued as nothing was happening in the world. He saw the writing on the wall as the Covid-19 ravaged Italy. Expecting the Shrewsbury events that drew people to his historic hotel would be cancelled, he spent the next day trying to find a use for his hotel. But there were no takers and the future of the hotel looked bleak. Boris Johnson’s held his first live news conference. His message was avoid social contact and don’t go to pubs and restaurants. The country, and the world, began to shut down. Hotel guests began to cancel bookings everywhere. As the outlook seemed bleak, Tim Compton, Shropshire Council’s rough sleeper officer rang. The government had ordered that […]
Tag: homelessness
Arrangements for the funeral of Simon Lissauer – 21 December 2020
Two weeks ago, I wrote about the death of Simon, a man who lived in a garage on Quarry Gardens for many years. Simon had many friends. In Ludlow. Around the country and around the world. Arrangements for his funeral have now been made. It will take place at 11am on Monday 21 December at St Laurence’s Church in Ludlow. The costs will be borne by Shropshire Council, with support from Victoria Allen Funeral Services and St Laurence’s Parish Parochial Council. The cremation will be a non-attended event taking place the next day. The ashes will be returned to the family. If you wish to attend the funeral service, details are below.
On the death of Simon Lissauer – A Ludlow homeless man who was lost in life but had many friends
Simon Lissauer was a homeless man who had slept in a garage in Ludlow for at least ten years. He died Wednesday night in a hotel provided by Shropshire Council to give him shelter during the second lockdown and because he had complained of being unwell. The death of Simon has affected many people. His friends here in Ludlow and beyond. The team of council officers who had been working so hard to help him. There is a sense of failure amongst us. Simon could be difficult to deal with at times. But we were getting closer to get him into permanent accommodation when his body gave way.
What is the procedure for rough sleepers in Shropshire over the winter?
Rough sleeping is one of the big problems of modern society. There are a lot of reasons why people rough sleep, including difficulties with the benefits system and problems with housing. Very often rough sleepers have mental health problems, sometimes triggered by trauma as is often the case for ex-military rough sleepers. Shropshire Council has good rough sleeper policies and offers accommodation all winter long. But not everyone wants to take this up and many refuse mental health support. This is where specialist workers like the Shrewsbury Ark can do a lot to help. But some cases prove to be difficult to resolve and people cannot be forced to take help.
We have Eastern European beggars on the streets of Ludlow – what should we do?
In recent weeks, Eastern Europeans have appeared on Ludlow’s streets. They are said to be Romanian and sit on Church Street and Tower Street. They beg with empty coffee cups. These beggars are not homeless in a conventional sense. They are clean and have no baggage or sleeping bag. They arrive and depart Ludlow by car. But the people involved could still be vulnerable. What should we do?