It’s heartwarming when you see the power of the internet to bring people together, matching up goodwill with the places where it can do the most good.
So as the cold weather hits, SalfordOnline.com readers have been donating in their droves to a request for help to clothe and feed people with nowhere to live.
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Ordsall-born Dave Minshull, a former managing director of the Joint Forces Alliance charity in Mansfield, is now working with the Salford Armed Forces Veterans Network.
Together with SalfordOnline.com Community Photographer Dawne Sheldrick-Keating, Dave has been working 70-80 hours a week handing out donations of warm clothing and food to rough sleepers.
He joined the army at the age of 16 and served for 22 years with the Royal Regiment of Fusiliers, with tours in Northern Ireland and Cyprus.
“From going to the Salford Veterans Breakfast Club at St Thomas’ in Pendleton I started seeing loopholes where people were falling through the cracks.
“I’d already worked as a volunteer going to rough sleepers, bringing them off the streets and get them into housing, getting their place furnished and referring them to charities and agencies that could help.
“Our work takes place in conjuction with the brilliant volunteers from ‘Anonymous on the streets of Manchester’. They’re a really good bunch who go a long, long way out of their way, using their own money, time and resources to help people.
“We have a duty of care to make sure people are fed and safe. It’s as simple as that.”
Dave, 59, was himself made homeless in 2013. For seven months he was without a place to live.
“I’d never experienced anything like it in my life. It was quite frightening, very depressing, and very stressful.
“It’s frustrating too, you find yourself going round in circles.
“You’re homeless so you can’t get a job, so you can’t get onto the housing list, and you can’t afford to go to a private landlord. It’s a permanent Catch-22 situation.
“Homelessness is a massive problem and sadly, it’s getting worse.
“In Manchester you can see that they’re scattered around Piccadilly Gardens, in the Northern Quarter and Ancoats under the arches, and then there’s the illegal squats.
“The initial problem is getting the trust of people sleeping rough. They might have seen people come round with a donation or a bit of food and they never see them again.”
Through a Freedom of Information request Dave says he discovered that for the year 2014 Manchester City Council had only 43 people registered as homeless. Salford City Council had only 11 for the same period.
“Manchester is the country’s second city. People travel from all over to come here. The problem being – and I argue with councils about this all the time – that if you technically have “no connection” to the area, you will find it very difficult to find housing.
“It’s spreading through word of mouth that we can really help. I actually had a lad approach me and I’m going to interview him tonight to see if we can get him into housing.”
“We’re very, very grateful for the response we’ve had from the public through SalfordOnline.
“It’s absolutely fantastic and to anyone who’s donated we thank them direct and take pictures where possible to show them we’re genuine and to show exactly where their kind donations have gone.”
If you want to help you can offer donations through the 15,000-member SalfordOnline.com Facebook group or contact the Salford Armed Forces Veterans Network direct.
