CAMPAIGNERS have laid bare the ‘desperate’ situation facing Bolton’s homeless to town hall bosses.

Cllr Nick Peel attended a Homeless Aid UK street kitchen in the town centre, where volunteers handed out food and tents to dozens of people sleeping rough.

Bolton Against Bedroom Tax (BABT) members had invited him to see the scale of the problem, after council figures claimed that there are an average of just eight rough sleepers in Bolton.

Homeless Aid UK volunteer Yusuf Mulla was sleeping on the streets himself not long ago and now wants more support for people left facing the same problems.

He said: “I was homeless myself for about a year and a half, sleeping in bus stations and all sorts of places.

“I didn’t know then that these food kitchens were here and that is why I am here now. I want people to have the support that I did not have and I can relate to their problems because I have been there too.”

Mr Mulla believes that the struggles faced by the homeless are not well understood.

He added: “Homeless people are all painted with the same brush and people forget what a desperate situation they are in.

“When I was on the streets I only had a few tops and a coat. It was awful. You get cold sweats and then you freeze — if you are stood still for 20 or 30 seconds then you will go numb from the cold.”

Tom Davies has been sleeping rough for three months and estimates that there are around 40 people doing the same across the borough.

The 46-year-old said: “I have been in Bolton for 17 years and have had spells of being homeless.

“I think what the volunteers do here is great, I come here every time it is on. If you need clothes or a tent, then you can get them here.

“I went into rehab for drug addiction, but relapsed after I came out and split up with my girlfriend. That is how I first became homeless.

“It is a very difficult life. You have to find somewhere dry and with a bit of cover, but it can be tough to find somewhere safe.

“I am going to be getting in touch with the council to try and find a place to live. My daughter lives in Bolton, so I do have family ties here.

“Saying there are only eight rough sleepers is bobbins, I think there are probably about 40.”

Another homeless woman, aged 26, added: “I was made redundant and I didn’t have any savings, so I found myself on the streets soon after that. The scary thing is that it could happen to anyone.

“I always thought it could not happen to me, but I was wrong. People say to me when I am begging that I should get a job and not be lazy. But nobody wants to employ someone who is homeless because our situation is so unstable.

“I can’t blame them for that, I would not want to hire someone who is homeless if I was in their position.”

After meeting with campaigners and volunteers, Cllr Peel has pledged to work with them to identify any ‘gaps’ in the council’s homelessness provisions.

He said: “From here it is about us working together and understand what each agency working with the homeless is doing.

"The commitment I have made is that we will do a trawl of every organisation that is actively working with the homeless and get together to share information and experiences to see if there are any gaps in our provision and communication.

"We want to find the best possible solution.

"I have been really impressed with the depth of knowledge that our council staff and the volunteers have about the issue and the individuals they are helping.

"It makes me understand just how dedicated they are. They will leave no stone unturned.

"I am not saying that there is not a problem with homelessness, because there is across the country.

"But I am not going to use that for point-scoring when I know that we are doing such good work in Bolton.

"We should not be afraid to blow our own trumpet and talk about the work that we are doing."

Homeless Aid UK's Billa Ahmed organises 80 volunteers across Bolton and Manchester to feed the homeless 14 times a week and says the official figures on the number of rough sleepers are 'very incorrect'.

He added: "I think there are probably 12 or 13 long-term homeless people in Bolton, then a number of short-term ones as well. There are so many hidden homeless that don't get picked up."

Bolton Against Bedroom Tax's Alan Johnson added that he hoped the street kitchen would be a 'real eye-opener' for the council.

To inform Bolton Council about a rough sleeper, call 01204 335900 or email streetlife@urbanoutreach.co.uk