Making mistakes at any level can be worked on

9:33am Monday 12th May 2008

A RECENT edition of The Big Issue In The North - the magazine sold to help the homeless - had an illuminating profile of Paul, a 48-year-old Bolton man who has been homeless "off and on" for 20 years.

These days he is a vendor with a pitch in St Ann's Square, Manchester.

He told the magazine that he was taken into care at the age of six when his mother died and when he was 16 he was put in a flat and left to look after himself.

"I think that's why I ended up becoming homeless," he is reported as saying.

"There should be a lot more support for people coming out of care."

After becoming "a bit of a new age traveller", Paul lived in Manchester, Wales and London before returning to Manchester - "I prefer it to Bolton because it is bigger".

He has a chilling memory of the abuse homeless people get as they live on the streets.

"You get spat at, beaten up. I even know people who have been set on fire while they were sleeping."

While he was living on the streets two years ago, Paul contracted TB, went to hospital and then, after attending an assessment centre, found himself with a flat where he has been for about 18 months.

His ambition is to get a decent job with a decent salary, but he is an alcoholic unable to get into detox without funding of some sort.

Paul's story makes you realise that, a long way down from national politics, mistakes are made with vulnerable young people and, thankfully, there are dedicated individuals in the voluntary and public sectors who are doing their best to repair the damage.