FEWER SLEEPERS-OUT.

Auckland Star, Volume LXVIII, Issue 46, 24 February 1937, Page 9

FEWER SLEEPERS-OUT.

s i CENSUS OF HOMELESS. s ' LONDON'S ANNCAL COfNT. f" (Special.— By Air Mall ) ' LONDON", January 30. ' In a few weeks' time London County ' Council officials will he setting out mi " their annual midnight census of men. ? womeu and children who are sleeping liout. More or less steadily, the number has been dropping since 1110-1. Thirl \ years ago the officials, moving about the I places which Iv long tradition afford r sanctuary from police penetration. r [found over 1700 outcasts, and .">0 of them r iwere children. Last year 52 men and eight women were found, 17 fewer than in 1935. When other homeless in London (those under cover) were totalled t up that night, there were found to be 2027 (six children) against 3421 (16 children) a year before. i. Again this year, as in previous years, i it may be shown that at the L.C.C. s casual wards on census night were, three empty beds to very sleeper-out. a Why do the sleepers-out not go and i claim beds; why do hundreds of others prefer to spend the night in sit-up e shelters? The reason is that mn»t of i, them do not want to face the rule by ejwhich able-bodied visitors are detained t two nights and made to chop wood and ni scrub. Voluntary-run shelters usually n ask no questions, make no conditions, e A shake-down with freedom looks more s attractive than a bed, a bath, meals— II and detention. " The greatest proportion of homeless 8 wanderers are young men and women aged between 20 and 30; the second >r greatest proportion, the helpless too-old-■r at 40 wrecks. Both are vich'tims of unemployment.