Totnes Rough Sleeper Help

Totnes Rough Sleeper Help 🚨🚨🚨Providing survival packs to homeless rough sleepers in Totnes. See the featured post for full details about this service🚨🚨🚨

Last night the phone rang waking me up with a young man needing help so I got out of bed and met him half an hour later ...
05/07/2026

Last night the phone rang waking me up with a young man needing help so I got out of bed and met him half an hour later at the bottom of Fore street by the roundabout. He didn't have anything apart from the clothes he is standing in. Fortunately I had a surprise delivery of tents from a local lady earlier in the day that were still sitting in my hallway with one ready for this young man as well as a rucksack, sleeping bag and other things that he needs.

Because of his age I asked him about his family and he doesn't have one as he is a care leaver so he is all alone too and doesn't have that support that some people can rely on when they become homeless. I wish I could talk more about the conversation I had with him but I can't; apart from how polite and grateful he was.

He has been using public transport at night for shelter and to try to sleep. It's a recognised and measured part of rough sleeping, though it's hard to count precisely as people using transport for shelter sit within a large "hidden homelessness" category that is separate from, and additional to, those sleeping rough on the streets. Citizens Advice South Hams and the University of Plymouth Business School carried out research to investigate the issue of hidden homelessness in the South Hams, Plymouth and Cornwall. Their report is titled, "Uncovering the human cost of Hidden Homelessness in Plymouth, the South Hams and Cornwall" which can be read below:

https://southhamscab.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2024/11/HH-REPORT-FINAL-2024.pdf

Also, there is an important 90 minute documentary about "wealth inequality" in the UK this coming week on Wednesday night at 9pm on Channel 4 entitled, "How to get Filthy Rich." It will also be available to watch on YouTube on the 12th of July. Too many people in our country like this young man are suffering from unacceptable levels of poverty and destitution and it has got to be resolved.

I have plenty of sleeping bags at the moment but if anyone has any spare or unwanted large rucksacks, tents, or smart phones to donate then please send me a message or call the dedicated service number on 07950 353948. If you would like to purchase an item to donate instead then please contact me as above and I can provide specific details. Thank you and God bless 💜

I spoke to seven rough sleepers in Totnes yesterday. Seven in one day. A tent, sleeping bags and carrier bags of food ...
28/06/2026

I spoke to seven rough sleepers in Totnes yesterday. Seven in one day. A tent, sleeping bags and carrier bags of food were provided where needed.

But there are more than this that I know of, and I was made aware of another one yesterday that I had no knowledge of.

I had to ring the homeless team at the council and I had to speak to the local police too as some of these people are very vulnerable.

There is a local news story below that I came across at random today about the number of people forced to live in vans in the South West and the difficulties that they face. Now imagine having to live like this in a tent, or even worse a shop doorway. It is a really tough way of life.

https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2026/jun/25/reality-life-cornwall-young-van-dwellers-priced-out-of-the-housing-market

Tomorrow, the government will repeal the Vagrancy Act which makes it a criminal offence to sleep rough or beg in England and Wales.

At least 485 people have been arrested under the act since Labour came to power in July 2024, according to Inside Housing.

Steve Reed, the housing secretary, said, "Homeless people are not criminals, they are people who need help. By repealing the outdated Vagrancy Act, we are shifting from punishment to prevention, alongside our investment to tackle homelessness for good."

I came across a story about Kerri Douglas who was arrested in her early twenties under the Vagrancy Act. She had spent time in the care system and began sleeping rough in Westminster at the age of thirteen. She said, "I had been having a hot chocolate and had an empty cup. The police accused me of begging and I spent the weekend in prison. I couldn’t believe I was being imprisoned for something which wasn’t in my control. I wasn’t begging, I didn’t choose to be homeless, I didn’t choose to grow up in care or all these other things which force people into this situation." No wonder that Matt Downie, chief executive of Crisis, said the act's repeal marks the end of a "deeply cruel policy."

I have plenty of sleeping bags at the moment but if anyone has any spare or unwanted large rucksacks, tents, or smart phones to donate then please send me a message or call the dedicated service number on 07950 353948. If you would like to purchase an item to donate instead then please contact me as above and I can provide specific details. Thank you and God bless 💜

A man and woman rang asking for help as their money has run out for the hotel and they have ten days before they can mov...
19/06/2026

A man and woman rang asking for help as their money has run out for the hotel and they have ten days before they can move into a flat so I have given them a tent, sleeping bags and the other things that they need for shelter and a little comfort. They are fortunate as I have met several people that have been rough sleeping for over a year in South Devon.

There is a town in the South Hams where I have been told more than once that there just isn’t a rough sleeping problem there at all which I have been sceptical of. However, I have had several phone calls this week with a woman in that town who says there is a rough sleeping problem but it is effectively hidden. I’m meeting her tomorrow morning to find out more as it’s not far from here to help people if they need it.

I’ve had phone calls from as far away as Plymouth which has surprised me. I suspect people look for homelessness help or information on Facebook and this page shows up in their feed so they just ring the number out of desperation; sometimes in the middle of the night. I don’t like that, not many people would, but I can manage it as it’s not every night.

The government is investing 3.5 billion pounds with the aim of halving rough sleeping over the next few years. Will it be like a plaster on a deep wound that will just open again once the plaster is removed? We will have to wait and see.

If anyone has any spare or unwanted large rucksacks, tents, or mobile phones to donate then please send me a message or call the dedicated service number on 07950 353948. If you would like to purchase an item to donate instead then please contact me as above and I can provide specific details. Thank you and God bless 💜

A homeless young man arrived in Totnes today with just a small rucksack with a few clothes. He is desperate to find wor...
15/06/2026

A homeless young man arrived in Totnes today with just a small rucksack with a few clothes. He is desperate to find work as soon as possible to get out of the unfortunate circumstances he is in and is a roofer by trade. If anyone knows any roofers in South Devon that could do with an extra pair of good hands then please let me know and I can pass on his phone number for a chat.

What saddened me is that he was so apologetic for the things I gave to him as he said that he didn't want to be a burden. He said that once he is back on his feet he is going to return everything so that they can be given to someone else 🙏

He now has a tent, sleeping bag, sleeping mat, large rucksack and a toiletry pack to be able to get some proper rest and a little comfort. We have a lot of rain forecast for the middle of the week so I'm going to meet him tomorrow to give him some waterproof clothing and a bag of food shopping.

If anyone has any spare or unwanted large rucksacks, tents, or mobile phones to donate then please send me a message or call the dedicated service number on 07950 353948. If you would like to purchase an item to donate instead then please contact me as above and I can provide specific details. Thank you and God bless 💜

It has been a day filled with providence, difficulty and sadness. There was a man begging this afternoon that I haven’t ...
07/06/2026

It has been a day filled with providence, difficulty and sadness.

There was a man begging this afternoon that I haven’t seen before and I went to get a tent and waterproof trousers that he needed before he left the town. He told me of the enormous struggles and abuse he has faced whilst being homeless.

Then I got a phone call straight afterwards from a local man that had a single person tent to donate, which I didn’t know was going to be much needed later on.

As I was eating supper this evening the phone rang again. A woman explained that she was with a homeless woman sitting on a bench and asked if I could help her.

I went to meet her with the tent from above as the other ones I have are too large for her. I believe that it was meant for her as she has been praying for some help for several days. I also took a rucksack, sleeping bag, waterproof clothing, mobile phone and a toiletry pack for her. She told me of the tragedy that has occurred in her life that has led to her becoming homeless. What she told me is so dreadful that it was one of those moments in life where you are really lost for words and don’t know what to say.

I stayed with her until midnight and put the tent up for her. She didn’t want to speak to the out-of-hours housing team at the council tonight so I’m going to help her with that tomorrow.

It crossed my mind that the putting up of the tent where it was may make some locals unhappy, and I understand that; I really do. But this poor woman has been trying to sleep in exposed porches for the last few nights with this wet, cold weather and that to me is unacceptable as she needs some form of shelter.

I’m not a religious man, and haven’t been for most of my life, but I was sat on a beach in the rain this morning thinking about Jesus throwing money lenders out of the church after listening to a French professor of economics calling for a global tax on the ultra wealthy to redistribute the obscene levels of wealth that this small minority of people have that leads to others living in destitution.

I’ve also been putting together a gang of people this week to hopefully rescue some abandoned tents from some local festivals this summer 🤞

If anyone has any spare or unwanted large rucksacks, tents, or mobile phones to donate then please send me a message or call the dedicated service number on 07950 353948. If you would like to purchase an item to donate instead then please contact me as above and I can provide specific details. Thank you and God bless 💜

P.S. I haven’t read this yet but it looks to be essential reading:

https://globaljusticeproject.wid.world/www-site/uploads/2026/06/GJRSummary_WebsiteVersion.pdf

I was contacted by a local homeless man and his dog who are living in his small car. He has no choice but to sleep uprig...
30/05/2026

I was contacted by a local homeless man and his dog who are living in his small car. He has no choice but to sleep upright in the driver’s seat. He asked if I had a tent so that they can both have a better rest and I delivered one to him this evening. He also suffers from ill health which is an additional burden that he doesn’t need, but he tries to remain positive despite his circumstances.

It is now well established that people experiencing homelessness face worse health and health outcomes than the general population and it is a very serious issue:

https://homeless.org.uk/knowledge-hub/unhealthy-state-of-homelessness-2025-findings-from-the-homeless-health-needs-audit/

I found a great contact at the annual town council meeting this week for the possibility of a future small supply of tents that are very much needed - fingers crossed 🙏

I also recently received a parcel in the post of small toiletry packs from a lovely lady in North Devon which is very helpful 😊

If anyone has any spare or unwanted large rucksacks, tents, or waterproof clothing to donate then please send me a message or call the dedicated service number on 07950 353948. I have enough sleeping bags at the moment. If you would like to purchase an item to donate instead then please contact me as above and I can provide specific details. If you would like to get involved then please read the featured post at the top of the page and let me know if you’re interested. Thank you and God bless 💜

Two rough sleepers have called and one rang in the middle of the night as people living in destitution can call out for ...
08/05/2026

Two rough sleepers have called and one rang in the middle of the night as people living in destitution can call out for help at any time. One of them moved to a neighbouring town near Totnes from a nearby city today and so I'm meeting them tomorrow to give them a tent, rucksack, a warmer sleeping bag and a sleeping mat.

Its almost a year ago since I did a three night sponsored rough sleep to raise some funds to get this service running. I did it where my friend Michael died fourteen years ago sleeping rough in Totnes. I feel that the news story in the link below that a local man wrote in remembrance of Michael and others is an important story to be remembered:

https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2012/dec/06/another-homeless-man-died

If anyone has any spare or unwanted large rucksacks, tents, sleeping bags, waterproof clothing or old smart phones to donate then please send me a message or call the dedicated service number on 07950 353948. If you would like to purchase an item to donate instead then please contact me as above and I can provide specific details. Thank you and God bless 💜

Two homeless men arrived in Totnes today. One of these men had nothing to keep him safe apart from the clothes he is st...
24/04/2026

Two homeless men arrived in Totnes today. One of these men had nothing to keep him safe apart from the clothes he is standing in and a small day sack with a few personal items. The other man had a very thin summer sleeping bag that isn't warm enough for the spring nights and a bulging rucksack as it isn't big enough. They both now have a large 65 litre rucksack, a warm sleeping bag, insulation mats and a tent that they can share for now. Despite them living in utter destitution it did make us all smile as they weren't expecting such help on arrival in a small Devon town.

I'm going to meet up with them again on Monday as they need some other things that I couldn't give them today.

I also had an amazing phone conversation this week with a lady in East Devon after she came across this page. She does similar work helping to collect items for delivery to people in a war-torn country and has some items to bring to me.

Big changes are coming for renters in England on the 1st of May when the Renters’ Rights Act will officially come into force. Sadly, I am seeing a lot of mixed messages about it but there are some useful awareness webinars next week:

https://www.generationrent.org/renters-rights-awareness-week-2026-everything-you-need-to-know-about-the-renters-rights-act/

If anyone has any spare or unwanted large rucksacks, tents, sleeping bags, waterproof clothing or old smart phones to donate then please send me a message or call the dedicated service number on 07950 353948. If you would like to purchase an item to donate instead then please contact me as above and I can provide specific details. Thank you and God bless 💜

A homeless lady in Totnes now has a large rucksack, tent, sleeping bag, and sleeping mat after I went to St. John's chur...
21/04/2026

A homeless lady in Totnes now has a large rucksack, tent, sleeping bag, and sleeping mat after I went to St. John's church to give them to her today. She didn't know that this service exists so one of the directors of the Food Bank and Warm Heart's Café rang me to see if I could help. She needs a smart phone to be able to access Facebook groups and other services to help her find somewhere to live. I have some old smart phones that are no longer supported by the manufacturer or app developers. If anyone has any fairly recent phones lying in a drawer, due to contract upgrades, that they would like to donate, then please let me know.

The homeless man and his cat that I posted about three months ago have been reunited and now have a home in Brixham. If it wasn't for local community spirit here helping to temporarily foster his cat then they would have been separated forever at the beginning of the year 😻😻😻

If anyone has any spare or unwanted large rucksacks, tents, sleeping bags or waterproof clothing to donate then please send me a message or call the dedicated service number on 07950 353948. If you would like to purchase an item to donate instead then please contact me as above and I can provide specific details. Thank you and God bless 💜

Three people this year have called crying and saying that they want to die due to being homeless and destitute. Nobody ...
15/04/2026

Three people this year have called crying and saying that they want to die due to being homeless and destitute. Nobody has died, and I pray that it remains that way.

One man this year said to me that the most important thing that was provided was having someone to talk to that understands. I also recall a woman last year that was sitting on her filthy sleeping bag whilst begging and I asked her if she needed a new one. Instead of accepting the offer she initially said instead, "Thank you for being so kind to stop and talk to me instead of looking at me and walking by."

This service bridges a gap by providing vital material help and support in ways that the local authorities can't. But it is far more than that - it is the emotional support and the fostering of hope that can be vastly more important at times.

The "Dying Homeless Project" is an annual investigation of those that are tragically no longer here. I hope that any policy-makers that are reading this can create the time to read the latest one below:

https://museumofhomelessness.org/s/MoH_DHR2025.pdf

If anyone has any spare or unwanted large rucksacks, tents, sleeping bags or waterproof clothing to donate then please send me a message or call the dedicated service number on 07950 353948. If you would like to purchase an item to donate instead then please contact me as above and I can provide specific details. Thank you and God bless 💜

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