COMMENT: Why we should help the homeless
Begging is undoubtedly a major problem on the streets of the Black Country and Staffordshire.
Today we report that police in Cradley Heath have warned shoppers to be wary of professional beggars posing as homeless people in a bid to con shoppers out of their cash.
It comes after Wolverhampton council's city environment boss said that the majority of beggars in the city were not homeless and simply wanted money to buy alcohol.
However, we should be careful not to dismiss the serious and growing problem of homelessness.
The number of homeless people in the Black Country has risen by 13 per cent over the last year. In Wolverhampton an emergency night shelter has been set up to try and cope with the problem.
In recent weeks we saw tents erected at two sites in the city centre, not far from where a homeless woman was found dead in a doorway last month.
So while any beggars who are trying to con the public should feel the full force of the law, we must not forget that there are genuine cases out there.
Rather than hand money to people in the street, there are plenty of good causes set up to help the homeless that are worthy of our support.
