Gloucester’s MP Richard Graham has invited Jonathan Clark, Chair of the Oxford Poverty Action Trust (OxPATs) to come and share their experience of supporting the homeless and combatting begging with key agencies, charities, faith and business groups in Gloucester tomorrow.
Richard said, “we have two separate issues on the streets of Gloucester: people who need help and people who need to clear off. It is impossible for residents and visitors to know how to differentiate, and we need to find a way for our city’s natural generosity to be most effective in helping those who need it most.
“Oxford created OxPATs in the 90s to help solve similar issues, and I think we will all benefit from hearing what they did and how, and learning from their experience. Our Police, agencies and charities are all doing great work. But the problem isn’t easy to solve and we may find another way to tackle this from OxPATs’ experience. This is what I hope tomorrow’s meeting will explore.”