IT is desperately sad walking through town nowadays and seeing the number of people sleeping in doorways, particularly now that the weather has turned bad.


St Helens is not alone for this, it is the same in Liverpool, Manchester and Warrington.


How can this be when we keep being told that the country is so prosperous?

It may be all right for some.


I am sick of hearing that homelessness is down to a range of complex issues – and then the government using that as an alibi to do nothing to really tackle it.


In the short term why cannot we open up some of the empty shops in town and give those poor unfortunate people room at the inn this Christmas.


Longer term we need to look at all those “complex reasons” why so many people are now living on the streets – whether that is benefits sanctions, mental health, drugs and alcohol problems and unemployment.


Mike Crawford