A homeless couple have mocked as they were asked to move one of their two tents they had set up on King’s Lynn Town’s stadium car park, Lynn News report.
It came prior to the club’s home match against Gloucester City last Saturday, but only so that drivers were able to park their cars.
Homeless couple living rough behind King’s Lynn Town ground https://t.co/FYq9R64lnd
— Eastern Daily Press (@EDP24) September 18, 2019
The pair, named Amy Horrex and Shaun Riley and are both aged 41, were living Peterborough but moved back to Lynn in May after losing their home due to over rent arrears and claim they have been refused accommodation by West Norfolk Council.
They spoke of being mocked by people passing them, but also mentioned how they got some help from a football player, a vicar and a charity.
A player is said to have giving the couple a £10 note after the match, whilst the vicar gave them a food and a tin opener as well as a rug to sleep on.
Amy, who believes she could be dead by winter as she battles with pneumonia and a blood clot in her leg, said: “That magpie comes here once a day. It’s meant to be good luck but we’ve not had a lot of that since we’ve since it.
“People have said to us that ‘if you have money then you can stay with us’, taking the mickey out of us basically.
“Friends we used to get on with do not want to know us anymore.
“It is not like we are sat here waiting for anything to land on our laps. We are on prescriptions and doing everything we can.
“We have been using the Purfleet Trust but that is shut at weekends. We get to have a shower and are charged £1 for meals which is brilliant for what we get.
“We can only budget for once a month as we have to be careful living day-by-day in this situation. We have barely ate for two-weeks and my hips are starting to hurt from the amount of weight I’ve lost.”
“He (Shaun) is a footy lover but because of the situation we are in, it’s just constant worry and it seems nothing is interesting in life at the minute.
Shaun Riley said to Eastern Daily Press: “The council don’t want to do anything for us, they say I’ve got no family in Lynn,” said Mr Riley. “It’s horrible, it really is.
“I’ve got a sister, I’ve got my dad, I’ve got a daughter, I’ve got a son, I’ve got another brother who lives in Terrington.” Unemployed ground worker Mr Riley, who says he was born at the Queen Elizabeth Hospital, said he and his partner both had health problems which were being exacerbated by living rough.
“My partner’s got COPD, she’s got emphysema,” he said. “It’s killing her being here.
“I was in hospital two weeks ago, something to do with my blood pressure going through the roof, I suffer from sciatica.
“People say you can’t stay here, you can’t stay there,” he said. “But no-one wants to help you.”
A night shelter in Lynn is planned to be opened by the end of October, but Mr Riley said: “That’s winter, we’ll be dead by the time that opens.
“You see all these empty buildings around. Why don’t they refurnish them and let them out.”
The couple try to build a small fire to cook whatever food they have, only to be told to put it out due to risk it could spread to ‘nearby undergrowth’.
A spokeswoman for West Norfolk Council said: “We offer support and assistance to anyone in the borough who is faced with homelessness or is homeless.
“We have recently commissioned three new outreach services – young persons, rough sleepers and community support – as it is recognised that many people who are homeless don’t have access to online support or the complexity of their needs require a one-to-one tailored approach.
“We have also commissioned Shelter to provide independent advice on housing and work closely with the Purfleet Trust, Benajmin Foundation and others to ensure help is available.”
A spokesman for King’s Lynn Town said: “We’re sorry for those involved but it’s not an ideal situation.
“We know nothing of a player giving any money to them and we did ask for one tent to be moved to the edge of the car park as initially it was pitched in the middle. This was before the match.”
Information about the homeless services available in the borough can be found by visiting www.west-norfolk.gov.uk/info/20001/housing/251/homelessness.
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