at my wits end....

I'm going to have to "go against the grain here" (not unusual for me) and caution about this kind of approach.  I do a lot of lobbying from the safe ground of being a householder, and it is a "tightrope walk" between being a credible protagonist and a vexatious trouble maker.

The trouble is we are in one of those backlash periods - public reaction against disability and political correctness.

It is interesting that when a similarly minded Government targeted single parents as villains they found a lot of public sympathy, and this country is still paying the price for this in the ever complicated legislation pursuing father's for support.

We are in a similar phase now. The Coalition Government has chosen to target the disabled as society's scroungers, to deflect attention from their mis-handling of the recession, and the public seems to approve. Hence there has been very little real criticism of the current benefits review stategy, despite the papers trying to front the concerns.

It is hardly a great comfort to davek75, but he is living through an age when the majority of people have no sympathy with people living off benefits, however genuinely needy, and further, seem not at all sympathetic to the homeless. Brits have always been inclined to the "I'm alright Jack, cannot see your problem" perspective - they aren't down on their luck to that extent, and don't see why those who are cannot pull themselves out of it "get on their bike".

It shouldn't be down to Davek75. NAS should be talking to Shelter and other homessness charities, and the organisers of community and cooperative ventures like Camphill to be on the look out for people with autism amongst the homeless, and to get in place some sort of safety net. But the charities are short of funds, another fall out from the recession, so its going to take a while.

NAS could honestly show some sign of effort to solve this problem. Just saying he can phone them (has Davek got a mobile phone account as a homeless man?) or email them, when he is using public access to library computers. I get the feeling NAS hasn't the foggiest idea of what homelessness involves. Which is not a good start.

But where does this leave Davek75 for the time being? I don't think the newspapers will help an individual, and occupying the housing office will get him into trouble.

Some accommodation is around for people to act as temporary guardians of protected buildings (eg "camelot security through occupation" http://uk.cameloteurope.com) - trouble is you've got to know where these are, and a lot of the stuff on their website looks posh. But some of these are tumbledown residences that need someone there to deter vandals. It is a solitary job, suitable for someone on the spectrum?

There are lots of other watchman situations, including blocks of flats, building sites, and public buildings, and while many of these nowadays are contracted as part of building life by the building companies, there are ways in at the lower end of the market.

I was always under the impression hotels and restaurants took on casual kitchen staff, even quite posh ones, and would help people on the streets get started. Also casual cleaning, while companies usually collect people from their homes, can also be a way into getting some kind of accommodation.

But this is something NAS could do - find out about options for people with autism down on their luck/homeless - and put this advice on the website (and in conjunction with homeless charities generate a leaflet that can be left at soup kitchens and help centres, or in libraries).

People like Davek75 need workable options. NAS could really do wonders by getting something like this started.

I'm going to have to "go against the grain here" (not unusual for me) and caution about this kind of approach.  I do a lot of lobbying from the safe ground of being a householder, and it is a "tightrope walk" between being a credible protagonist and a vexatious trouble maker.

The trouble is we are in one of those backlash periods - public reaction against disability and political correctness.

It is interesting that when a similarly minded Government targeted single parents as villains they found a lot of public sympathy, and this country is still paying the price for this in the ever complicated legislation pursuing father's for support.

We are in a similar phase now. The Coalition Government has chosen to target the disabled as society's scroungers, to deflect attention from their mis-handling of the recession, and the public seems to approve. Hence there has been very little real criticism of the current benefits review stategy, despite the papers trying to front the concerns.

It is hardly a great comfort to davek75, but he is living through an age when the majority of people have no sympathy with people living off benefits, however genuinely needy, and further, seem not at all sympathetic to the homeless. Brits have always been inclined to the "I'm alright Jack, cannot see your problem" perspective - they aren't down on their luck to that extent, and don't see why those who are cannot pull themselves out of it "get on their bike".

It shouldn't be down to Davek75. NAS should be talking to Shelter and other homessness charities, and the organisers of community and cooperative ventures like Camphill to be on the look out for people with autism amongst the homeless, and to get in place some sort of safety net. But the charities are short of funds, another fall out from the recession, so its going to take a while.

NAS could honestly show some sign of effort to solve this problem. Just saying he can phone them (has Davek got a mobile phone account as a homeless man?) or email them, when he is using public access to library computers. I get the feeling NAS hasn't the foggiest idea of what homelessness involves. Which is not a good start.

But where does this leave Davek75 for the time being? I don't think the newspapers will help an individual, and occupying the housing office will get him into trouble.

Some accommodation is around for people to act as temporary guardians of protected buildings (eg "camelot security through occupation" http://uk.cameloteurope.com) - trouble is you've got to know where these are, and a lot of the stuff on their website looks posh. But some of these are tumbledown residences that need someone there to deter vandals. It is a solitary job, suitable for someone on the spectrum?

There are lots of other watchman situations, including blocks of flats, building sites, and public buildings, and while many of these nowadays are contracted as part of building life by the building companies, there are ways in at the lower end of the market.

I was always under the impression hotels and restaurants took on casual kitchen staff, even quite posh ones, and would help people on the streets get started. Also casual cleaning, while companies usually collect people from their homes, can also be a way into getting some kind of accommodation.

But this is something NAS could do - find out about options for people with autism down on their luck/homeless - and put this advice on the website (and in conjunction with homeless charities generate a leaflet that can be left at soup kitchens and help centres, or in libraries).

People like Davek75 need workable options. NAS could really do wonders by getting something like this started.