Not far from where we live is a supermarket and small fastfood outlet. There's a young girl (20s) living rough in the area, possibly due to the discarded food. I'm no expert but she looks totally traumatised and in a worryingly pitiful state. I've seen her in the highstreet 'talking' to the police and apparently the security guards at the supermarket have banned her and generally move her on; I'm not sure the that the local kids are great either. She's been there for a while now and I'm not sure what statutory services might be involved. Lately the weather's been dreadful too.
It's no hassle when we shop at the supermarket to pop a few items of food in a carrier bag with a bit of change to leave for her and I think she does take the food on. I'm not sure if it's a great idea and don't want to make her dependant or not seek help but equally it wouldn't suprise me to read in the local paper one day that she'd died. We're a relatively small town/village with no homeless shelters or anything like that.
So, what to do for the best, I'm kind of holding on to the thought that a bit of food every now and then when we go by might just keep her going until something can be done, but I'm not entirely sure we're not making things worse.
I work in the charity sector so should be able to ask around and get advice but wondered what people thought on here.
I can't give any advise but I would have thought that there will be a mental health worker on here that can. Seems to me like she needs to be sectioned quite urgently.
