A Bolton woman who has dedicated her life to tackling inequality and pursuing justice and fairness, has spoken out about the impact homelessness is having on people and how more needs to be done.

Denise Lonsdale, 69, has worked extensively at Bolton Advice Centre for 46 years, having first come to the centre to seek advice for her own problems.

Since then, she has helped thousands of people with their benefit claims, disability claims, housing problems and was awarded a British Empire Medal back in 2022 for her works helping people.

But now she is calling for more to be done for the homeless of Bolton after seeing an increase in homeless people accessing the services available at Bolton Advice Centre.

The Bolton News: Denise LonsdaleDenise Lonsdale (Image: Denise Lonsdale)

As temperatures plummet Bolton Council’s rough sleeping team are on hand to help if anyone sees someone they believe to be rough sleeping.

A description of the person and their specific location can be shared anonymously by email on housingoutreachteam@bolton.gov.uk or by phoning the Housing Options Services on 01204 335 900.

Denise said: “I have done this job for 46 years and I know things have changed but we are seeing a lot of homeless people accessing our services.

“People are coming to us for support, but I can’t find them places to live and there is a lack of mental health support.

“Everybody is entitled to a warm place and warm food and people need to be able to access mental health services.

“And it is about time people stood up to help them.

“I have had 57 people coming in for support, I let them in and give them warm food and a place to sit.

“The people coming into the centre need help whether that be due to universal credit, homelessness, the elderly being bullied, or they have been handed section 21’s.

“At Bolton Advice Centre we do our best to keep people warm, provide them with food and I talk to them about the support they need and try to refer them to the best services.

“The situation is absolutely horrendous.

“It is not acceptable, and the situation is awful for people who are vulnerable.

“Homeless people are not on the streets because it is their choice to be there, people need to listen to their stories.

“How many deaths does it take for somebody to wake up and help the homeless?

“It makes me very sad to see so many people coming in for support, we go out onto the streets to speak to them and offer them coats, it is just not right.

“Nobody should be living like this, there are loads of empty buildings that could be used.

“Anybody who needs support is welcome to come down to Bolton Advice Centre on Deansgate, we will do our best to offer advice, support, a warm place to talk and some warm food.

“It is very important that people support the homeless all year round, this generation is our future, to help people on the streets is to get to know them and not condemn for what they did before.

“We need to understand that homelessness has been going on for a long time, but it has got worse.

“We need to do something before we have any more deaths.”

A spokesperson for Bolton Council said: “There are a number of issues at a national level which are driving an increase in demand for homelessness support.

“Like all councils across the UK, we are experiencing a higher level of demand in Bolton.

“Despite these challenges, Bolton Council continues to successfully accommodate all families with children, as well as others for whom we have a legal duty as the need arises.

“In most other cases, we are able to offer accommodation assistance for those willing to accept it.

“We have also stepped up some additional support in response to this higher demand.”

If you have a story or something you would like to highlight in the community, please email me at chloe.wilson@newsquest.co.uk or DM me on X @chloewjourno.