Simon's Home.

He's not in. I know the guy. He won't turn up until this evening after dark, when it may be safer to crawl in under these sheets of wood. His "shelter" is in one of the busiest streets in the centre of Belfast. This can be a blessing but can also make him vulnerable. Last time I saw him was on Sunday night, trying to get a bed in the Centenary night shelter along with more than twenty other men and boys. He didn't get in, and this was his second choice.

Emergency provision for the homeless in Belfast is scant at best, and alcohol, drug abuse and mental illness is endemic among the homeless and vulnerable. Do something about it, perhaps by voting for whichever party has a meaningful social issues policy, or volunteer, but do something.