Lou Macari's name is nowhere to be seen on the New Year Honours List, which is a glaring oversight.
The Manchester United legend's crusade to eradicate homelessness from the streets of Stoke-on-Trent is far worthier than some of the gongs and peerages handed out to acolytes and accomplices of ruin under a hideous government.
Fifty years ago next month, Macari signed for United and contributed 97 goals in 401 appearances to the cause, including the 1977 FA Cup final winner which denied Liverpool the Treble (later credited to Jimmy Greenhoff). He came from Celtic's famed Quality Street Gang, where Sir Kenny Dalglish, Danny McGrain and David Hay were primed for greatness.
The rest of us have just joined the Quality Street gang raiding tins of assorted chocolates, and we shall count the cost of all that confectionery deep into 2023.
Now 73, and still living in the Potteries where he was revered as a Stoke City manager, Macari fears he is fighting a losing battle against the scourge of drugs, and no matter how many rough sleepers find shelter in his sanctuary, another crop appears on the streets to replace them. His project should be a beacon of hope for a New Year – but with brutal honesty, he admits the picture is bleak unless his evangelism is reinforced by more resources and inspiration.
Back in 2016, Macari was watching a bulletin about the problem of homelessness in Stoke on TV and resolved to do something about it. Jumping into his car, he drove into the city centre and, within minutes of parking up on a foul night, he had found 11 rough sleepers huddled in shop doorways – enough to make a football team.
“I got in touch with the council next morning and, to be honest, I didn't have a clue what I was doing because I had no experience of dealing with homeless people,” he said. “If they had told me, 'Thanks, but no thanks, see you later' I would have agreed with them.
“But I wanted to see what I could do to feed these people, clothe them and put a roof over their heads – the three basic facets of self-respect. The council gave me use of an empty building next to a mosque, where the people were brilliant neighbours, and the generosity of people in Stoke soon provided food and clothes.
“From eight guests on the first night, we soon ended up with 38 before Covid came calling and we could not continue with our dormitory-style accommodation under social distancing rules. We ended up moving into a big warehouse just down the road and installing individual pods for our residents which complied with the law, and Professor Chris Whitty – who used to stand next to Boris Johnson at the daily Downing Street briefings – even paid us a visit to approve our arrangements.”
Now there are 48 people at the Macari Centre in Hanley, with an address and a space of their own, enjoying up to four meals a day in an empowering environment.
Come on, Rishi – wake up at the back of class. If Macari's sanctuary isn't worth a Blue Peter badge and a day out at Buckingham Palace, this country's values are flawed beyond recognition. But it's not all sweetness and light in Lou's urban commune. And it is dispiriting to detect the note of despair in his voice as he assesses the prospects of reversing the tide of rough sleepers.
“How many homeless people have we helped? I don't count them in and I don't count them out, but over the six years since we opened I know it's not enough,” said Macari. “It's a lot harder to help people with addictions than you might think and, in any case, why are they going to listen to me?
“I get frustrated and I get angry because I don't see enough results, but people close to me and my staff keep reminding me, 'At least we are taking them off the streets.' I don't want to paint a bleak picture but, at the same time, I can't just trot out a politician's answer. Things are getting worse, not better.
“A while back, one of my pods was burnt to the ground by the woman who was staying there – and three days later, she came back and tried to set fire to my car. What you have to understand is that a lot of the people who come here are high. The drugs are in charge, they are in control of people's minds.
“Whether or not you think the Government is doing enough to tackle the problem, I hope someone has some good ideas that will change things – and they need to change.”
Macari has not severed his connections with football, and he still graces the corridors at United – where Marcus Rashford's campaign to force the Tories into feeding kids on the poverty line was a triumph of social conscience over blind austerity. “I still work at Old Trafford as a matchday host in the hospitality lounges – that's my escape, my relaxation away from 'real life' problems,” said Macari.
“Marcus did a fantastic job in making sure kids didn't go hungry at school, and he's been a credit to himself on and off the pitch, but there's been no shortage of food in our shelter because we have enjoyed so much support from the people of Stoke-on-Trent from day one. Three nights a week, the mosque next door delivers various curries to the centre – I never realised how much homeless people enjoy a good curry.
“And on Christmas Day, when we were already serving dinner to as many homeless or disadvantaged people as we could, 25 people came out of their homes and brought us a turkey, so public goodwill is there in abundance.
“But I don't have a magic wand and my staff are not magicians. If the people who come to us for help want to get their lives back on track, it has to be a two-way street and they have to want to help themselves. We have a huge problem with 'monkey dust' in Stoke and I've seen things I never thought I would witness – people stripping naked because they are convinced there are snakes on the floor, paranoia and psychotic episodes.
“We are having too many incidents. I haven't got a magic wand, and nor do my staff. If I did, everyone who ends up in our centre would get their lives back on track and United would win a trophy this season.”
Lou Macari was an accomplished footballer, but his safe haven for the homeless is the real stuff of legend. And if the Honours List has any credibility left, surely he's worth a gong.
