Twin sisters who were left devastated following the death of their sister and began devoting their lives to helping the homeless in Leeds say they feel cheated by former Prime Minister Boris Johnson.
Becky and Shelley Joyce, who co-founded the Homeless Street Angels in Leeds say they feel inundated with more people being referred to their service because there is nowhere else they can get support.
Becky and Shelley, 48, were heartbroken after their younger sister Abi died from an overdose at the age of 39 in August 2017. This spurred them on to help other people across the city but they say it's becoming hard to keep up.
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Shelley told the Mirror: "People are being referred to us from many services including Government-funded services, because they are just so inundated, they can’t cope with the flux of those needing help. Services are being stretched beyond their limit.
“There is just nowhere else for them to go and get support from. So many families who were just scraping by on a weekly basis are being tipped over the edge, it is heat or eat now.
“You have to look at Brexit, Covid and now the energy prices, it is beyond the rate of inflation, it is crazy. I don’t understand how this can be allowed, all these people high up in the companies earning millions while others are struggling to live.
“Whenever we have excess of anything we share it out with other charities to help each other out, it has brought the community closer together but without the Government intervention so many more people will end up homeless.”
Shelley herself was in a violent relationship in her youth and was homeless, while her sister Becky is now 15 years clean from heroin after battling the addiction for over a decade. She said that often homeless people struggle to reintegrate into society because they are ostracised - which is why they focus on providing continued support even after housing.
Alongside their homeless charity, the twins also run a busy food bank to deliver food parcels. Now they are joining forces with other charities and services Homeless Street Angles are levelling up their community to keep people afloat.
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