Two former rough sleepers die in Northampton in one week

One man died in temporary accommodation in Bedford Mansions, and another, aged 22, died at Northampton General Hospital on Monday (February 18) .*

Stan Robertson, who runs the Project 16:15 which provides free hot breakfasts, said both had at some point been sleeping rough.

He said: "In my opinion, [both of the deaths] were linked to being homeless. The homeless lifestyle decreases your life expectancy."

Mr Roberston offers an informal grief counselling service for homeless people, which has been in demand since the deaths of Chris Matthews in Victoria Gardens in June 2018, and Jerica Richardson in St James on New Year's Day 2019.

He said: "The free breakfast is really just a way to get to know them, we do quite a bit more on top, including helping them cope emotionally with things like this.

"We just get them to share stories and memories, hearing what they have to say. There's no outlet for them except the bottle or drugs, so it's a way that helps.

"After Chris died, I had grown men sobbing in my arms."

All three men had past rough sleeping in common but they also lived full lives.

Mr Robertson is keen for them not to be considered statistics, but simply human beings who have died too soon.

He said: "These are real people. If you talk about the homeless, it sounds like a 'problem' and you lose sight of the fact they are individual people.

"It's all about humanising people."

Anyone who would like to share memories of the two men can call us on Northampton 467033.

*The Chron had reported earlier that a third man died in the past week while in temporary accommodation provided by NAASH. While correct, it is not now thought that his death was connected with rough sleeping as he had been in temporary accommodation for some time.