Homeless Neculai Popa hoped his life would turn around

• IN recent months every time I didn’t see Nico outside Sainsbury’s in Upper Street I was getting worried. Now, there is a notice where he used to sell the Big Issue: “Homeless Neculai Popa died on December 5.” He was only 33.

Before his health deteriorated because of his homelessness he used to tell me about his hope that his life will turn around like the Tribune’s hero James Bowen (Two cool cats… the Big Issue seller and a stray called Bob, September 24, 2010) championed by former Tribune reporter Peter Gruner.

Many generous local people were so alarmed with Nico’s condition in recent weeks that they started raising funds to pay for him to go into a hostel throughout the cold winter. Sadly, it was too late.

Now, the funds are to be put towards his funeral, see www.justgiving.com/crowdfunding/amparo-escobedo-1

I’m now concerned about what happens to the other homeless people in this extremely cold winter. I’m particularly alarmed having read in the Tribune (Finsbury Park rough sleeper beds binned by Town Hall, October 27) that housing chief Diarmaid Ward ordered the binning of bedding and toiletries of homeless people “for safety reasons”.

It is also reported that the Town Hall claimed the council offers an alternative solution for rough sleepers, but if that is true, how come Nico needed thousands of pounds to keep him safe from the cold winter?

Just six weeks after the housing chief’s claim to “continue to closely monitor the situation and [to] actively look at longer-term solutions” Nico met his tragic death.

Even with the government-imposed austerity, surely the council can show more compassion. The bitterly cold winter is with us and it is generous members of the public who are taking action, but where is the council?

ROB LANGLANDS
N1