take.
“I will see to it myself,” he paused and gestured to a nearby staff member; “if you could just give young Daphne here your specifications and measurements then I will have everything ready for your return.”
The manager bid him good day and left him with Daphne.
*
As he walked along the High Street, the multitudes of people who stared at him or asked him if he was Shane Colbert wore thin rapidly. He was grateful when a couple shook his hand and said that he was doing a good job. It made a change of late, especially after the story that was released after his mother died. Well, it wasn’t even much of a story; just a rehash of his great big mystery. It had come into the public eye not long after he’d caught the ation’s attention for the role he played in putting the Homeless Housing Scheme into action.
He had saved a lot of lives and brought hundreds of people back from the brink of addictions that would have killed them. The HHS had started out ten years ago in a deserted housing estate in South London when he purchased a total of five hundred properties; two bedroom flats in a massive horseshoe shaped tower block. It was condemned and up for demolition so he paid next to nothing for it and was then able to pay the best builders in the country to restore it. Once it was complete he started his campaign. Huge billboard posters, flyers, and bus advertisements asked all the homeless people who could get there to do so. He offered them modest accommodation, healthcare, jobs with a monthly wage and free rehabilitation. The only conditions were that everyone with an addiction had to pass through rehab. There would be regular drug tests and random searches in place. There would be zero tolerance for crime and no unapproved mixed sex living arrangements. Everybody who occupied a flat - two per dwelling - would work for him. A mess hall was built in the courtyard at the centre of the estate and all provisions were provided.
At first this caused uproar amongst the population of homed people as they saw it as a glorified prison. They argued that it took away people’s independence and freedom of choice.
Almost all of the homeless people that applied for accommodation were more than willing to abide by the rules for the sanctity of what Shane offered. There were a few slip ups when a handful of people tried to cheat the system; there always were and there always would be, but overall it was a successful project.
People couldn’t argue with the fact that the pros outweighed the cons. Street begging and drug-related crimes in the surrounding area had decreased dramatically. A few hundred of his tenants were given jobs with the local council’s Waste Disposal Unit so Shane was literally cleaning up the streets. His tenants were free to leave occupancy whenever they chose and he had initiatives set in place to help them move on.
Then the press performed their usual trick of delving into the past and there they discovered his secret. It was plastered across the face of every newspaper he saw. So, not only did everyone in the village have a theory about what happened, but everyone in the country.
When Shane faced the Media at a press conference he had gotten angry at the questions and blurted out that he’d give fifty thousand pounds to anyone who could solve his mystery. It was that challenge which led to him being tested by every professional in medical science.
That had all been years ago though and nobody had ever claimed the reward money. He doubted anyone ever would.
Things were looking up for him now and he had been viewing possible sites in Manchester and Birmingham for HHS2. Things were going so well he might even set up sites in both cities. After all, it was his aim was to have one in at least three major cities across England. The last thing he needed was the latest rehash of his story tainting his current projects.
He hadn’t really paid any attention to where he was wandering until he
“I will see to it myself,” he paused and gestured to a nearby staff member; “if you could just give young Daphne here your specifications and measurements then I will have everything ready for your return.”
The manager bid him good day and left him with Daphne.
*
As he walked along the High Street, the multitudes of people who stared at him or asked him if he was Shane Colbert wore thin rapidly. He was grateful when a couple shook his hand and said that he was doing a good job. It made a change of late, especially after the story that was released after his mother died. Well, it wasn’t even much of a story; just a rehash of his great big mystery. It had come into the public eye not long after he’d caught the ation’s attention for the role he played in putting the Homeless Housing Scheme into action.
He had saved a lot of lives and brought hundreds of people back from the brink of addictions that would have killed them. The HHS had started out ten years ago in a deserted housing estate in South London when he purchased a total of five hundred properties; two bedroom flats in a massive horseshoe shaped tower block. It was condemned and up for demolition so he paid next to nothing for it and was then able to pay the best builders in the country to restore it. Once it was complete he started his campaign. Huge billboard posters, flyers, and bus advertisements asked all the homeless people who could get there to do so. He offered them modest accommodation, healthcare, jobs with a monthly wage and free rehabilitation. The only conditions were that everyone with an addiction had to pass through rehab. There would be regular drug tests and random searches in place. There would be zero tolerance for crime and no unapproved mixed sex living arrangements. Everybody who occupied a flat - two per dwelling - would work for him. A mess hall was built in the courtyard at the centre of the estate and all provisions were provided.
At first this caused uproar amongst the population of homed people as they saw it as a glorified prison. They argued that it took away people’s independence and freedom of choice.
Almost all of the homeless people that applied for accommodation were more than willing to abide by the rules for the sanctity of what Shane offered. There were a few slip ups when a handful of people tried to cheat the system; there always were and there always would be, but overall it was a successful project.
People couldn’t argue with the fact that the pros outweighed the cons. Street begging and drug-related crimes in the surrounding area had decreased dramatically. A few hundred of his tenants were given jobs with the local council’s Waste Disposal Unit so Shane was literally cleaning up the streets. His tenants were free to leave occupancy whenever they chose and he had initiatives set in place to help them move on.
Then the press performed their usual trick of delving into the past and there they discovered his secret. It was plastered across the face of every newspaper he saw. So, not only did everyone in the village have a theory about what happened, but everyone in the country.
When Shane faced the Media at a press conference he had gotten angry at the questions and blurted out that he’d give fifty thousand pounds to anyone who could solve his mystery. It was that challenge which led to him being tested by every professional in medical science.
That had all been years ago though and nobody had ever claimed the reward money. He doubted anyone ever would.
Things were looking up for him now and he had been viewing possible sites in Manchester and Birmingham for HHS2. Things were going so well he might even set up sites in both cities. After all, it was his aim was to have one in at least three major cities across England. The last thing he needed was the latest rehash of his story tainting his current projects.
He hadn’t really paid any attention to where he was wandering until he
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