Homeless Pose as Passengers at Airports

TIME Magazine had an intresting article about homeless that pose as passangers in order to sleep inside Airports. It seems to be a trend that has caught fire and it is hard to tackle with increasing delays by airlines. The story focuses on Heathrow's Airport, London's busiest airport.

Eben Harrell states, "Each night, scores of London's homeless men and women take advantage of modern travel delays by posing as stranded passengers in order to sleep in a warm and safe place." That doesn't mean that airport officials or law enforcement have not noticed the trend. They have been playing a cat and mouse game but that failed strategy has prompted a new strategy.

Harrell notes, "Heathrow commissioned a local homeless outreach organization, Broadway, to visit the airport once a week and survey its homeless population, while also trying try to coax them into temporary accommodation." This is a similar approach that Chicago intiated in the 90's with their bustling O'Hare Airport. There are social programs in place both here in the U.S. as well as abroad in the U.K. that are attempting to rectify the issue. Their approach is to help those individuals find a permanent living situations. At times that also involves certain individuals to receive help for their drug or mental issues.