One of the most obdurate memories of the Thatcher years was the seemingly perpetual rise in homelessness, particularly among teenagers, many of whom became casualties of a ruthless change in the benefits system.
They arrived in London from other parts of the country to find the streets paved not with gold but with - literally - their fellow travellers. They remained on the streets because the hostels and refuges where they could otherwise have sheltered were either full or unsafe.
Nearly a quarter of a century later, rough sleeping is on the increase again. The charity Broadway reports an 8% rise in the past year in the number of rough sleepers on the capital's streets, for example.
And some projects that try to reinvigorate the lives of homeless people - the voluntary groups that are David Cameron's epitome of the Big Society - are struggling.
One of these is the Salford-run Positive Lifestyles, a non-profit making charity. But its Supported Living centre for single men, Lancaster House, is under threat because of budget cuts by the Labour-run council.
Although the council insists no firm decision has been made, the charity is taking no chances and has launched a Save Lancaster House campaign on Facebook, Twitter and YouTube (below).
The message is simple: shut Lancaster House and 38 people will be homeless.
What then? Thirty-eight more cases for Salford's adults' services? Or will the 38 just drift, 1980s-style, on to the streets to embark upon a life of anonymity?
Picture: Rex Features
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