The Truth About UK Homelessness: It's Not Just About Money and Housing

[Music] homeless people in the UK are collectively referred to as rough sleepers and according to unofficial estimates there are over three hundred thousand people in this category this is double the number five years ago these individuals are not refugees or immigrants from Africa or Asia they are citizens of the United Kingdom itself homeless people here are not just adults or middle-aged men recently there's been a significant increase in the proportion of women and those aged between 16 and 24. they are young strong and generally in good physical condition yet they still wonder and sleep on the streets [Music] oh [Music] tents look strangely out of place in the commercial areas of cities set among the offices and shops with cars and people passing by these tents are however the only shelter these people have most of those sleeping rough don't even have a tent in which to shelter instead they lurk in various public spaces in the city like sidewalks Parks bus stops under bridges and at the corners of buildings homeless people come from various backgrounds and circumstances yet they've all found themselves on the street many rely on welfare and charity While others find intermittent work some Survive by begging the distinction between the homeless and Beggars is not always clear some homeless people have jobs but sleep on the streets due to insufficient income to pay for accommodation conversely some Beggars have homes While others find themselves both begging and homeless some Beggars choose this path as an easier way to earn money finding it faster and more convenient than working some beg because they don't have a job like this girl a lack of paid work stems from health issues particularly problems with her leg which hinders her ability to secure steady employment I've got the info see Neil they did well I got up six weeks and even text I got scoliosis clip of the syndrome rheumatoid arthritis and my knees and my spine they think they are going to be in a wheelchair by the time I'm 40. so I'd rather um get 12 points a week is cheaper so that's what I might eat here to win all right so you sitting here hoping that you get 12 pounds a day in order Yankee I get food so I can take home and then I need things like I need things like I'm underwear and smellies obviously because I haven't got anything you know I haven't got any clothes just what I'm wearing um and so I'm trying to get Benny to get all that stuff as well foreign the site of homeless people leaning against the wall of a shop or curled up on the sidewalk raises questions did they end up here and how can they be helped it is clear that there's no single cause of homelessness but it is partially the result of Economics families social structure and the problems faced by the individuals I was homeless when I was 18. why um because so I came to Cardiff from Northwest England when I was 17 to live with my mom um and things didn't work out on my 18th birthday my mom was and a violent relationship with my stepdad and basically rather than choking my stepdad out she checked me out and so I ended up being homeless on the streets basically I got made homeless when I was 18 18. yeah um me and my mama grew basically kicked me out and I had somewhere else to go and went to the her good they give me floor space um I've been sleeping rough since having health problems or issues with family members doesn't necessarily result in homelessness though the underlying reasons are often insufficient income or the lack of a supportive family that accepts and cares for them individual backgrounds and personalities can of course play a big part and I feel free when I'm homeless I don't have any uh you know when I want to cut off my family and I left that flat it was like a I cut a weight off and I'm free it's nice to some days just pick up my stuff and go anywhere I want yeah no burdens no no just just me and that's it most of the homeless people we encounter are men as living rough poses a greater risk for women nonetheless the number of homeless women is on the rise another Factor preventing escape from living on the streets is drug addiction I was on drugs I'm on a methadone script though so I'm coming after afterwards I'm off the drugs today oh you're clean now yeah yeah I'm on the macdone and hopefully but it's not holding me so I'm not very well at the moment um I'm only unfair emails which is nothing you know to what I was smoking um so it's a theme now there's nothing you know but I've got doctor's appointment tomorrow and they're going to say I think so hopefully because I don't want to go back to losing you know have been sleeping bag and personal belongings were packed into a black bag before she left to find a good place to beg if she can collect enough today to pay the rent the sleeping bag won't be needed tonight when she's out of sight no one knows if she is still abusing drugs the cabinet is full of new syringes in sterile packets while the yellow bin contains the used ones the cycle of drug addiction and hard to find money needed to support the Habit is how many people end up stranded on the streets which in turn makes it difficult for them to get off drugs the Haggard Center is a homeless shelter run by an NGO it provides clean needles for homeless people who use drugs while this doesn't do much to stop drug abuse at least clean needles can reduce other health problems which come from using a dirty needle I think one of the important things is we're trying to meet people where they are at the moment and pretending people are not using drugs and not providing them with needles just means that they're going to put themselves in danger and if they're putting themselves a danger we're not looking after their welfare so we're very much trying to meet people where they are at the moment and and not stressing they can suddenly give up um you know using substances even with free clean needles drugs cannot be taken in the center there are many who take the view that this may actually encourage homeless people to continue using drugs but the provision of clean needles has long been an accepted practice in many European countries probably because it has been shown to significantly reduce the number of drug-related deaths and infections while easing the burden on state provided Health infrastructure it's almost difficult because when people come to need exchange very often it's because they want to use drugs at that moment but obviously as we get to know people and build up trust we can actually help them further so for example we've we've had I think it was something like 90 people um you know last year who we got into Rehabilitation programs so that's getting clean of drugs now we wouldn't have been able to do that if we hadn't met them where they are now rather than expecting them to to be abstaining in addition to the clean needle service there's also an emergency room for use during the cold British autumn and winter when outside temperatures can fall below zero for several days at a time so this is our emotionally overnight stay accommodation right so if we're not able to put people on hostel which is most of the time because there's always full rather than having people out in the streets people can come in here and it'll be safe and warm we'll have staff here all the way through the night we'll provide breakfast for people and we have what we call the pods here the space is divided into small cubicles with just enough space to put a bid the room's doorway has gaps at the top and bottom so the supervisors can easily check on the well-being of the occupants inside the room there are personal belongings and a winter coat hangs in the corner some rooms have towels and clothes draped over the door there are a total of 20 bedrooms like this here but there are not enough for the number of homeless people across England tens of thousands of homeless people are on waiting lists for shelters because public private and Emergency Shelters have been full for the last decade while budget constraints hinder the building of new ones and why can't you build more um well it's just we haven't got the finances for it and we do get we do get funding for everyone homeless men and women dwell in a small Hall where men huddle on benches outside the rooms in the small kitchen the staff are serving hot soup beans and fish a homeless man is enjoying his soup in the corner while two others stand in line instead of giving away free food it is sold at a very low price which the homeless can afford this policy aims to raise awareness about the value of food and promote a positive attitude towards homelessness to prevent them feeling that they are begging for whatever is provided people's locks the looks of people really yeah because they looks you like you'll build it on a day on the bottom of the issue when we're not we are human we're all human beings at the end of the day sorry that we ain't got a house to go back to and things like that but yeah there are some drug users and some alcoholics on the streets but we're not all the same drugs in my life [Music] foreign purple double decker bus runs slowly down the road this vehicle is not like the city's regular buses because it's been designed specifically to serve the homeless in addition to insufficient emergency housing a surprising number of homeless people appear willing to live close to starvation eating meals on the roadside instead of having a full meal or sleeping in a warm shelter shared with other people There are rules and regulations that must be followed when living in the shelter such as specific entry and exit times to avoid disturbing others many people don't like this lifestyle and choose to live freely outside more importantly when drugs are involved the users tend to avoid the shelters where drugs are strictly prohibited huge amounts of people because of the stress and strains that they face and taking drugs and alcohol abuse which adds pressure to families and sometimes families really don't know how to cope with that and so the only way very often they can cope is by you know putting their family member out because it's disrupting the whole family when the homeless people don't come to seek help at the shelter the purple bus provides a Mobile Assistant service bus is a good platform to engage with people not as an institution so it is a public space because we are bringing the service to the service users and there are sleepers who normally wouldn't engage with the institution so it's you know they can't jump on and jump out of the bus as they pleased and they will still get their support as much as they would like us to support them with a warm drink on a cold day a piece of soft bread and freshly baked pastries along with the smiles and Hospitality of the staff create a sense of Refuge exactly you know homeless people who are transient who are chaotic who have issues they've done one bureaucracy they want a simple process that would help them initially to get off the streets it's as simple as that and unfortunately we provide this we've got a very simple approach to to helping people we listen to their needs and address what they need us to address initially and from then on they move on it's their decision [Music] in addition to food the inside of the bus is arranged like a small lounge or waiting room where the homeless can take a temporary but welcome rest there's even a washing machine ready to be of service to anyone who needs to wash clothes when the bus is parked volunteers prepare drinks and snacks to distribute to the homeless while people wait to receive Food staff will engage in conversation to build trust which may eventually lead to further assistance being provided this young woman left her home at the age of 18 due to domestic violence after 10 years of living on the streets and relying on this bus for sustenance she was finally granted permanent housing assistance from the government now you have the flat yeah yeah what's your plan for now um this moving on with my life really getting a job um I'm just making myself proud looking forward Not Looking Back so yeah what are you a doob job um I don't know I don't care I don't care I just want to say job daily income and like it's something to wake up for in the morning go out to work come home just that just routine normality nice nice company really they are they're amazing people amazing people they've got heart of gold so yeah it's amazing it's amazing what they do it's amazing yeah yeah basically basically yeah if you want to see more great content from all over the world please like the video subscribe to our Channel and hit the Bell icon thank you the issue of homelessness in England is becoming increasingly serious real estate prices in London continue to rise in a city which is already one of the most expensive in which to live in the world meanwhile the income of ordinary people and social welfare benefits have not kept pace moreover the availability of affordable housing for low-income people has decreased and the organizations which provide accommodation are facing budget cuts the policy of reducing housing welfare payments for people aged 18 to 25 has resulted in Rising numbers of new homeless especially among the young and female population individually they have stories of facing domestic violence experiencing failures in life struggling with drug problems and dealing with other personal challenges I don't know I don't know I don't know why there's more homeless women now than there was back then we see regular females that's decided to to to be Street Homeless or new females but they help they want to they want to get move on from from Street homelessness and find accommodation relatively quickly so they're more motivated because they recognize themselves as as more vulnerable on the streets than men would feel obviously things like substance misuse is a major issue amongst young people but also we're seeing a lot of people who have never really had the opportunity to have a settled life so they've been looked after by the local Authority perhaps we have people who've been abuse victims as children um and so very often people just haven't had that stability that we all need when we're growing up [Music] sociologists have discovered that the number of homeless people varies based on Urban Development the more developed a city becomes the greater the number of homeless tends to be the rapid increase in the homeless population has driven the British government to allocate a budget exceeding a billion pounds to tackle this issue nevertheless simply offering shelters and distributing food will not resolve the problem of homelessness it is a complex problem on the streets and in the shadows there are those who have both unwillingly and intentionally become homeless I love you yes I do I understand all my money on you every day when you say that I'm not gonna check anymore foreign [Music]

Channel: Robloak

Views: 853,420

Keywords: Documentary, Documentaries, Reportage, Culture, News, World

Id: 7YdC5v68Y5k

Length: 18min 31sec (1111 seconds)

Published: Fri Aug 18 2023