I used to live on the streets AMA

[Jazzhan]

I'll answer honestly.

How did you end up being on the streets?

How did you get off the streets?

I had a really good job, but I had split up with an ex, so was living in hostel accommodation (tourist hostels) as I didn't have enough for a month rent and month deposit. I finally rented a room in a house, but the windows were broken, there were pigeons living in the windows. I got a severe chest infection and didn't have a GP. So I continued going to work until I literally couldn't go anymore. I was also alcohol dependent. So, I went home to this hovel and drank for a few days, desperately needing antibiotics, but being totally on my own. I wasn't being paid for being off sick, so after three days, I went back to work. On the way to work, I bought a tiny bottle of vodka and a bottle of cranberry juice as I desperately needed alcohol. I went to work, at about 11am, I left to go to a pharmacy and went to a pub instead. I then texted my manager saying that I was struggling with alcoholism. He fired me.
I then called the violent ex and he came to stay with me (he was a labourer). He was working for an outfit that had intermittent work. They had no work for 2 weeks. We couldn't pay the rent, so were turfed out.

Did you get to know any other people who lived on the streets? Did you look out for each other?

How helpful were the council in finding you accomodation?

Attacks on homeless people seem to be rising (tho maybe just reported more), what has caused this?

What was your relationship with the police like?

I got off the streets because my brother and sister came over and found me and brought me to the Irish embassy. I was given a one way travel document home to Ireland. I stayed in my Dad's house (vacant apart from me, it was my late grandmother's). I got ID sorted and saved up enough to go back to London to my now ex who had gotten work again in London. My family got him home too, so that he could save a bit of money up.

What is your life like now?

Are you still with your partner? Drinking? In employment? Kids? Happy?

Yes, I got to know a lot. Mostly Polish where I was (Edmonton). They were very nice and would share drink between us all if they had any. We would share drink and tobacco with them.
I was robbed by other homeless, so I wouldn't say they looked out for us. I was homeless with my ex, so I had someone looking out for me.

There was no council who could help. I had gone to the library and posted that I was homeless, so a friend who was in NZ, got in touch with Streetlink. They came and found us, but because we had not been in any borough for 6 months, they couldn't help us.

I was never attacked. Just abuse about being scum etc., but never attacked. Apart from one sort of turf war, where I got mouthy with a group who had a dog shitting in the park area I used to sleep so they pulled a knife on my ex.

The police were fine and would just tell you to move on if you were sleeping outside an establishment that reported you (Tescos), or if you were begging (I had a sign and just sat on the street reading as it was humiliating). You constantly had to keep an eye out for them as they'd move you and it was horrible. The police were sympathetic.
Parks police had a card they'd hand out with agencies who could help, but we didn't qualify for any help. Police were dumbfounded really. They knew us well and their main concern was us drinking alcohol in the park.

I now have a council flat. I've had a pretty good year, but unfortunately depression has hit me badly recently. I'm still struggling with alcohol. I split with my ex last September 2017.

Did anybody ever come along and offer you any food etc? As in just a general members of the public not organisations. I feel i will make this one of the things i would like to start doing in the new year when i can x

We’re you on the streets in the winter?

Yes, some people would leave food (one person used to leave a tesco meal deal by our sleeping bag in the morning - we never spotted her, so ex would eat that. He was more likely to get food, I was more likely to get money). We used to beg outside one particular chicken shop, and when he was closing up, he'd give us whatever he had left over. You had to be careful where you begged, as some shop owners wouldn't allow you to beg there. A couple of religious groups would offer us food if we'd go to their church. We always turned that down. A lot of people would buy you something from McDonalds maybe (by a lot, I mean one every 3-4 days).

No, it was May to July and it was a good summer.

Op well done for taking the steps to turn it around. Please make sure you look after yourself now and seek help for your depression.

Do you think people giving money when you beg is helpful? Or would it be better to donate to homeless charities? I ask because I don’t give money to people begging. Mainly because you never know if they are genuine and also because I don’t want to help to fund an addiction. What do you think it the best way to help?

Why would you turn down help from religious groups when in your hour of need?

We couldn't access any charities, so really were dependent on begging. I don't give to homeless charities myself now, I give to women on the streets. The worst part of the day was waking up hungry with no tobacco or alcohol and knowing that you were going to have to go and sit on the street and beg. I would beg until I had enough for a pouch of tobacco and a bottle of cider. People seem to think that homeless people spend the day begging. You don't. You get the bare minimum and then you go to the park to drink (you also need to be somewhere that has public toilets.).
If you've never been on the streets, you'll never know the humiliation of begging. The baptist church had a breakfast on a Friday morning, and another night, a long walk away, there was a soup kitchen.

The religious groups were kind, but they seemed to me that they were more concerned with converting me to their religion than helping me. Their offers of help were conditional.

We couldn't access any charities, so really were dependent on begging.

This horrifies me. How can a charity not help someone who is homeless? Why weren’t you eligible for help? I had no idea that there was a threshold you had to meet, I just assumed being homeless would be enough

No, you needed to be in the borough over 6 months, you needed ID, you needed to be English etc etc.

The Baptist church and the soup kitchen didn't have thresholds. If you showed up you were fed.
Any service to get you off the streets though had requirements. You couldn't just rock up and say you needed help.

It's also very difficult to prove you have lived in the borough when you've never had tenancy agreements, all your documents have been stolen etc.

The most frustrating thing was people telling us to just go to the council. I know they meant well, but when you've been told that ain't going to work, you just nod and smile and let them think that they were the first person who thought of that.

I see, just seems one long depressing cycle.

Thank you for answering my questions.

If my siblings hadn't come over, I'd still be on the streets.

We used to fantasize about what the first meal would be that we'd cook if we ever got off the streets.

I don't have any questions, but I want you to know that I am praying for you and hope you can turn your life around. You have made amazing steps, well done!

Would AA meetings help perhaps? Are they free? Can you find any in your area?

Any chance you can go to a GP and tackle the depression (perhaps anti depressants?)

I'm on antidepressants, just 8 days, so hoping they'll start to work soon. I don't agree with AA.
Happy New Year everyone. Hope it's a safe and prosperous one.

How are the Salvation Army, do they help as much as they would have us believe?