AIBU to sleep on the streets in London?

[Glucose95]

Hello all,

I currently live in the Midlands at the moment and am looking for employment support but I am struggling to find any employment services that are helping me here.

I am finding it very hard to find a role in society. I graduated from University a couple of years ago and got good A Level grades (A* in Maths, A I’m History and A in Geography) but I am finding the jobsearch process very difficult due to my neurodiversity.

I have just been told by CareTradeUK (an organisation that was supporting me remotely) that their funding arrangement has changed now and they can only support individuals who are based in London.

This makes me sad as I have no one to support me now in finding employment and am finding it so hard.

A lot of the support is concentrated in London and there is not much here in the midlands.

I was thinking - would it be better if I moved to London and slept outside (ie. On the streets) for a bit so that I could access the job search support that is available in London?

I have a Blue Badge which I can bring with me and medical evidence.

I am finding it very hard to access employment support and I feel as if I don’t have a role in society without a job. My autism is making it very hard for me to find employment though.

What is it like living outside, and would I be able to access more support with jobsearch if I moved to London and slept outside for a bit?

Yes YABU. It is an absolutely awful, terrible idea to make yourself street homeless in London. I'm am so sorry for your stuggles but everything would be so much worse if you carried out this plan.

Yeah don’t do that. It won’t help you find work and it would put you in danger. Sorry you’re finding it very hard. There’s an organisation called Evenbreak you should look at. Best of luck.

Where in the Midlands are you? Do you live with family?

Please do not consider rough sleeping in London. It is incredibly dangerous and would put you in a far worse situation than you are in now.

You will be incredibly vulnerable if you choose to sleep rough. Please find another option

Don't do this.

What is you housing situation at the moment?

It's a very bad idea

Are you working right now ?

If not, are you claiming UC ? if so is this not the role of the DWP staff and don't you have to visit every 2 weeks or something ?

DO NOT make yourself intentionally homeless, a Local Authority will not have a duty of care to rehome you, there is such a short housing stock that they have to rehome families first.

You will not last a week on the streets of London.

That would be the wrong thing to do. You'd be putting yourself in a situation that's dangerous and very difficult to get out of.

What kind of work are you looking for? There'll be people on here who'll know about routes you can take and help you can get.

What's your current living situation?

what kind of job are you looking for? what is your degree in?

can groups like this help you

https://www.autism.org.uk/autism-services-directory/a/autism-support-west-midlands#:~:text=Autism%20Support%20specialises%20in%20Employment,paid%20employment%20and%20require%20support.

Quite aside from anything else do you think an employer will be happy to take on someone who lives on the streets?
The dangers etc are one thing but also as a strategy its deeply flawed

You would not be living in London. As in. You couldn’t prove you hadn’t just got off the coach from Birmingham. You wouldn’t have a London address. Don’t make yourself homeless. How are you going to get a job without a base to do banking, wash, change? You won’t get housed in London either as there is a massive queue in front of you.
I would try again for anything national or local to you for support. Sorry I can’t help but I wish you luck. I work with a couple of people with autism and I know how difficult it can be for them.

OP do you realise how dangerous that and unpleasant that would be? I know we are having good weather but in the dead of hint it will be freezing cold.

Sorry, OP . . . I can't understand how you would even begin to consider this as a serious option.

Please, please, please don't do this. There are so many serious issues surrounding the people who are sleeping rough in my city (where the council employ staff to help & support people living in the city centre, I believe). I would imagine London is much, much worse

I am sure that people with more experience & knowledge will come on here with helpful suggestions for you . . . please take their advice

Wishing you all the best OP

Under no circumstances do this. The fact that you're even considering it speaks volumes for your naivety and so you will be highly vulnerable to harm. If you have a home where you are, then even unemployed you are infinitely better off than street homeless in London, which is one of the worst set of circumstances you could ever be in, i promise you.
Have you spoken to a work coach at DWP? Could you contact Citizens Advice and ask for signposts to local agencies that support ND people? The Midlands is a big place, but if you're near one of the major cities there will be some support available from other schemes and charities.

Making yourself homeless would only make your issues significantly worse and you wouldn’t be living at a London address.

Could you contact your university careers service? As alumni they will want to see you do well and probably a bit more tailored to university graduate level roles. I hope others will be able to signpost you to help. Do you have family who can help you job search. Are you claiming benefits? I’d have thought they would have support to get you into work as well.

Please don’t make yourself homeless. It will make job hunting harder and with no London address you will still struggle to access support people living in London as well as it being very dangerous.

Please don't do this. It would be incredibly dangerous.

Can you afford to rent a room in London? At least you would have an address, and that would make job hunting much easier.

If you can't afford it, do you have family who would help you with your finances?

How about you try sleeping rough in your own garden for a week first, no home comforts, no nipping in for a shower or a round of toast, or accessing the tv when youre bored shitless... treat it like you are homeless.

I think you'd soon see the reality. Especially if you mimic actual homelessness and have your kit disappear (stolen or waterlogged), you set up a way to disturb your slumber (people are not kind, drunken yobs etc.), you find a way to mimic the feeling of Absolutely vulnerability that anyone can open your tent and stab you or rob you at any time... Yeah don't do it.

Do you WANT to be mugged and raped?

That's an absolutely batshit idea and you still can't access the job search support because you need a London address.

Please don't. We have homeless sleep in and around our hospital and it is a dangerous and awful way to live

This is a terrible idea. Stay put and ask to be referred to other services for ND people in your area.

If you are on the streets you won't get a job as you won't have an address. You will also likely be assaulted, peed on by drunks, robbed by other street homeless people while you sleep etc.

Better to be on benefits in sheltered housing than homeless and in danger.

This would make your situation 10000 times worse.

Rough sleeping in London is tough, miserable and very very dangerous, particularly for lone women..

What sort of jobs are you looking for? Why do you think you can only get a job in London?

Can your university careers service help you? Most will help graduates, especially recently ones as well as students. Many are offering online services now too.

If you have a local IAPT counselling service you can refer yourself to, they often offer employment help too.

You're not going to get a job if you're homeless, very few places will employ someone with no fixed address, and the ones who would wouldn't pay you enough to ever get situated in London, so you'd be stuck.

Don't deliberately make yourself more vulnerable. Living on the streets is awful for anyone, but for a lone ND woman (I presume woman?) it would basically be hell on earth.

I'm awfully sorry for your struggles but this is not the answer at all.