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?

Some streets in Central London are gold – literally paved with urine. Not trying to be nasty sorry but that's what the conditions are like for homeless people in London

Have you looked for apprenticeships? I work in a big financial services company that offers degree apprenticeships so pay you and also fund your degree - my company is good for supporting colleagues with ND also.

No. No. No.
Super dangerous!!
There must be another way. Anything else but sleeping rough in London

Don't do this. Speak to citizens advice and make sure you are claiming all you are entitled to, then go to the DWP (local job centre) and ask to speak to a disability employment advisor.

Making yourself homeless in London is such an insanely bad idea. Do not do this, ambitiousaboutautism often advertise jobs around the uk looking for autistic job seekers, most don’t tend to be in lindon.
have a google for other charities that help support they won’t all be London based. Being homeless in London is such such a bad idea, you will be trapped in a cycle as it will be hard to go from homeless to renting even if you get a job, do not do this.
i appreciate the difficulty as I also have autism and struggled for years with job seeking, but this is a terrible plan

Don’t do this.

Have you asked CareTradeUK who is taking over the contract in the midlands? My husband used to deal in the contracts for Welfare to Work programmes and they often change hands.

Also gently suggesting you reach out to your GP to talk about your state of mind. You are suggesting something that’s quite a jump and whilst I realise you may find it difficult to see the wood for the trees, putting yourself in danger/at risk, won’t be the answer.

Please do not do that.

OP, I assume you're currently on benefits? If you're struggling to find a job have you considered spending some time volunteering. You're supposed to do at least 30 hours job search a week but you can spend up to 15 of those volunteering without affecting your benefits. That would help you find a role in society, get you some valuable experience and hopefully distract you from one of the most lunatic ideas I've heard in a long long time. Honestly you don't want to be homeless London or anywhere else.

I used to be a local councillor. a man once turned up at my advice bureau just as i was leaving on a cold snowy night - he was homeless, hadn't been able to wash for a week (because the local public toilet and pool recently closed) was wearing filthy clothes and had had his sleeping bag and blanket nicked which is why he'd come in - he didn't actually know I was doing a bureau he just hoped he could sneak in and sleep in the community centre. He'd not had a hot drink for a couple of days and the less said about how he smelt and the state of his clothes the better. It took me hours to get him into emergency accommodation. Thankfully the community centre I was at had showers and a kettle. He told me a lot about his life while we waited for the emergency housing officer to call back - nice chap - often wonder what happened to him... and because the homeless are so often referred to as "they" or "him" or "her" I'd like to add he wasn't "him" his name was Richard

Sorry to hear of your situation. Living on the streets on London isn't a good idea.

Might be worth contacting https://www.youarevalued.co.uk/

Don't do it!

London has more homeless people than anywhere else in the country, and being street homeless there is very dangerous. Violence, rapes, difficulty accessing medical care, theft.

I don't know if you think being street homeless will get you housed in London? London housing departments gatekeep to an extreme extent even if you're priority need (children or disability or another vulnerability). Local news where my friend lives reported recently on a mother fleeing DV. She was left on a park bench overnight with her young DC.

Also in your circumstances they'll probably say you're intentionally homeless and ineligible for housing.

If you do manage to get accepted they'll probably refer you back to your home area because you need local eligibility.

Even if you get accepted by a London council, it will be temporary accommodation, and London temporary accommodation is particularly horrific. It's also often outside London so you wouldn't even be in London to get any support from the job organisation you mentioned.

Also worth knowing that many London support services, perhaps including the one you're interested in, look good on paper but it's a facade. Phone calls never answered, gatekeeping on referrals, very limited eligibility criteria, often closed to new clients for indefinite periods, poorly trained staff who never turn up or call and don't actually provide the support you need.

I've got friends from and in various parts of the UK and ime there's much better support schemes for all types of disability (work opportunities and housing) outside of London.

Don't do this. Honestly you would be better off never having a job and living on pip and ESA then this.

Where abouts in the Midlands are you?

If east midlands there is a charity called autism east midlands that may be able to help you :)

I don't know where you are in the Midlands but there's this organisation. Have you tried them?

https://www.autismeastmidlands.org.uk/adult-services/employment-services/

Edit. Cross posted with the above poster

Are you saying that a street sleeper in London has got a better chance of a job? Your logic is faulty.

Apart from all the dangers, sleeping outside in London isn't the same thing as having an address in London. Without the address, I doubt you'll be able to access any of the services you want to use. Sorry you're feeling so desperate OP (bunch of flowers) can't find the emoji!

No.
because it’s dangerous.
very bad for your health, both physical and mental. Ill health amongst people who are homeless is so high.
Far more difficult to find employment when you don’t have an address.

Look for other places for support, as suggested upthread.

I hope you find a job and happiness but please don’t put yourself at risk by living on the streets.

I think you've got it the other way round. The reason there's more support for people in London is because homeless/jobless/etc people have it worse in London I feel.

Good God, no! Do not sleep in the street. Anywhere!

Awful idea. There are a lot of bad people out there and plenty of stories of homeless people being spat at, weed on, attacked and even having their sleeping bags set on fire. You would be at risk of all of that and more, like having your things stolen, being attacked, physical or sexual assault.

Please try to access support where you are. If there are no organisations that can help you, why not reach out to your old school, friends or teachers and see if they can help you with CV polishing or mock interviews.

What sort of job do you want?

Please don't make yourself homeless it'll be a extremely bad idea a home is important and hard to come by

No do not move to London to sleeo on the street. Beside it is awful, unsafe, dangerous for the majority of jobs you need an physical address, you will not have that on the street.

The support service you use are moving but surely there is others. Firstly ask then if they can refer you to a similar service. (They probably can but may not do so unless asked so you need to ask).Could you contact Citzens advice or your local job Centre for advice?

Could you contact your former University Career's office and see if they can advise somewhere to contact.

@Glucose95 As a teenager, I WAS street homeless for a while in London {For reasons I can't go into here}

It is DANGEROUS, Predatory men abound- dirty, washing is really hard - Hunger is real, it's absolute insanity to wilfully be considering this.

I eventually found a squat to live in, got my life together thanks to a wonderful hostel {now closed} and now own a house which I am forever grateful for.

Do not opt to street sleep.

Washing oneself while street homeless is terribly difficult.
Public lavatories ..
One cannot keep neat looking while sleeping rough.

No employer will touch you!
Your clothes will soon become dirty.

Lying on hard concrete is painful.

Sleeping places {Dry and out of direct rain} are in high demand, and other homeless will turf you off.

Robbery is common.

I can't believe you are contemplating this.

You sound a really humane person.
When I was homeless {not through choice! } I'd not eaten for days- I was quietly crying on a winter's night, and a woman asked what was wrong- I said that I was hungry.

She bought me a packet of chips- steaming, salty and vinegary- I still feel my eyes pricking at her kindness... That was one of the best meals I have ever had.

When one is truly hungry, food is all you can think about.

I do often think about that angelic woman- Wherever she is, Thank you!

Life on the streets , especially for a young woman is incredibly tough.

Bless you @oakleaffy I'm glad things have improved for you now.

I once took a young homeless lass (maybe 17) to MacDonalds at one of the main London stations. Poor kid - I just wanted to scoop her up and give her a hug - chocolate milkshake and a burger meal hardly seemed to cover it - I sometimes wish I'd done more for her. It makes me angry that some people just drop through the net like that.

Don't be so ridiculous!!!!