When we pass by someone experiencing homelessness on the streets, we see them for just a brief second. Have you ever wandered what 24 hours looks like for someone on the streets?
There's no average day in the life for
people experiencing homelessness. To be homeless means to be without a home.
This could include rough sleeping, living in squats, temporary accommodation or
sofa surfing.
We’ll answer this question by discussing the
experiences of the people we support. We hope it will shed some light on what
24 hours can look like when you’re experiencing homelessness.
An early morning start.
For people experiencing homelessness, the days often begin early. Local homeless day centres serve breakfast at the start of the day. Many of the people we support sleep outside the city centre. The walk into the city can take some time. Tim* beds away from the city centre where it's quieter and safer. But, each day, he makes a 3 mile walk into town to access the local day centre, get a hot breakfast and shower.
Heading to work.
We may think that people experiencing homelessness don’t work. But, homelessness puts a person at greater risk of exploitation, as exploiters prey on people in vulnerable situations, who are in desperate need of money.
When we first met Fred*, a Bulgarian
national who was homeless, his “employer” gave him a bed in a cellar each night
in exchange for his day of work. The days were long - often 12 hours - and pay was
well below minimum wage. Like Fred, Chris* worked a
cash-in-hand job for twelve hours straight, earning just five pounds a day. He
told us he did this as begging was too humiliating.
Homelessness pushes people into
increasingly vulnerable situations. Steph* lost her job at the
beginning of the pandemic. As an EU migrant classed as having no recourse to
public funds, she couldn’t receive housing support and soon found herself
homeless. With few options, she has turned to survival sex to earn money for a
bed for the night.
Finding food and shelter.
Various services and soup kitchens serve food throughout the day. These are held at different locations across the city, which means a lot of walking. For Tim, his afternoons are spent walking to a friend's house on the other side of Leeds. For a few hours each day his friend lets him kip on his sofa. This short rest is often the most sleep he’ll get all day.
Jacob* spent his days
wandering around the city with all his possessions in a bag on his bacl,
because, he told us, he “had nothing else to do”. He followed a similar
route each day, which would always go through his favourite park. If it was quiet,
he’d stop and sit down on a park bench. But, if there were too many people,
he’d carry on walking, fearful that the public would stare and make snide comments.
Coping with loneliness.
Homelessness can be an incredibly lonely and isolating experience. Lots of people we support often tell us that they are ignored, and few people talk to them.
Ben* is in temporary
accommodation after spending many years on the streets. He has anxiety and
keeps away from the other residents. But, his mental health is suffering. Our
outreach workers will often meet him to spend time with him, go for walks and
discuss his plans for the week to help create a routine. This emotional support
is important and helps with feelings of loneliness.
Trying to get support.
Most services open from 9-5 and this is when our clients will have appointments with them. Trying to break the cycle of homelessness while also coping with a drug or alcohol dependency or mental ill health is incredibly difficult. The journey towards positive, sustainable change can be a long one, with many setbacks along the way.
As we’ve mentioned at the start of this
blog post, each person’s experience of homelessness is different, and there’s
no typical day. For many people we support, trying to get access to support,
food and shelter can take a huge chunk out of the day. It’s often an incredibly
lonely 24 hours, and people on the streets are particularly vulnerable to
exploitative situations.
Can you give £13.08 to provide an hour’s
worth of support to someone experiencing homelessness? That’s the hourly cost
of our outreach work. With an hour, we can have a coffee and a chat with a
person who is rough sleeping and begin to build a relationship with someone who
has given up on services. Donate today.
*Real names not used