A Greater Manchester PR agency has decided that instead of giving Christmas cards they would give to the homeless and instead of just clicking donate, went into Manchester city centre on a damp December afternoon and spoke to a few of the people who were on the streets.
Viva PR took people on face value, offered them a brew and something to eat and then started chatting. Here are some of the people they met.
Luke’s Story
Luke used to walk past homeless people on the street and never once thought he would be in that situation himself. That was until the breakdown of his relationship forced him onto the street.
Three years later he is still sleeping rough in a car park and spending his days sitting in shop fronts watching people going by. With his cardboard sign beside him, Luke sits on top of his rucksack which protects him from the wet pavement and hopes someone will stop to talk to him or offer him a bit of spare change
He says he usually gets enough money each day to buy something to eat, but without an address he is not eligible to claim any benefits and he relies solely on other people’s generosity to get by.
Luke, 27, travelled to Manchester from Leeds with his brother who was also homeless, in January, as he says he was getting a hard time from some people for living on the street.
A former roofer, Luke used to earn £90 a day and he says it’s a myth that all homeless people are on drink or drugs.
He’s going to take advantage of a homeless event at FC United over Christmas. The football club are providing free food, showers and entertainment on Christmas Day at Broadhurst Park in Moston for those like Luke who are sleeping rough in Manchester.
The Old Nag’s Head pub is also throwing open its doors on Christmas Day to feed the homeless. For Luke and people like him, this will probably be the closest thing they get to experiencing Christmas spirit this year. With no family to call on, and nowhere special to go to spend Christmas with loved ones, it certainly makes you feel grateful for what you have.
Research from the charity Crisis shows that homeless men on average die at 47 years old and women at 43 years old, in stark contrast to the average life expectancy for the general population which for men is 79 years and for women 83 years (2012-14).
Peter’s Story
In St Anne’s Square Peter said he had been on the streets for about six years. He said his life turned upside down when he found his wife and best friend together.
Peter wasn’t a fan of staying in homeless shelters or hostels. He said that while a lot of people were kind to him, a lot more told him to get a job. Before becoming homeless he’d been labouring. He was on the pavement in the rain as opposite him people were partying in the German markets.
Mark’s Story
Mark spends his days on Cross Street. He has everything he owns packed into two bags at his feet. His cup is empty but he smiles: – “There’s always someone worse off, isn’t there?”
He’s only been on the streets for six months. He says he ended up there after he’d split up from his girlfriend and he had nowhere else to go. At first he went to a local hostel but now he says he avoids them but doesn’t say why. But he does point proudly to a bag containing his tent.
Mark told us that not everyone on the street during the day was homeless, and suggested many of those asking for money, particularly during the day, weren’t genuine.
He had a friend who was also homeless and they looked after one another. When the weather gets too bad he goes to the central library. ‘They let me go on the computers and stay warm.’
At night he heads down to the canal near Deansgate and pitches his tent in a place where ‘no-one hassles me.’
The number of rough sleepers in Manchester has increased 10-fold in the last five years to more than 70 a night.
Harry’s Story
Harry has spent the past three months sleeping rough after splitting up with his partner and sleeps in a tent he pitches up each night. With no family to help him, he relies solely on hand-outs from passers-by and lives each day hoping he will have enough to eat.
The definition of a rough sleeper is a person sleeping in the open air such as a car park, disused building, or doorway. But the problem of homelessness is much wider and includes all those who are living in temporary, insecure or unsuitable accommodation such as B&B’s, hostels, sofa-surfing.
Darren’s story
We spoke to Darren, who told us he’s been homeless since 2000. He used to run his own small business but lost this after his wife died.
Before he was on the streets Darren says he used to walk past homeless people and think “get a job” – he says it’s too easy to end up on the street.
Like another homeless man we spoke to, what Darren wanted was £15 so he could spend the night in a local hotel.
Darren sits outside the former Nat West bank on Piccadilly Gardens, where a few homeless people congregate close to the cash machines. When the bank was open a couple of Christmases ago, Darren said the manager invited him in to play his penny whistle for the managers who were having a meeting there. They did a collection for him and Darren walked away with £300 and loads of food. “That was me sorted for Christmas,” he says.
We asked Darren if he’d seen any changes in the sorts of people on the streets in the last few years. He says there are a few more women now, but he has noticed an increase overall, and he puts this down to drug addiction – he says drugs are too easy to get hold of and get addicted to, and he thinks that’s why more people are on the streets.
For Darren it’s his faith and learning to play his penny whistle that keeps him going. He says he could hardly play at all when he started, but he keeps practising and has all the notes written out – he says it’s important for him to learn something. Darren credits being a Christian with helping him to get through every day. Every morning before he sits down at his regular spot outside the Nat West he says a prayer, and “Every night I ask God to make sure I wake up the following morning.”
Darren is on the housing list, but doesn’t seem too hopeful that he’ll get a place anytime soon. He’s trying to claim benefits by using the hostel address, but as he can’t be registered as living there it’s proved difficult to get any help.
David’s story
We also spoke to David who has been homeless since December last year.
David usually sleeps on the porch of Debenhams, alongside a friend he has met since becoming homeless, also called David.
David spoke of how his family broke down after a domestic incident. At the time he was living in Salford, but after losing everything he found himself coming to Manchester sleeping on the streets and relying on donations for money.
He says that he doesn’t like living on the streets but has no one to turn to, and would prefer to be back in jail as he had been previously.
He’s been on the waiting list for a room with the Salvation Army for the past year now, but isn’t very hopeful that he’ll find shelter any time soon.
Having nothing to live for, he said he’s ended up stealing and was run over by two cars when he was being chased by the police. Having broken multiple bones he was in hospital for two months, which provided him with the food and shelter he desperately wanted.
We asked David, who was stood with two friends, what they wanted the most to help them in the short-term, to which they replied ‘an umbrella’. So we bought three large umbrellas which we hope will help provide them with some extra shelter, which they so desperately need this Christmas.
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