London

Ben

38 years old

“I’ve been spat at, kicked. I’ve had things thrown at me. On Christmas Eve, two guys tried to pick up one of these trash bins, and dropped it on me when I was half asleep. Someone once tried setting fire to my sleeping bag. I’ve had people try peeing on me.”

Ben has been homeless for 14 years due to a separation, and consecutive substance abuse and depression with suicidal tendencies. Despite the worry about the impact his death would have had on his family, he no longer felt he had anything to live for – that his life was useless.

Bobby

44 years old

“I’ve noticed, it’s not people who have money who give to you, it’s always people who have next to nothing who give to you.”

Ben is of Scottish origin, and arrived in London in 1994. He has been homeless intermittently for 16 years now, with occasional periods of a couple of months spent in hostels. Ben is a qualified roofer but has been able to find neither employment, due to his being unable to provide a current address, nor an apartment, due to having no job. Without any acquaintances to help him, he is stuck in this vicious circle.

Bobby’s pitbull.

Being a dog owner he is allowed into only two hostels in London, both of which have a restriction of two dogs per night, a concept Ben finds puzzling as the vast majority of homeless people have dogs. In his social life, Ben doesn’t have much interaction with others, stating: “I stick to myself. I have my dog, I’m happy.”

Christopher

47 years old

“I know what I am, and I don’t want my children to see their father like this.”

Christopher has been on the streets for five and a half years. Six years ago his mother died of cancer in his arms; three months later his wife was murdered in a hit and run. The culprit was never caught or charged for the crime, and Christopher had to go and identify her body. After that Christopher’s life fell apart. Not only was he dealing with two terrible losses but also with survivor’s guilt. The night his wife died she had come home from work and he had asked her to go for some beers; the accident happened that night.

Cathy

40 year old

“I couldn’t just abandon my dogs, that wouldn’t have been fair to them, it’s not their fault I ended up on the street.”

In 2014, Cathy was dealing with depression after losing her mother. Employed as a bus inspector at the time, Cathy lost her job due to her depression. She was unable to sign up for a work program and also lost all her benefits, which totalled £104 pounds every two weeks. Not having a source of income, she couldn’t pay her rent and ended up on the streets with her two teenage boys. A volunteer at Steetlyte (a charity for the homeless) helped her find housing, and employment as a cleaner. “It’s a rough life even today, but a lot better than a few years ago.“

John

44 years old

“Some people are nice, some aren’t. We did have a couple of security guys around who got off by beating up homeless people. They were taking terrible liberties with a lot of people, not just the homeless. Drugging women, making them strip to their knickers and bras, which is not allowed. Not even the police can do that.“

John has been homeless for 20 years. His situation is a result of a deep depression that took root at the age of fifteen, triggered in part by a long period of obesity. “I come from a generation where you only go to the hospital if your life depended on it, otherwise they wouldn’t treat you.”

Nina

38 years old

“I don’t really have any difficulties.”

In 2011, Nina left Germany for Belfast to be with her partner, but the relationship turned abusive and she ended up leaving him. Nina had everything she needed in Belfast: a nice flat, a job and a social life, but due to those unfortunate circumstances she had to leave everything behind. A friend in Manchester took her under her wing during this time. Though she eventually managed to find her own flat in the city, in 2015 she lost both it and her right to the benefits that allowed her to afford it when laws for European job seekers changed. Unemployed at the time, she became homeless.

Stephano

60 years old

“Can I tell you something? I would like to die.”

Stephano is of Italian origin, from a wealthy family. He arrived in London 40 years ago to study English, but has been homeless for over ten years now. “I split from the missus. I don’t know what happened.” Stephano had a career in special effects for television. Together with his spouse, he used to have an income of over £6000 a month, a significant sum of money back in the 70s and 80s, which enabled his ownership of a house and apartment. His life back then was luxurious. He used to brush elbows with celebrities and attend high-class parties.

“Mike”

33 years old

“I know that I am a psychopath.”

Mike is of Polish origin and has been in London since 2007. (Mike wishes to stay anonymous, so his name has been changed for this interview.) Arriving in the UK, Mike’s life was easy. He describes himself as a very intelligent person, which meant finding a job was not difficult. “It was actually very easy.” Mike currently stocks shelves for a living. On his salary he is able to afford a hostel. Mike has lived on the streets, in shelters, and in hostels for the last two and a half years. His current situation is a result of a mental breakdown. He was diagnosed with autism at an early age; which makes social interaction with others a challenge, but that also provides him with ease and a gift for numbers. He worked as a programmer.

Tom

54 years old

“Some people just give you loads of money.”

Tom has been on the streets for more than ten years, after his job as a brick labourer left him unable earn enough money to pay rent for a proper flat. During his period of squatting, he was assaulted by the same three people he used to live with and thus chose to leave for his own safety. He has been homeless ever since. Unable to provide proof of residence, he couldn’t keep his job and ended up travelling across England

Rudy

60 years old

“It’s been one hell of a life.”

Rudy is the founder of Streetlytes, a charity for the homeless that he started in 2009. Rudy arrived in the UK in 2005. At the time he was not only homeless, but also dealing with drug addiction (crack cocaine mostly) as well as his mental illness: bipolar disorder. Rudy was formerly a legal secretary but didn’t manage to keep his job under the stress of mental illness and drug addiction at the same time. After being deported from the United States in 2003 he went to Germany, remaining there for three years until he moved to the UK, seeking a fresh start. Arriving in London, he spent six months on the streets