0:00:02 > 0:00:05This programme contains some strong language.
0:00:08 > 0:00:10How are you doing, buddy? You all right?
0:00:10 > 0:00:12'I'm Professor Green.
0:00:12 > 0:00:15'It's a cold December night in Manchester
0:00:15 > 0:00:18'and a large crowd has gathered at this soup kitchen.'
0:00:18 > 0:00:20How many people are you feeding?
0:00:20 > 0:00:22Over 150.
0:00:22 > 0:00:23- And how often?- Every time.
0:00:23 > 0:00:26We're out three times a week and we'll feed anyone.
0:00:26 > 0:00:29I know about at least 300 homeless people, and they're...
0:00:29 > 0:00:32- and they're roughly my age. - And that's Manchester?- Yeah.- Yeah.
0:00:32 > 0:00:34What is the face of the homeless, then?
0:00:34 > 0:00:35Around here, if you said to me,
0:00:35 > 0:00:39"Is that person homeless or is that person homeless?" I wouldn't know,
0:00:39 > 0:00:41but, you could guarantee, someone who's dressed really nice,
0:00:41 > 0:00:44they probably are homeless. You wouldn't know you were homeless,
0:00:44 > 0:00:46- between you two. - I've been homeless for a year,
0:00:46 > 0:00:48and it's like...
0:00:48 > 0:00:50- So, have you been sleeping rough for a year?- Yeah.
0:00:50 > 0:00:53'The city has reported one of the biggest rises in homelessness
0:00:53 > 0:00:55'amongst people under the age of 25.'
0:00:57 > 0:00:59I owned 25% shares of my dad's company.
0:00:59 > 0:01:01I had a two-bedroom flat in my name.
0:01:01 > 0:01:04I had two cars and a Ford Transit van and it's, like...
0:01:04 > 0:01:05It's gone.
0:01:05 > 0:01:07My dad went bankrupt.
0:01:07 > 0:01:09That's including myself, as well.
0:01:09 > 0:01:10I lost everything so it made me...
0:01:10 > 0:01:12I came here.
0:01:13 > 0:01:16I keep hearing the term "hidden homeless" get thrown around.
0:01:16 > 0:01:17They're either in hostels,
0:01:17 > 0:01:19- cos they're still classed as homeless...- Yeah.
0:01:19 > 0:01:20- ..sofa-surfing...- Yeah.
0:01:20 > 0:01:24..erm, just bouncing from place to place,
0:01:24 > 0:01:27living in squats, derelict buildings.
0:01:27 > 0:01:28Not everyone fits into the same box.
0:01:28 > 0:01:30They need help cos there's not enough... Yeah.
0:01:30 > 0:01:34'I want to find out what life is like for these young people who
0:01:34 > 0:01:35'have no place to call home.'
0:01:43 > 0:01:46I want to understand just how big the problem is,
0:01:46 > 0:01:47starting in Manchester.
0:01:49 > 0:01:52I'll be spending the night with 20-year-old Luke,
0:01:52 > 0:01:56who has been living on the streets, on and off, for the past five years.
0:02:00 > 0:02:02'One way he keeps warm during the long, bitter nights
0:02:02 > 0:02:05'is to stay on the move.'
0:02:05 > 0:02:08- Good morning, are you all right? - I'm freezing.
0:02:10 > 0:02:15I must walk this city centre about, easily, 30 times a day. Easily.
0:02:15 > 0:02:18I mean, I'm walking about all day, every day.
0:02:18 > 0:02:21Even just walking the streets now, it's after 2am in the morning...
0:02:21 > 0:02:24- Yeah.- ..and there's still a lot of homeless out on the street.
0:02:24 > 0:02:26It's very visible.
0:02:26 > 0:02:28See, these, what are visible now,
0:02:28 > 0:02:30these are the ones that have been out here for years,
0:02:30 > 0:02:33that know how to live, that know how to get by, day...
0:02:33 > 0:02:35day by day, that know how to get by at night,
0:02:35 > 0:02:36that know how to get their money.
0:02:36 > 0:02:38Whereas, in the younger ones,
0:02:38 > 0:02:41and the ones that are not used to it, they hide.
0:02:41 > 0:02:44These streets have damaged a lot of people out here.
0:02:44 > 0:02:47Like, people who I've met out here, so kind-hearted,
0:02:47 > 0:02:51it's unbelievable, and now they're just a totally different person.
0:02:51 > 0:02:54'Ten days ago, Luke was released from prison
0:02:54 > 0:02:56'after handling stolen goods.
0:02:56 > 0:03:00'With nowhere else to go, he's now sleeping rough.
0:03:00 > 0:03:04'It's a cycle he's been caught up in for years.'
0:03:04 > 0:03:05What led to this?
0:03:05 > 0:03:06It was the people.
0:03:06 > 0:03:09It was getting about with the crowd that I got in with.
0:03:09 > 0:03:10Once I got to 14,
0:03:10 > 0:03:14I was hanging about with the 28-year-old and the 30-year-olds.
0:03:14 > 0:03:16I started doing the harder drugs at weekends.
0:03:16 > 0:03:18I was running away from home a lot,
0:03:18 > 0:03:20just cos I wanted to be with them people.
0:03:20 > 0:03:22- It must have been hard for Mum. - Oh, of course it was.
0:03:22 > 0:03:24The police were taking me back every weekend.
0:03:24 > 0:03:27As soon as the police had let me go, the car would be off again,
0:03:27 > 0:03:29do you know what I mean?
0:03:29 > 0:03:32'By 15, Luke left his mum's for good,
0:03:32 > 0:03:34'and moved in with a local drug dealer.'
0:03:34 > 0:03:35Were you selling drugs?
0:03:35 > 0:03:37I was doing all kinds -
0:03:37 > 0:03:38grafting cars, sorting drugs,
0:03:38 > 0:03:41selling weed, selling sniff.
0:03:41 > 0:03:46I was quite big in it and then it all just went to pot.
0:03:46 > 0:03:49'Luke was made homeless when his mate was put away
0:03:49 > 0:03:50'for selling class As.
0:03:54 > 0:03:57'Half of all homeless people first take to the streets
0:03:57 > 0:03:58'under the age of 21.
0:04:00 > 0:04:04'Many don't know where to get help and will end up sleeping rough.
0:04:09 > 0:04:12'While on the streets, they're exposed to prostitution,
0:04:12 > 0:04:14'crime and drugs.'
0:04:14 > 0:04:18- All right, Andy?- What are you skinning up? What is it?
0:04:18 > 0:04:20I'm a Spice-head, me, bruv.
0:04:20 > 0:04:22Legal highs.
0:04:22 > 0:04:24' "Spice" is the name of the legal high
0:04:24 > 0:04:27'marketed as synthetic cannabis.
0:04:27 > 0:04:32'Although cheap, some brands are as potent and addictive as heroin.'
0:04:32 > 0:04:33I've heard a lot about Spice,
0:04:33 > 0:04:35and nothing I've heard about it has been good.
0:04:35 > 0:04:38I've been on it for four years, and it is all bad.
0:04:38 > 0:04:41All bad. I'm not going to lie to you.
0:04:41 > 0:04:44- Have you been out...? - Stephen, mind if I roll one?
0:04:44 > 0:04:45- Yeah, sorry?- Mind if I roll one?
0:04:45 > 0:04:47Mate, you've got to do what you've got to do, mate.
0:04:47 > 0:04:49- It's all right.- Budge up, Andy.
0:04:49 > 0:04:51Spice is easier to get in Manchester than anywhere else.
0:04:51 > 0:04:56You can go to, like, four shops within five minutes of here.
0:04:56 > 0:05:00It's not nice but you have to find your coping mechanisms.
0:05:00 > 0:05:02- I'm starting to shake now cos I've not had a spliff.- Yeah.
0:05:02 > 0:05:04So that's... that's a coping mechanism?
0:05:04 > 0:05:08- There's not a single- BLEEP- sober homeless person I know.
0:05:10 > 0:05:13SIREN WAILS
0:05:13 > 0:05:16- Luke's- BLEEP.- Luke's off his nut.
0:05:16 > 0:05:19I'll tell you what, I've smoked a lot of weed in my life,
0:05:19 > 0:05:21and weed don't do that, so if that's synthetic cannabis,
0:05:21 > 0:05:23they've got it a little bit wrong, cos that was...
0:05:23 > 0:05:26That was much more like the effect of much harder drugs.
0:05:26 > 0:05:29It was like watching someone slip out on...on heroin.
0:05:31 > 0:05:33Are you all right, Luke?
0:05:33 > 0:05:35Are you all right, bruv?
0:05:35 > 0:05:38I was worried about you for a minute, mate.
0:05:39 > 0:05:42'It was ten minutes before Luke began to come round.
0:05:42 > 0:05:45'For so many of the rough sleepers here, Spice is a way of life.'
0:05:52 > 0:05:54Hey, it's open.
0:05:54 > 0:05:55I'll go in and I'll buy a bag.
0:05:57 > 0:06:00'Being so easy to get hold of in Manchester,
0:06:00 > 0:06:04'and costing as little as a fiver a bag, it's estimated
0:06:04 > 0:06:08'that 80-90% of the city's homeless are addicted to this legal high.'
0:06:10 > 0:06:12And he had a big box of that, as well.
0:06:12 > 0:06:14All different ones, there, to choose from.
0:06:18 > 0:06:20- "Pandora's Box".- Yeah.
0:06:20 > 0:06:22That one's probably the worst one what come out of the first...
0:06:22 > 0:06:25Like, when it first come out.
0:06:25 > 0:06:28'Luke tells me he turned to Spice after his first spell in prison,
0:06:28 > 0:06:30'at the age of 17.'
0:06:30 > 0:06:35It's that blockage of the past and the beatings and...
0:06:35 > 0:06:37the-the-the-the-the, the trauma sides of things,
0:06:37 > 0:06:39cos, I'm not going to lie,
0:06:39 > 0:06:42the first time ever in custody, it broke me.
0:06:43 > 0:06:45My pad mate battered me.
0:06:45 > 0:06:48- So, what sort of stuff was that, then?- I got punched up.
0:06:48 > 0:06:49I got sliced.
0:06:49 > 0:06:52Woke up to him suffocating me with a pillow.
0:06:52 > 0:06:54He was slamming my hands in the windows,
0:06:54 > 0:06:57pulling me off my bed while I'm asleep.
0:06:57 > 0:07:00All kinds of stuff, like. There's stuff you wouldn't even imagine.
0:07:00 > 0:07:02'Luke was scared and alone,
0:07:02 > 0:07:04'and the first person he turned to was his mum.'
0:07:05 > 0:07:07My mum didn't know I was in there.
0:07:07 > 0:07:09I rang her and she knew straightaway,
0:07:09 > 0:07:11in my voice, in...
0:07:11 > 0:07:12And I just broke down to her on the phone.
0:07:12 > 0:07:15I just said "I've been assaulted." That's all I said,
0:07:15 > 0:07:18and she just said, "Oh, no." She knew straightaway.
0:07:18 > 0:07:21She... My mum knows me, innit? She knows when something's up.
0:07:21 > 0:07:23So, she still really cares?
0:07:23 > 0:07:26Oh, she cares so much, and now I think back at it,
0:07:26 > 0:07:29I think, "Wow, why have I put my mum through that?"
0:07:29 > 0:07:31All she's tried to do is keep me safe from this.
0:07:31 > 0:07:33That's all she's tried to keep me doing,
0:07:33 > 0:07:35and I just put myself right in the middle of it.
0:07:35 > 0:07:37Mothers are always right, man.
0:07:37 > 0:07:39- I just wish I would have listened to her.- Yeah.
0:07:39 > 0:07:43That's all I needed to do and I know I wouldn't be in this situation now.
0:07:43 > 0:07:45There are going to be people who are going to throw things
0:07:45 > 0:07:48- at the television and go, "Why don't you just- BLEEP- go home?
0:07:48 > 0:07:49Of course, I know what you're saying.
0:07:49 > 0:07:51It's not as easy as that, though.
0:07:51 > 0:07:54When you've been through some of the shit that I've been through,
0:07:54 > 0:07:55it's not as easy just to go home like that,
0:07:55 > 0:07:58cos there's a lot of people in the place where I've grew up
0:07:58 > 0:08:01who I've done stuff to and... had grudges with in the past.
0:08:01 > 0:08:03Are you at risk if you go back?
0:08:03 > 0:08:04I will be, yeah.
0:08:04 > 0:08:09They all know my mum, so my family would get grief and bother, as well,
0:08:09 > 0:08:11so, like, that's why I just stay out of the way
0:08:11 > 0:08:14and let my mum stay safe and just do what she's doing.
0:08:14 > 0:08:17She's all right how she is.
0:08:17 > 0:08:19'Luke's a sweet kid.'
0:08:19 > 0:08:22You know, he's not gone into detail about what happened.
0:08:22 > 0:08:25'Maybe he's owed people money. Maybe he's stiffed people.
0:08:25 > 0:08:27'Yeah, we can wonder all we want.' MAN COUGHS
0:08:27 > 0:08:29'He's saying he doesn't want to go home
0:08:29 > 0:08:32'because he's worried about his mother's wellbeing.'
0:08:32 > 0:08:34You know, he doesn't want to take trouble to her door,
0:08:34 > 0:08:37and I can understand that. There was a time I moved out of my nan's
0:08:37 > 0:08:39because I never wanted to bring trouble to her door,
0:08:39 > 0:08:40so I understand that and I respect it,
0:08:40 > 0:08:45but there's also the part of me that can understand,
0:08:45 > 0:08:48or can imagine, what his mum is going through,
0:08:48 > 0:08:49because she does care.
0:08:54 > 0:08:57Like Luke, over a third of young homeless people leave home
0:08:57 > 0:08:59before their 15th birthday.
0:09:04 > 0:09:07Family breakdown is the biggest cause of youth homelessness,
0:09:07 > 0:09:09with nearly half of those affected being chucked out
0:09:09 > 0:09:11by the head of the household.
0:09:13 > 0:09:16SIREN WAILS
0:09:23 > 0:09:27'After all night on the streets, the cold begins to bite.
0:09:27 > 0:09:30'It's 6am, and Luke takes me to one of the few places he can keep warm.'
0:09:32 > 0:09:35This is where you see most of the homeless people.
0:09:35 > 0:09:38YOUNG PEOPLE SHOUT HAPPILY
0:09:40 > 0:09:42It's sad.
0:09:42 > 0:09:43It is really sad.
0:09:43 > 0:09:46I'll agree with you on that one - really sad.
0:09:46 > 0:09:49It's unbelievable how many people are homeless.
0:09:49 > 0:09:52- Are you going to see your mum? - Hopefully, yeah.
0:09:52 > 0:09:55She keeps on telling me to come and visit, but, obviously,
0:09:55 > 0:09:56she doesn't like me on this shit, man.
0:09:56 > 0:10:00She told me, if I'm on this shit, she's finished.
0:10:00 > 0:10:01I mean, it's just...
0:10:01 > 0:10:03But that's her way of trying to get you off it.
0:10:03 > 0:10:05I know. Maybe, yeah. It's horrible.
0:10:05 > 0:10:08I wish I'd never even touched it, Stephen, I swear down.
0:10:08 > 0:10:11I wish I'd never touched it in my life.
0:10:12 > 0:10:15But if it weren't that, would it be something else?
0:10:15 > 0:10:16Exactly.
0:10:20 > 0:10:22LUKE SOBS Oh, mate.
0:10:22 > 0:10:25No, it's good, man. It just upsets me.
0:10:27 > 0:10:30'As we talk about his addiction, Luke breaks down.'
0:10:34 > 0:10:36I just... Do you know what? LUKE INHALES
0:10:36 > 0:10:38It upsets me cos I don't...
0:10:38 > 0:10:42I've known you for a very short amount of time, and I don't...
0:10:42 > 0:10:45I don't... I get no bad vibes from you.
0:10:45 > 0:10:46You seem like a good kid.
0:10:50 > 0:10:52LUKE SNIFFS
0:10:54 > 0:10:55And it's upsetting, mate.
0:10:55 > 0:10:56It's... It's... It's hard.
0:10:56 > 0:10:58It's hard to see, because I don't...
0:10:58 > 0:11:01I don't feel good about the fact that I'm going to go home
0:11:01 > 0:11:02and you're going to be carry...
0:11:02 > 0:11:05You're just going to... You're going to carry on.
0:11:10 > 0:11:11Yeah, but that's your life, man.
0:11:11 > 0:11:14- You've got to do what you've got to do, you know what I mean?- Yeah.
0:11:14 > 0:11:17So other people have got to do what they've got to do.
0:11:20 > 0:11:21Shall we go for a wander?
0:11:21 > 0:11:23I'll walk you back to where... Where are you sleeping?
0:11:23 > 0:11:25Erm...
0:11:25 > 0:11:26I'm trying to think.
0:11:26 > 0:11:29Market Street or somewhere? Just where people are.
0:11:29 > 0:11:31It's a really sad reality.
0:11:33 > 0:11:34It's, erm...
0:11:34 > 0:11:36It's one thing to walk past someone
0:11:36 > 0:11:38and, you know, have a passing thought,
0:11:38 > 0:11:40"Who are they? Where do they come from? How have they ended up there?"
0:11:40 > 0:11:43But it's another thing when you're starting to
0:11:43 > 0:11:46meet these people and talk to these people.
0:11:46 > 0:11:48They become human again.
0:11:49 > 0:11:52'I'm shocked at how many people I've seen living on the streets
0:11:52 > 0:11:54'in just one night...'
0:11:54 > 0:11:56Do you want a spliff?
0:11:56 > 0:11:58God bless.
0:11:58 > 0:12:01'..and I want to know what's being done to help them.'
0:12:01 > 0:12:04TRAIN RATTLES
0:12:04 > 0:12:07PLANE RUMBLES
0:12:14 > 0:12:15'In nearby Stockport,
0:12:15 > 0:12:20'the number of young rough sleepers has tripled in the last year.
0:12:20 > 0:12:22'I'm joining Kirstie and Nicky, who work on the front line,
0:12:22 > 0:12:26'trying to find and help the young and homeless.'
0:12:26 > 0:12:29- Hello, darling.- Hi, you all right? - Stephen. Are you all right?
0:12:29 > 0:12:31- Nice to see you.- Nice to meet you. Yeah, good, thanks.
0:12:31 > 0:12:34- How are you doing, mate?- Hi, you all right? Nicky, yeah?- Not bad.
0:12:34 > 0:12:36- As we pulled up, we saw that an ambulance was leaving.- Erm...
0:12:36 > 0:12:38We've just had one of our members in.
0:12:38 > 0:12:41He's been smoking legal high, so he's had a fit.
0:12:41 > 0:12:42What, Spice?
0:12:42 > 0:12:45- Yeah.- Spice, yeah.- Yeah. - That's frightening.
0:12:45 > 0:12:47Does it make people aggressive?
0:12:47 > 0:12:50- Do you see violence from it or...? - Yeah, we've had, erm...
0:12:50 > 0:12:54Quite a few of our members that smoke it quite frequently,
0:12:54 > 0:12:57erm, one day, they've had, like, funny turns on it,
0:12:57 > 0:13:00so we've had a guy who's been scooting around
0:13:00 > 0:13:03on his hands and knees, thinking he's a dog, barking,
0:13:03 > 0:13:05lifting chairs up, throwing chairs round.
0:13:05 > 0:13:07- So, like, psychosis.- Yeah.
0:13:07 > 0:13:09- Like, they have episodes.- Yeah.
0:13:09 > 0:13:11'The centre has its own medical facility,
0:13:11 > 0:13:15'and the effects of Spice are a growing concern for the nurse here.'
0:13:15 > 0:13:18I've seen some really life-threatening seizures
0:13:18 > 0:13:21that have been induced by whatever's in the substance.
0:13:21 > 0:13:23- And they've got no idea what's in it?- No,
0:13:23 > 0:13:25and we have seen somebody whose respiration rate
0:13:25 > 0:13:27had gone down to four a minute,
0:13:27 > 0:13:29and that carries some reversal,
0:13:29 > 0:13:31and that's an opiate effect but that was from Spice.
0:13:31 > 0:13:34As well as health care, the centre offers showers,
0:13:34 > 0:13:37clean clothes and a range of support services,
0:13:37 > 0:13:40but many young kids, new to the streets,
0:13:40 > 0:13:42don't know there's help out there.
0:13:42 > 0:13:45What are the prospects for kids who are coming here?
0:13:45 > 0:13:47If they don't get off the streets, where are they ending up?
0:13:47 > 0:13:50Well, some of them end up, you know, in accommodation.
0:13:50 > 0:13:52Some of them end up in prison.
0:13:52 > 0:13:54You know, some of them end up in a coffin.
0:13:54 > 0:13:56What's the fix? You know, if you gave a house...
0:13:56 > 0:13:58Should everyone have a house, do you believe?
0:13:58 > 0:14:00- Yeah.- Yeah, I believe everyone should have a house,
0:14:00 > 0:14:03but then, there also needs to be the ongoing support.
0:14:03 > 0:14:05You know, we've got quite a few people who...
0:14:05 > 0:14:07- Burnt bridges. - ..we get accommodated.
0:14:07 > 0:14:09We get them secured in their own tenancies.
0:14:09 > 0:14:12They stop engaging with the service.
0:14:12 > 0:14:14You know, no other support has been put in place,
0:14:14 > 0:14:16and they're unable to maintain their tenancy.
0:14:16 > 0:14:19- So they end up back at square one? - Yeah.- Yeah.
0:14:19 > 0:14:22Them behaviours are ingrained into a person, aren't they?
0:14:22 > 0:14:25So, they're not taking into account the effects of what that
0:14:25 > 0:14:27- person's been through?- Yeah, yeah.
0:14:27 > 0:14:29And to watch, you know, some of them progress,
0:14:29 > 0:14:31when you do work with them,
0:14:31 > 0:14:33and they've got a better understanding of stuff, you know,
0:14:33 > 0:14:35they can achieve anything.
0:14:35 > 0:14:37It's just that right support being there for them.
0:14:37 > 0:14:39And do you find, with a lot of the people that
0:14:39 > 0:14:40come through here, that's just support
0:14:40 > 0:14:43- they've never had throughout their lives?- Yeah.- Yeah.
0:14:43 > 0:14:46'For Kirstie and Nicky, this is more than a place of work.
0:14:46 > 0:14:49'They've both been homeless and learned to survive on the streets.'
0:14:49 > 0:14:51For me, I was homeless at 16
0:14:51 > 0:14:54and I didn't get picked up by social care or,
0:14:54 > 0:14:58erm, anyone, anyone else, you know?
0:14:58 > 0:14:59- At 16?- At 16.
0:14:59 > 0:15:02I did what I had to, to, sort of, fit in with everybody else,
0:15:02 > 0:15:04- and to survive.- Survive.
0:15:04 > 0:15:06And how did you survive?
0:15:06 > 0:15:09Erm, crime, drugs, offending.
0:15:09 > 0:15:10What kind of drugs?
0:15:10 > 0:15:13Heroin and crack.
0:15:13 > 0:15:15And how...?
0:15:15 > 0:15:16And is that just commonplace?
0:15:16 > 0:15:18- Was that what everyone was doing? - Yeah,
0:15:18 > 0:15:20and I tried it and I liked it, because it took me away
0:15:20 > 0:15:22from reality. You know, I didn't have to...
0:15:22 > 0:15:24So it wasn't the drugs that saw you homeless,
0:15:24 > 0:15:27- it was the homelessness that saw you take to drugs?- Yeah. Pretty much.
0:15:33 > 0:15:35'Part of Kirstie and Nicky's work involves going out
0:15:35 > 0:15:38'and checking on the known rough sleepers in the area.
0:15:42 > 0:15:45'They take me to a popular camp under a shopping centre car park.
0:15:50 > 0:15:51'Although there's no-one around,
0:15:51 > 0:15:54'there are signs that people are living here.'
0:15:57 > 0:15:59A tent... Oh, right.
0:16:03 > 0:16:07It's not just syringes and tin cans and empty packet of cigarettes.
0:16:08 > 0:16:12Hairbrushes, a picture of Michael Jackson -
0:16:12 > 0:16:16it's the little pieces of normality which people were clinging onto.
0:16:17 > 0:16:19Can you imagine the desperation?
0:16:19 > 0:16:23That's... That's their connection with what was civilisation.
0:16:23 > 0:16:24You know, they're...
0:16:24 > 0:16:27But, yet, they're completely excluded from that...
0:16:27 > 0:16:30that way of life.
0:16:30 > 0:16:31It's just heartbreaking.
0:16:43 > 0:16:47'Kirstie takes me to another site under a busy motorway.
0:16:47 > 0:16:50'For six months of her life, this was where she lived.'
0:16:52 > 0:16:58So, over in this corner here was just cardboard on the floor.
0:16:58 > 0:17:00Loads of bags, erm...
0:17:00 > 0:17:02Like, sleeping bags, quilts...
0:17:07 > 0:17:10It's not... It's not a pretty place.
0:17:10 > 0:17:12It's not, is it?
0:17:12 > 0:17:13No.
0:17:13 > 0:17:14- You can feel it, here.- Yeah.
0:17:14 > 0:17:16- You really can.- Yeah.
0:17:16 > 0:17:17Yeah.
0:17:18 > 0:17:21How many people would you have down here at the time?
0:17:21 > 0:17:22Erm, so, when I stayed down here,
0:17:22 > 0:17:27we had ten people sleeping down here,
0:17:27 > 0:17:29and the sad reality is, you know,
0:17:29 > 0:17:32over half of those people are no longer with us now.
0:17:33 > 0:17:36- So, death is something that you see a lot of?- Yeah.
0:17:38 > 0:17:40What does it do to you, coming back here?
0:17:45 > 0:17:47I think it's processing, right...
0:17:50 > 0:17:53..what's actually happened, cos how I am tonight is not how I was then.
0:17:53 > 0:17:56You know, erm...
0:17:56 > 0:18:00And, at that time, I never doubted my feelings and my emotions.
0:18:04 > 0:18:06I don't know. I don't really know why...
0:18:11 > 0:18:14You just have to try and block it out. You don't...
0:18:21 > 0:18:23I think everyone's got a breaking point.
0:18:25 > 0:18:28How could you survive in these conditions without something
0:18:28 > 0:18:31to take you away from them?
0:18:31 > 0:18:33I'd use drugs.
0:18:33 > 0:18:37I'd do anything to block out what was going on around me.
0:18:37 > 0:18:41At a point, even the strongest person will give up.
0:18:44 > 0:18:46What's really shocking is that many people
0:18:46 > 0:18:49living on the streets aren't counted as homeless.
0:18:49 > 0:18:51You have to be lying down in your sleeping bag
0:18:51 > 0:18:53to be an unofficial statistic.
0:18:53 > 0:18:56Sitting up doesn't count as rough sleeping,
0:18:56 > 0:18:59so the number is probably even higher,
0:18:59 > 0:19:01and that's not the end of the story.
0:19:01 > 0:19:05There are 38,500 hidden homeless people, living in hostels, B&Bs,
0:19:05 > 0:19:08and sofa-surfing around the country
0:19:08 > 0:19:09but, over the past five years,
0:19:09 > 0:19:13the number of available hostel beds has dropped by 12%,
0:19:13 > 0:19:16whilst the demand has soared by nearly 40.
0:19:27 > 0:19:29'I'm back in Manchester to catch up with Luke.
0:19:30 > 0:19:34'Three weeks ago, he got a place in a hostel for ex-offenders,
0:19:34 > 0:19:36'after relentlessly pushing his local authority.'
0:19:36 > 0:19:38How are you doing, brother. Are you all right?
0:19:38 > 0:19:40- Yeah, I'm good, man. - Good to see you, man.
0:19:40 > 0:19:41- Good to see you.- You look better.
0:19:41 > 0:19:43It's nice to see you. I look a lot better, man.
0:19:43 > 0:19:46- Have you had a haircut? - No, I've not had a haircut, man.
0:19:46 > 0:19:48- You've not had a haircut?- I've had a shave - totally different.
0:19:48 > 0:19:50- A shave, that's what it is. - I'm OK, though, yeah?
0:19:50 > 0:19:52- Good.- Want to come through?- Go on.
0:19:52 > 0:19:57- Shall we check into my room, now? - Yeah, yeah, go on. Show me around.
0:19:57 > 0:19:59I love it, man. Love it.
0:20:01 > 0:20:04This is my little chill-out zone,
0:20:04 > 0:20:07where I just come and zone out and do my own thing.
0:20:07 > 0:20:08How was the first night in here?
0:20:08 > 0:20:10Amazing. Couldn't... Couldn't...
0:20:10 > 0:20:14- Couldn't have asked for a better night's sleep.- No?- Loved it.
0:20:14 > 0:20:16No, seriously, man, everything about it.
0:20:16 > 0:20:18Do you feel a step closer to normality, then?
0:20:18 > 0:20:20I feel like I'm in normality.
0:20:20 > 0:20:22When I was sleeping on the streets,
0:20:22 > 0:20:24I couldn't have a good night's sleep.
0:20:24 > 0:20:27- I would always be sleeping with one eye, like, twitching or...- Yeah.
0:20:27 > 0:20:29..I'd be smoking to make sure that I'm half awake
0:20:29 > 0:20:32when someone does touch me or walk past me.
0:20:32 > 0:20:35Has this helped with your anxiety, then? Not having those worries?
0:20:35 > 0:20:38Being able to shut your eyes and not worry about God knows what?
0:20:38 > 0:20:40I know that I'm safe, so it's great, man. I can...
0:20:40 > 0:20:42It's... I can think.
0:20:42 > 0:20:44I can think. I can do things through the day.
0:20:44 > 0:20:47'Luke has been in hostels twice before
0:20:47 > 0:20:49'but wasn't able to stick it out.
0:20:49 > 0:20:52'This time, he's determined to make it work.'
0:20:52 > 0:20:54What about your mum? Have you spoken to her?
0:20:54 > 0:20:55I've not spoken to my mum.
0:20:55 > 0:20:58I can't wait to speak to her, to be honest.
0:20:58 > 0:21:00- So, does she know you're here? - She doesn't, I'm just...- No idea.
0:21:00 > 0:21:04I'm waiting to sort myself fully, so I can go to her
0:21:04 > 0:21:07and I can say, "Look, this is what I've done."
0:21:07 > 0:21:09- I've got to do it for her, I know. - Mm-hmm.
0:21:09 > 0:21:12Just show her instead of say to her, this time,
0:21:12 > 0:21:15and just, all, fake promises.
0:21:15 > 0:21:19'Luke has an initial six-month placement here, in which time,
0:21:19 > 0:21:22'he'll get the support he needs to turn his life around.'
0:21:22 > 0:21:25- Last time I saw you, you were smoking Spice.- I know.
0:21:25 > 0:21:27What's going on with that?
0:21:27 > 0:21:29I'm not going to lie to you, I'm still dabbling with it -
0:21:29 > 0:21:32dibbling and dabbling - but, as you can tell, I'm looking to...
0:21:32 > 0:21:34I'm not smoking it like I was.
0:21:34 > 0:21:35How often are you smoking?
0:21:35 > 0:21:39Erm, sometimes, I'm going a night without smoking it,
0:21:39 > 0:21:41but it's different, like, how I'm waking up.
0:21:41 > 0:21:45I'm waking up in puddles of sweat, but I'm, like...
0:21:45 > 0:21:48My anxiety kicks in in the morning when I've not had one -
0:21:48 > 0:21:50like, totally, just kicks in.
0:21:50 > 0:21:52Just before you come, I puked up
0:21:52 > 0:21:54and that's because I've not had one this morning,
0:21:54 > 0:21:57and I had to have one just before you come in,
0:21:57 > 0:21:59and that's levelled me off a bit.
0:22:01 > 0:22:04The hostel has set up drugs counselling to help Luke
0:22:04 > 0:22:05conquer his addiction...
0:22:09 > 0:22:11..but sharing a hostel with 38 other ex-offenders
0:22:11 > 0:22:15and drug users isn't easy, as centre manager Jackie explains.
0:22:17 > 0:22:20We have quite a few which have committed offences while
0:22:20 > 0:22:22under the influence of alcohol, and we manage that risk,
0:22:22 > 0:22:24to make sure that the staff team
0:22:24 > 0:22:26and the other customers that live in here are safe,
0:22:26 > 0:22:29- and we'll breathalyse them twice a day...- Mm-hmm.
0:22:29 > 0:22:30..which is part of their support.
0:22:30 > 0:22:34They agree to that, and they have to have a zero reading.
0:22:34 > 0:22:36They're not allowed to drink alcohol at all
0:22:36 > 0:22:38- if they're on a no-drink rule.- OK.
0:22:38 > 0:22:41Spice is something that keeps coming up, over and over.
0:22:41 > 0:22:45It's totally not allowed on the project, and if you are using Spice,
0:22:45 > 0:22:48part of your support is that you will link in with the drugs team.
0:22:48 > 0:22:50If it's found on the project,
0:22:50 > 0:22:52they'll be treated with the same as any other drug.
0:22:52 > 0:22:54And would that result in someone being kicked out?
0:22:54 > 0:22:55It could do, yeah, yeah.
0:22:55 > 0:22:57We have a warning procedure, here,
0:22:57 > 0:22:59so they do have quite a lot of chances.
0:22:59 > 0:23:01We don't just make people homeless if we can help it.
0:23:01 > 0:23:03We don't ask people to leave.
0:23:03 > 0:23:05'But the biggest challenge Jackie faces is keeping
0:23:05 > 0:23:08'the residents off the streets.'
0:23:08 > 0:23:10We do find that we do have quite a lot of customers
0:23:10 > 0:23:13coming back around that have lived here previously.
0:23:13 > 0:23:16Ah, so, your doors open to people who have been here before?
0:23:16 > 0:23:17Of course they are, yeah.
0:23:17 > 0:23:20Even people that we have rehoused into their own accommodation
0:23:20 > 0:23:23and, for whatever reason, they've lost their accommodation.
0:23:23 > 0:23:24Yes, they come back around in the system.
0:23:24 > 0:23:26I've had some that have been here
0:23:26 > 0:23:28- three or four times.- Four times? - Yeah, yeah.
0:23:28 > 0:23:29So how do you break the cycle?
0:23:29 > 0:23:31I don't know how you break the cycle.
0:23:31 > 0:23:33Million-dollar question. Come on, Jackie, tell me the answer.
0:23:33 > 0:23:35I don't know how we can break the cycle.
0:23:35 > 0:23:37Again, they've got to be ready to accept support.
0:23:37 > 0:23:41Do you think that, with some people, just too much has happened?
0:23:41 > 0:23:44Probably so, yeah, and maybe there's not enough help out there
0:23:44 > 0:23:48for them, because some of the issues are quite deep-rooted
0:23:48 > 0:23:50and, maybe, as they're being supported,
0:23:50 > 0:23:52it's only touching the surface,
0:23:52 > 0:23:55so when they go onto their own accommodation,
0:23:55 > 0:23:57they're sat there again on their own, and them issues rise again,
0:23:57 > 0:24:00so, yeah, it is quite deep-rooted issues.
0:24:02 > 0:24:04Luke paints a really rosy picture of this hostel,
0:24:04 > 0:24:06and I can understand why.
0:24:06 > 0:24:08In comparison to the conditions that he's been living in,
0:24:08 > 0:24:11they're night and day, you know.
0:24:11 > 0:24:12He has a little bit of security, here.
0:24:12 > 0:24:14It still doesn't feel like the safest place.
0:24:14 > 0:24:17It feels like there's tension in the air.
0:24:17 > 0:24:21MEN SHOUTING
0:24:23 > 0:24:26'An argument has just erupted in the kitchen.'
0:24:26 > 0:24:28Well, that wasn't there, so it's stole, then!
0:24:28 > 0:24:30That's what I'm saying.
0:24:31 > 0:24:33Luke's milk and sugar is missing.
0:24:36 > 0:24:38He's now cooling off with a cigarette.
0:24:52 > 0:24:54KNOCK AT DOOR
0:24:57 > 0:25:00Yo. Are you all right? What happened to you, mate?
0:25:00 > 0:25:03Just...people downstairs.
0:25:03 > 0:25:05Whoever it was.
0:25:05 > 0:25:07No, I saw you switch, bro.
0:25:07 > 0:25:09The door got slammed and then you disappeared.
0:25:09 > 0:25:12I can't leave nothing about, man. It's doing my head in.
0:25:12 > 0:25:14Just, it's not even the fact of
0:25:14 > 0:25:17leaving milk or sugar about, is it, really?
0:25:17 > 0:25:21It's just a matter of not being able to go back to where I put it.
0:25:21 > 0:25:23It's the principle, yeah, do you know what I mean?
0:25:23 > 0:25:26Like, that's the reality of... of this place.
0:25:26 > 0:25:28But, then, you've got to be careful,
0:25:28 > 0:25:30because them situations will be what leads you into a situation
0:25:30 > 0:25:33- where you end up getting kicked out...- Gets you kicked out.
0:25:33 > 0:25:35..cos someone takes your milk, you beat them up or...
0:25:35 > 0:25:38That's why I just thought to come up.
0:25:38 > 0:25:41Like, if a pint of milk and a bit of sugar can cause that to happen,
0:25:41 > 0:25:44then you've got to be able to control your reactions, as well.
0:25:44 > 0:25:47I know. I know I need to, but it's a matter of not having a spliff
0:25:47 > 0:25:50- and everything rolls in one, man. - That's what I was going to say.
0:25:50 > 0:25:51Is it just that you ain't had no Spice?
0:25:51 > 0:25:53Everything rolls in one, do you know what I mean?
0:25:53 > 0:25:56What has to happen for you to be able to get off it?
0:25:56 > 0:26:00- Like, how severe does it have to be? Or is there anything?- I don't know.
0:26:00 > 0:26:02Or are you just going to accept that as life?
0:26:02 > 0:26:03No, it can't happen.
0:26:05 > 0:26:10I can't stay here where things get taken, man.
0:26:10 > 0:26:11It's doing my head in.
0:26:11 > 0:26:14I'm going out to town. I need to grab some more Spice.
0:26:14 > 0:26:15I've got none.
0:26:24 > 0:26:26'Having seen Luke so together this morning,
0:26:26 > 0:26:30'it's frustrating to now see Spice putting him back at square one.'
0:26:30 > 0:26:31How are you, man?
0:26:31 > 0:26:32Give us a tenner, if you want.
0:26:32 > 0:26:33A tenner?
0:26:33 > 0:26:37'Luke's not just scoring for himself, but also for his mate.'
0:26:40 > 0:26:41All right?
0:26:41 > 0:26:45Can I have a bag of 1.5 Black Label?
0:26:45 > 0:26:47'Although he buys here regularly, tonight,
0:26:47 > 0:26:49'they're refusing to serve him.'
0:26:49 > 0:26:51Yeah, I come here to buy my legal highs.
0:26:51 > 0:26:53I come here every night, you know that,
0:26:53 > 0:26:55but you can't stop me from buying my stuff.
0:26:55 > 0:26:57I didn't... Do you know what?
0:26:57 > 0:26:59You're lucky. Very lucky.
0:26:59 > 0:27:00Michael, get your arse in there.
0:27:00 > 0:27:01- What?- Very lucky.
0:27:01 > 0:27:03Mmm...
0:27:03 > 0:27:04Get in... Come round the corner.
0:27:07 > 0:27:10Black Kronic - Black Label. No, wait, don't go in yet.
0:27:10 > 0:27:12Let us walk off first and you get it afterwards.
0:27:15 > 0:27:17Hey, I've been coming here every night.
0:27:17 > 0:27:20- I know a lot of people, me, mate. - See you later.- Just watch yourself.
0:27:20 > 0:27:22"See you later"? Get your arse out there now.
0:27:22 > 0:27:23- Get your...- See you later. - Fuck off, you.
0:27:23 > 0:27:26'Luke is now threatening to beat the guy up.'
0:27:26 > 0:27:28Don't worry, I know what time he finishes work.
0:27:28 > 0:27:31I know fucking everything. He's a fucking muppet.
0:27:31 > 0:27:34Come on, bro... It's... He...
0:27:34 > 0:27:37He decided not to serve you. Do you see what I mean? It's madness.
0:27:37 > 0:27:40Look at the stuff you're talking over that.
0:27:40 > 0:27:42He knows what it does to me, though.
0:27:42 > 0:27:43Got it?
0:27:43 > 0:27:45Come! Pass it here!
0:27:45 > 0:27:47I need a spliff.
0:27:52 > 0:27:53So, this is every night, Luke?
0:27:53 > 0:27:56Every night, just, every day,
0:27:56 > 0:27:57every minute, every hour -
0:27:57 > 0:28:01just getting about in town, just like we do.
0:28:01 > 0:28:04Like, I know... I know a lot of the hustlers round here.
0:28:04 > 0:28:05This is the same shit you were up to
0:28:05 > 0:28:07when you were on the street, though, bruv?
0:28:07 > 0:28:10Yeah, but I wouldn't be getting about in just one set of clothing,
0:28:10 > 0:28:13cos I'd know that I'd need another five sets for when I'm wet later.
0:28:13 > 0:28:15So I'd be getting about with clothes underneath me
0:28:15 > 0:28:18plus bags on top of me, but I'm not getting about with nothing, now.
0:28:18 > 0:28:21As you can see, I don't need to.
0:28:21 > 0:28:23'I've already spent time with Luke on Spice
0:28:23 > 0:28:26'but, tonight, he's a totally different person.'
0:28:34 > 0:28:36Watch.
0:28:36 > 0:28:37'As we wait to cross a busy road,
0:28:37 > 0:28:40'he suddenly decides to stop the traffic.'
0:28:40 > 0:28:42- I told you to stop, though! - All right...
0:28:42 > 0:28:45- Hey, the car's stopped, though! - Luke!- That's what happens.- Come on.
0:28:47 > 0:28:49To stop any car in Manchester,
0:28:49 > 0:28:52to stop any car in Manchester, that's all you have to do.
0:28:52 > 0:28:55Don't do stuff like that, man. Stop it, man.
0:28:55 > 0:28:57That's why I do things like that, so people notice me.
0:28:57 > 0:29:00- Yeah, but, bruv, come on, that's just stupidness.- Yeah, but...
0:29:00 > 0:29:03- Yeah, but see...- No, bruv.- No, because...- I can't hear that, bruv.
0:29:03 > 0:29:05Yeah, but, Stephen, see what they used to laugh at me for
0:29:05 > 0:29:08outside the town hall? For standing there and saying nothing.
0:29:08 > 0:29:10So, do you know what I do now? I get out loud and say...
0:29:10 > 0:29:13- Yeah, but, bro, that's not... - ..and say clear, loud and clear,
0:29:13 > 0:29:16"I'm Luke, I'm homeless, I'm from Manchester, and what?"
0:29:16 > 0:29:19Stupid behaviour. Stupid, stupid, stupid behaviour.
0:29:19 > 0:29:21Yeah, I don't know what happened.
0:29:21 > 0:29:24He went from being a quite humble,
0:29:24 > 0:29:29you know, nice person to just being an idiot.
0:29:29 > 0:29:32It was just an absolute switch in personality
0:29:32 > 0:29:34but I don't know if it was the Spice.
0:29:34 > 0:29:38Was it him not having Spice and that building up to a point?
0:29:38 > 0:29:40And if that's his journey, day in, day out,
0:29:40 > 0:29:43you know, there's going to be less of the person we met this morning
0:29:43 > 0:29:45and much more of that person that we just saw.
0:29:45 > 0:29:48The way I see it, people look at me like they can hurt me.
0:29:48 > 0:29:50People look at me like can emotionally blackmail me.
0:29:50 > 0:29:53No, you can't. I can do that to myself
0:29:53 > 0:29:55just as much as you can do that to me.
0:29:55 > 0:29:57You sound paranoid, Luke.
0:29:57 > 0:29:58I am paranoid.
0:29:58 > 0:30:00I'm fucked, but this is what's made me like this.
0:30:00 > 0:30:03Town - sleeping next to people you can't trust,
0:30:03 > 0:30:06who will stab you in the back with a knife the minute that you turn.
0:30:08 > 0:30:12- This.- Yeah, that, definitely.
0:30:27 > 0:30:30Luke decides to hang out with his mates at a squat.
0:30:30 > 0:30:31I've seen enough for tonight.
0:30:31 > 0:30:33My time with Luke has made me realise
0:30:33 > 0:30:35just how complicated homelessness is.
0:30:38 > 0:30:39Take care.
0:30:39 > 0:30:42Homelessness is not just about not having a home,
0:30:42 > 0:30:44it goes far beyond that.
0:30:44 > 0:30:46Once people have been on the streets,
0:30:46 > 0:30:50what it does to them psychologically in who they become,
0:30:50 > 0:30:52and how they become accustomed to living their life
0:30:52 > 0:30:56doesn't just go away once they're given a home.
0:30:56 > 0:30:59Being an hostel, you are not counted as being homeless.
0:30:59 > 0:31:03You are very much still homeless, that's become apparent quickly.
0:31:03 > 0:31:05But even still, with a roof over your head,
0:31:05 > 0:31:07there is no difference between him having a hostel
0:31:07 > 0:31:10and a one-bedroom flat at this very moment in time,
0:31:10 > 0:31:12because if he had that one-bedroom flat,
0:31:12 > 0:31:15he would still be coming out and doing the same shit.
0:31:20 > 0:31:23Getting a place in a hostel should mean accessing help
0:31:23 > 0:31:25to recover from the trauma of sleeping rough.
0:31:30 > 0:31:32But if Luke can't let go of his life on the streets,
0:31:32 > 0:31:35overcome his addictions and accept hostel living,
0:31:35 > 0:31:37he could lose his bed once again,
0:31:37 > 0:31:40and the cycle of homelessness will continue.
0:31:47 > 0:31:50Luke's situation is an example of the vicious circle
0:31:50 > 0:31:53that many people on the streets find themselves stuck in.
0:31:53 > 0:31:56In London, there is a project taking a different approach.
0:32:01 > 0:32:05I've come to visit women's hostel run by a Christian charity.
0:32:10 > 0:32:13'I'm meeting 26-year-old Zukina who has been in hostel care
0:32:13 > 0:32:16'for two and a half years.'
0:32:16 > 0:32:19- Hello. Zukina, how are you doing? - I'm all right, yeah.
0:32:19 > 0:32:21Good to see you.
0:32:21 > 0:32:23As well as offering emotional counselling,
0:32:23 > 0:32:25this hostel is focused on providing practical help
0:32:25 > 0:32:28in getting the women ready for independent living.
0:32:31 > 0:32:33So who are we meeting today?
0:32:33 > 0:32:35We are meeting Becks, she is the manager.
0:32:35 > 0:32:37'Becks is the hostel's resettlement manager
0:32:37 > 0:32:41'and has been working with Zukina since she got here.'
0:32:41 > 0:32:44- Hello, Becks.- Hey, Zukina. - Hello.
0:32:44 > 0:32:48'Together, they work in a catering business run by the hostel.'
0:32:48 > 0:32:52This kitchen is where we have our social enterprise - Munch In Marylebone.
0:32:52 > 0:32:56The key part of that is to give the women that live with us
0:32:56 > 0:33:01some employment skills, but the product is professional food.
0:33:01 > 0:33:04'As well as counselling for alcohol addiction,
0:33:04 > 0:33:08'Zukina has been gaining practical skills and work experience.'
0:33:08 > 0:33:10Did you find it hard coming into a group environment?
0:33:10 > 0:33:12Yeah, definitely at the beginning,
0:33:12 > 0:33:17because you don't know who is there and what to expect or anything.
0:33:17 > 0:33:21But once you get into it, it kind of changes your mind set.
0:33:21 > 0:33:24You become, like, yeah...
0:33:24 > 0:33:27You're more able to go out and do things on your own.
0:33:27 > 0:33:30'The hostel will soon be looking to resettle Zukina
0:33:30 > 0:33:32'into a home of her own.'
0:33:32 > 0:33:36So, Zukina is getting to a place where she is ready to move on
0:33:36 > 0:33:40to kind of get back on her feet, start independently again.
0:33:40 > 0:33:43But we would never want to resettle somebody into an empty house
0:33:43 > 0:33:46with an empty life, because it is going to fall apart.
0:33:46 > 0:33:48It is very isolating, it is very difficult.
0:33:48 > 0:33:51Young people who have been homeless often lack life skills,
0:33:51 > 0:33:55self-confidence and the ability to structure their day.
0:33:55 > 0:33:59It is about being able to sustain yourself, sustain your life,
0:33:59 > 0:34:01sustain your tenancy.
0:34:01 > 0:34:03You need skills, you need confidence,
0:34:03 > 0:34:06you need life skills, you need employment skills.
0:34:06 > 0:34:09Unique things that are going to give you a sense of worth,
0:34:09 > 0:34:13and the ability to rejoin the community and give back to it.
0:34:14 > 0:34:17What has the process been like from one you were when you got here
0:34:17 > 0:34:18to where you are now?
0:34:18 > 0:34:23So when I first came in here, I wanted to get resettled ASAP,
0:34:23 > 0:34:26but, like, the fact that it has taken longer
0:34:26 > 0:34:29has actually made me more appreciative.
0:34:29 > 0:34:33I know when I get my flat, I am definitely not going to...
0:34:33 > 0:34:35you know, do anything to jeopardise that.
0:34:35 > 0:34:37- There's going to be no losing it. - Yeah, definitely not.
0:34:40 > 0:34:43Zukina could only be months from finally getting rehoused,
0:34:43 > 0:34:46but it has been a long and difficult journey.
0:34:46 > 0:34:50Three years ago, her life changed when her whole family were evicted
0:34:50 > 0:34:53and she suddenly found herself working out how to survive
0:34:53 > 0:34:56as a young woman on the streets.
0:34:56 > 0:34:57I just used to get on night buses
0:34:57 > 0:35:01and just stay on night buses all night. I just had to do it.
0:35:01 > 0:35:04I had no choice other than to just do what I had to do.
0:35:04 > 0:35:07Then what was the progression? Where did you go from buses?
0:35:07 > 0:35:11I kind of got into the wrong crowd of people just so I can...
0:35:11 > 0:35:14- To keep a roof over your head?- Yeah.
0:35:14 > 0:35:16After two months riding the night buses,
0:35:16 > 0:35:19she found a squat with other homeless people,
0:35:19 > 0:35:23where Zukina witnessed heavy drug use and abusive behaviour.
0:35:25 > 0:35:27There was a lot of rape going on as well.
0:35:27 > 0:35:31Like, I was smart enough not to fall for people's tricks,
0:35:31 > 0:35:33like, I was really aware.
0:35:33 > 0:35:37So a lot of people turned to drugs to cope with that situation?
0:35:37 > 0:35:39I wasn't strong enough to just be sober
0:35:39 > 0:35:40and just, like, get through it.
0:35:40 > 0:35:43Instead of feeling that pain or whatever you're going through,
0:35:43 > 0:35:48get a bottle of vodka - drink that, drink your pain away.
0:35:48 > 0:35:50When do you think you hit your lowest point?
0:35:50 > 0:35:53There were a lot of times I felt like I just want to...
0:35:53 > 0:35:55Like, I don't want to be here no more.
0:35:55 > 0:35:57- So you thought about suicide?- Yeah.
0:35:59 > 0:36:01Quite a few times.
0:36:01 > 0:36:04You feel like there is no future, like that's it, like...
0:36:04 > 0:36:08this is what life is going to be for the rest of your life, so...
0:36:08 > 0:36:10A young rough sleeper is over 30 times more likely
0:36:10 > 0:36:12to take their own life.
0:36:12 > 0:36:14But with support and counselling,
0:36:14 > 0:36:16Zukina has conquered her alcohol addiction
0:36:16 > 0:36:19and is learning to work through her emotional trauma.
0:36:20 > 0:36:27It wasn't until I came into the hostel and, like, I saw therapist.
0:36:27 > 0:36:31She said to me, "You can change this. You can turn your life around.
0:36:31 > 0:36:33"Life is not over for you."
0:36:33 > 0:36:37It wasn't until she said that, that made me think,
0:36:37 > 0:36:38"I have to be strong now."
0:36:44 > 0:36:47Zukina's new-found strength has grown
0:36:47 > 0:36:49over the last two and a half years.
0:36:49 > 0:36:52She is at a place where she finally feels ready to reclaim her life.
0:36:54 > 0:36:58Just being here, like, reminds me of being a kid.
0:36:58 > 0:37:00She has brought me to the estate she grew up on
0:37:00 > 0:37:02and the only place she ever called home.
0:37:04 > 0:37:07We are just going to go to the shop, we call it Jack's.
0:37:07 > 0:37:09Is it the same people that run it from when you were little?
0:37:09 > 0:37:11I think so, we'll find out now.
0:37:11 > 0:37:13Zukina is just showing us around.
0:37:13 > 0:37:15She said if she was ever 20p short, you always let her off.
0:37:15 > 0:37:16Yeah, always.
0:37:18 > 0:37:19You always used to let me off.
0:37:19 > 0:37:22It's nice having that familiarity though, isn't it?
0:37:22 > 0:37:27This is what it pushing me to get that again. That is all I want.
0:37:27 > 0:37:30I want this...again.
0:37:31 > 0:37:35This is what I knew for 20 years.
0:37:35 > 0:37:37The best memories of my life were here.
0:37:39 > 0:37:42- Which one was yours? - It was the third one up.
0:37:42 > 0:37:43- That one there.- Yeah?
0:37:45 > 0:37:47A little bit too hard to jump out of the window
0:37:47 > 0:37:49when you want to escape mum. THEY LAUGH
0:37:49 > 0:37:51Yeah, definitely.
0:37:53 > 0:37:56Zukina lost the security of home and community
0:37:56 > 0:37:59when the family suddenly found themselves being evicted.
0:37:59 > 0:38:01The just came with a letter,
0:38:01 > 0:38:06and they had the truck already here to, like, take this stuff away.
0:38:06 > 0:38:10We wasn't prepared for it at all. It was all a bit of a rush.
0:38:10 > 0:38:12I just remember everyone just, like, grabbing
0:38:12 > 0:38:15all their most important things. The things that they need.
0:38:15 > 0:38:17Literally, from then, my mum, she got housed.
0:38:17 > 0:38:20But my brothers, they just... I don't know.
0:38:20 > 0:38:23They just did their own thing.
0:38:23 > 0:38:25It split us up as a family.
0:38:25 > 0:38:28What kind of feelings does it stir up looking back at it?
0:38:28 > 0:38:31Em... Just...
0:38:31 > 0:38:35Yeah, sad, because obviously that is what I know.
0:38:35 > 0:38:36That was my home.
0:38:37 > 0:38:41Zukina is mum to a four-year-old little girl.
0:38:42 > 0:38:44In the three years since becoming homeless,
0:38:44 > 0:38:47she has not been able to have her daughter in her care.
0:38:47 > 0:38:50So she currently lives with her dad, Zukina's ex-partner.
0:38:50 > 0:38:53This is my primary school, all my family went to.
0:38:53 > 0:38:57Do you look forward to being able to come and pick up and take her back
0:38:57 > 0:39:00- to what would be your house? - Definitely, yeah.- Your home.
0:39:00 > 0:39:03I can't wait for them days.
0:39:03 > 0:39:06Like, I do. I dream about those days.
0:39:06 > 0:39:07They would just be amazing.
0:39:07 > 0:39:10She needs her mother, she needs me to be there for her
0:39:10 > 0:39:12and take her to school.
0:39:12 > 0:39:16She even asks me, like, you know, the kids at school ask, like,
0:39:16 > 0:39:18"Why didn't your mummy come and pick you up?"
0:39:18 > 0:39:21It just breaks my heart, because I'm not in the position to do that.
0:39:28 > 0:39:30The hostel has offered Zukina the stability
0:39:30 > 0:39:32to see a new life for herself,
0:39:32 > 0:39:34but for many, the future is much less certain.
0:39:37 > 0:39:41It is estimated there are over 300,000 hidden homeless.
0:39:41 > 0:39:45These are the people who fall outside government statistics -
0:39:45 > 0:39:48living in hostels, on the streets, in squats,
0:39:48 > 0:39:50B&Bs or being put up on a sofa.
0:39:56 > 0:39:57Many become trapped for years.
0:40:03 > 0:40:06'I'm off to a part of London I know well.'
0:40:06 > 0:40:09Today I'm back on the ends. Back in Clapton, E5 -
0:40:09 > 0:40:13Hackney, I suppose, not just Clapton -
0:40:13 > 0:40:16to meet a young guy to find out about his experiences
0:40:16 > 0:40:18as a homeless young man.
0:40:23 > 0:40:24Home is a very important place
0:40:24 > 0:40:27when you're growing up, when you are an adult.
0:40:27 > 0:40:29I don't think that ever changes.
0:40:29 > 0:40:31As a kid, how much of an effect does it have a new you become?
0:40:31 > 0:40:33A massive one.
0:40:33 > 0:40:37As I got older, you know, I've had friends stay with me
0:40:37 > 0:40:39when they've been out of accommodation,
0:40:39 > 0:40:42gone back into hostels, had all their stuff stolen, get beaten up...
0:40:46 > 0:40:48..but it is not really the bricks and mortar
0:40:48 > 0:40:50that shape you as a person.
0:40:50 > 0:40:52It is people you share the home with.
0:40:52 > 0:40:53Without my nan in my life,
0:40:53 > 0:40:55I'm not sure what would have happened.
0:40:55 > 0:40:57I got into enough trouble as it was!
0:41:01 > 0:41:04'Today, I am back on home turf at Hackney Marshes...'
0:41:04 > 0:41:05What's happening, buddy?
0:41:05 > 0:41:07All right, how are you doing? Are you all right?
0:41:07 > 0:41:09'..and heading for the football pitches.'
0:41:09 > 0:41:11- Pro Green!- What's going on, mate?
0:41:11 > 0:41:15I was a terrible footballer. I always used to get put in goal.
0:41:15 > 0:41:17I saved the ball with my face once.
0:41:20 > 0:41:22I am meeting 25-year-old Jerome,
0:41:22 > 0:41:26who works full-time in the bookies but is still homeless.
0:41:26 > 0:41:30'Jerome went into care at the age of 14 due to family breakdown.
0:41:30 > 0:41:32'After leaving the care system two years later,
0:41:32 > 0:41:36'he still hasn't been able to find an affordable place to live.'
0:41:36 > 0:41:39There is a big rise in people between the ages of 18 and 25
0:41:39 > 0:41:42that are homeless, but they are not is sleeping on the street like that.
0:41:42 > 0:41:43They are in their friend's house,
0:41:43 > 0:41:45or they are in their friend's mum's sofa
0:41:45 > 0:41:47or they are on their... Do you know what I mean?
0:41:47 > 0:41:50Just having a roof over your head doesn't mean you have a home.
0:41:50 > 0:41:51Exactly.
0:41:51 > 0:41:53There is a difference between having a roof and having a home.
0:41:53 > 0:41:55When people paint the picture of a homeless person,
0:41:55 > 0:41:58it's not someone that looks like you or looks like me.
0:41:58 > 0:41:59- Why is that? - You don't want people to know.
0:41:59 > 0:42:01You don't want them to see that side of you.
0:42:01 > 0:42:04Not to be big headed, I dress all right, I've got my trainers on,
0:42:04 > 0:42:06I look fresh, I've had a shower, I go to work.
0:42:06 > 0:42:08When I get paid, I'll go to the barbers. No-one knows I'm homeless.
0:42:08 > 0:42:11It's only the people who know me and now know how long
0:42:11 > 0:42:14I've been sleeping on my sister's sofa or my nan's sofa
0:42:14 > 0:42:17or my aunt's sofa or this person's sofa, that person's sofa
0:42:17 > 0:42:19who really know that I'm homeless.
0:42:19 > 0:42:20Homelessness has many faces.
0:42:20 > 0:42:23It has every colour, every creed, every gender.
0:42:23 > 0:42:25You can walk past someone in a business suit,
0:42:25 > 0:42:27this guy could be homeless. You don't know.
0:42:27 > 0:42:30Don't give homelessness a face, that's what I say.
0:42:30 > 0:42:33For Jerome, working a full-time job but not having a fixed address
0:42:33 > 0:42:37has brought its own complications.
0:42:37 > 0:42:40There were times when I got kicked out of my nan's house, I'm thinking,
0:42:40 > 0:42:43"Listen, I've got three bags, I've got to go to work today."
0:42:43 > 0:42:45Those are the stresses that really...
0:42:45 > 0:42:49These are the reasons why having a home should be...
0:42:49 > 0:42:51It's just essential to everyone.
0:42:53 > 0:42:56Jerome joins one in five 16- to 25-year-olds
0:42:56 > 0:42:58who have experienced sofa surfing -
0:42:58 > 0:43:01moving around, relying on friends and family for a sofa,
0:43:01 > 0:43:03spare bed or a floor to sleep on.
0:43:05 > 0:43:08I catch up with Jerome a few days later before he heads off to work.
0:43:08 > 0:43:11- What's happening? Are you all right? - What's happening? Are you good?
0:43:11 > 0:43:12Yeah, man, I'm good, man.
0:43:12 > 0:43:15'Jerome has two young children, but as he's currently sleeping
0:43:15 > 0:43:19'on his aunt's sofa, spending time with them is difficult.
0:43:19 > 0:43:21'Living in London means he can't afford to rent somewhere
0:43:21 > 0:43:23'that would work for him and his kids.'
0:43:23 > 0:43:25A two-bedroom apartment,
0:43:25 > 0:43:28a spare room for my children to stay in when they came over.
0:43:28 > 0:43:31£400 a week. So that's, what? That's £1,600 a month.
0:43:31 > 0:43:34How long is it going to take someone who is on £1,200 a month
0:43:34 > 0:43:36who is also providing for his children,
0:43:36 > 0:43:39who is also trying to get to work - how do you save up for that?
0:43:39 > 0:43:41£1,600 a month - how many hours have you got to work to do that?
0:43:41 > 0:43:44- Yeah, but then you have got bills. - Exactly. Exactly.
0:43:44 > 0:43:45No-one has mentioned that.
0:43:45 > 0:43:48Really and truly, you're looking at...two grand a month.
0:43:48 > 0:43:52I don't want to move out of London when all my family live here.
0:43:52 > 0:43:56You are in a proper catch-22. It just, like, hurts, man.
0:43:56 > 0:43:59I think Jerome is probably quite an accurate picture of a lot of people
0:43:59 > 0:44:01who are the hidden homeless - you would never pick him out
0:44:01 > 0:44:02from a crowd as being homeless,
0:44:02 > 0:44:05He's very well-kept, better kept than I am!
0:44:06 > 0:44:10He is basically everything that people would assume homeless isn't.
0:44:12 > 0:44:15'In the UK, there is a real lack of social housing.
0:44:15 > 0:44:19'In the last two decades, demand has increased by 80%,
0:44:19 > 0:44:22'which has forced up rental costs and the private sector.'
0:44:24 > 0:44:26- What is your situation now? - At the minute,
0:44:26 > 0:44:30I am just on my aunt's sofa trying to find somewhere else to go.
0:44:30 > 0:44:32So what are the options? JEROME EXHALES
0:44:32 > 0:44:34- Private rent, council... - Private rent...
0:44:34 > 0:44:37Council is not an option. Not in London.
0:44:37 > 0:44:40My cousin has been on the council list for ten years.
0:44:40 > 0:44:44The lack of affordable housing is a major cause of homelessness.
0:44:44 > 0:44:48For Jerome, sofa surfing has been essential to avoid worse.
0:44:48 > 0:44:51There have been times at 9, 10 o'clock at night
0:44:51 > 0:44:53and I thought, "Where am I going tonight?"
0:44:53 > 0:44:55One of my friends has just saved me last-minute,
0:44:55 > 0:44:59like, "Come to mine. Sleep on my floor or my sofa."
0:44:59 > 0:45:01I don't ever want my children to go through the things
0:45:01 > 0:45:04that I have gone through and see the things that I have seen
0:45:04 > 0:45:06and, like, spend nights in McDonald's
0:45:06 > 0:45:08because they have got nowhere else to go,
0:45:08 > 0:45:09or to walk around the streets all night
0:45:09 > 0:45:11because they have got nowhere else to go.
0:45:11 > 0:45:14I don't want to see my children in that position, ever.
0:45:14 > 0:45:16- After you, bruv.- Thank you.
0:45:17 > 0:45:21Everyone pins the beginning of the next stage of their life
0:45:21 > 0:45:23on when they get accommodation, and rightly so,
0:45:23 > 0:45:26because without that foundation, how can you build a life?
0:45:26 > 0:45:29- Safe, man.- Same, fella. All the best for the future.- Thank you.
0:45:29 > 0:45:31I appreciate it, man. Thanks for listening, as well.
0:45:31 > 0:45:32Respect.
0:45:32 > 0:45:34Jerome is fortunate enough that he can help himself,
0:45:34 > 0:45:36but not everyone can.
0:45:36 > 0:45:38Sadly, Jerome's story is a common one.
0:45:44 > 0:45:46Down the road in the Borough of Islington,
0:45:46 > 0:45:49I am meeting another of the growing number of the UK's hidden homeless.
0:45:54 > 0:45:57Hello. Who are you?
0:45:57 > 0:45:58Are you Persia?
0:45:59 > 0:46:02HE LAUGHS
0:46:02 > 0:46:04'Lauren and her four-year-old daughter Persia
0:46:04 > 0:46:06'are staying in her friend's spare room
0:46:06 > 0:46:08'after being evicted from her two-bedroom house.'
0:46:08 > 0:46:10- What are you playing?- What is that?
0:46:10 > 0:46:14'She fell into rent arrears after being made redundant.'
0:46:14 > 0:46:18Have we got to try and get...? Try and get as many as I can?
0:46:18 > 0:46:21I don't think I'm very good at this.
0:46:21 > 0:46:23I'm going to...
0:46:23 > 0:46:26Are you sitting on a chair? That chair is too small for you.
0:46:26 > 0:46:29You are a big girl now. PERSIA GIGGLES
0:46:29 > 0:46:35Lauren moved here one month ago from her hometown of Harlow in Essex.
0:46:35 > 0:46:38It's hard, because we were brought up in such
0:46:38 > 0:46:40- a social network in Harlow.- Yeah.
0:46:40 > 0:46:43I've got my close, close friend and her two little daughters.
0:46:43 > 0:46:46We would see each other every single day.
0:46:46 > 0:46:49- How did Persia find the change? - It's a big thing.
0:46:49 > 0:46:52She's four years old, she was born and raised in Harlow.
0:46:52 > 0:46:53But she misses her friends
0:46:53 > 0:46:55and she misses the old nursery that she used to go to.
0:46:55 > 0:46:57You miss your friends from Harlow?
0:46:57 > 0:47:01I miss... I miss Charlene.
0:47:01 > 0:47:03You miss Charlene.
0:47:03 > 0:47:06- I miss Clariela.- Clariela.
0:47:06 > 0:47:09- I miss...- I think she could be going for a long list of friends.
0:47:09 > 0:47:12She's got a lot of friends. You've got a lot of friends!
0:47:12 > 0:47:14Are you popular?
0:47:14 > 0:47:18'For a Lauren, it is important to create some stability for Persia.'
0:47:18 > 0:47:21She has just settled into her second school.
0:47:21 > 0:47:25I don't want to move again and then transition her to a third school,
0:47:25 > 0:47:28so ideally I want to settle in this borough,
0:47:28 > 0:47:31but I still don't know how we are going to do it.
0:47:31 > 0:47:32This is our room.
0:47:32 > 0:47:38- This is where we condense our life. - Mummy... I can't count them.
0:47:38 > 0:47:41She was half a day old when that was taken.
0:47:41 > 0:47:44- And she is already swearing. - Yeah. I think that is her outlook.
0:47:44 > 0:47:45PERSIA GIGGLES
0:47:45 > 0:47:48- Who's that, Pers?- Persia!
0:47:50 > 0:47:52PROFESSOR GREEN LAUGHS She's full of beans, isn't she?
0:47:52 > 0:47:55'Lauren and a very energetic Persia share this one room
0:47:55 > 0:47:57'and sleep in the same bed.'
0:47:57 > 0:48:01I feel, like, in such a small space, we've got so much
0:48:01 > 0:48:03to try and fit in here.
0:48:03 > 0:48:05- I mean, do you find it difficult? - Yeah.
0:48:05 > 0:48:09When I'm getting her up for school and I can't remember which pile of things - I've put it somewhere,
0:48:09 > 0:48:11then I end up throwing everything everywhere
0:48:11 > 0:48:13and get myself in a right mad mess.
0:48:15 > 0:48:17It might small, but it is better than the accommodation
0:48:17 > 0:48:19the council were offering her
0:48:19 > 0:48:21over 100 miles away from her support network.
0:48:23 > 0:48:25If I didn't have Claire that opened up her home,
0:48:25 > 0:48:29the only option that you are given is B&Bs in and around the country.
0:48:29 > 0:48:32So do you think this is quite a widespread problem
0:48:32 > 0:48:34in that this is splitting up communities in a lot of places?
0:48:34 > 0:48:37I mean, if they were willing to ship you to Clacton
0:48:37 > 0:48:41- or to Great Yarmouth, how many other people are there?- Loads.
0:48:41 > 0:48:43When we was in temporary accommodation,
0:48:43 > 0:48:45nine sets of families we got to know.
0:48:45 > 0:48:48It's a horrible position to be in -
0:48:48 > 0:48:50not being able to provide for your child,
0:48:50 > 0:48:52the child that I brought into this world.
0:48:55 > 0:48:58I know I'm being hard on myself, but I have let her down
0:48:58 > 0:49:00by not being able to provide her with a secure home.
0:49:02 > 0:49:07It's really hard not to get emotional and involved in that.
0:49:10 > 0:49:14Because I have got to step up and I have got to make things a success
0:49:14 > 0:49:17just so she's got a base and place to call home.
0:49:17 > 0:49:19Aw!
0:49:19 > 0:49:21You're good girl, aren't you?
0:49:30 > 0:49:32Losing the family home has meant selling off
0:49:32 > 0:49:34most of their possessions.
0:49:36 > 0:49:40But it is the more personal things that are the hardest to let go of.
0:49:41 > 0:49:43So this is the last bit of your stuff?
0:49:43 > 0:49:46Yeah, the last bit of our lives.
0:49:46 > 0:49:49I've sold so much. We can't fit it all into one room.
0:49:49 > 0:49:53My daughter has had to do away with a lot of her stuff.
0:49:53 > 0:49:59Her scooter, that little Hello Kitty pop-up. Me with my vinyl.
0:49:59 > 0:50:01I'm not going to be able to play that again.
0:50:01 > 0:50:06A shame to lose that, though. They must relate to a point in your life.
0:50:06 > 0:50:09- For me, that is what the song is. - I was heavily into my music.- Yeah.
0:50:09 > 0:50:13- Absolutely loved it. - 50 Cent, In Da Club.
0:50:13 > 0:50:16That was his breakthrough, wasn't it?
0:50:16 > 0:50:19I always find they remind me of moments.
0:50:19 > 0:50:23- Yeah.- When you first heard that song or who you heard that song with.
0:50:23 > 0:50:25Where you were.
0:50:25 > 0:50:28I love my records, and the cost a lot of money at one point,
0:50:28 > 0:50:30but I can't feed to my daughter on memories.
0:50:30 > 0:50:33Would you consider yourself to be homeless?
0:50:33 > 0:50:35I know there are going to be people out there
0:50:35 > 0:50:36that say you are not homeless, actually,
0:50:36 > 0:50:38because you have a roof over your head.
0:50:38 > 0:50:41But we're homeless in the sense that we don't have a home of our own
0:50:41 > 0:50:44and we don't know where we could be next week.
0:50:44 > 0:50:46Yes, we are relying on a very good friend that has put us up,
0:50:46 > 0:50:48but circumstances change.
0:50:48 > 0:50:51You never know what can happen in the future.
0:50:51 > 0:50:52The amount of times I've been in this garage
0:50:52 > 0:50:56and sat down and just looked at all my stuff and just thought,
0:50:56 > 0:50:58"How on earth did I end up like this?"
0:51:02 > 0:51:04It's shocking, really,
0:51:04 > 0:51:09you know, to think of the situation that she has ended up in.
0:51:09 > 0:51:11And to think how, actually...
0:51:11 > 0:51:16How easily you, I, you at home could end up in that situation.
0:51:16 > 0:51:19None of us are really that far away from it, are we?
0:51:19 > 0:51:21She lost her job and it was pretty much that simple.
0:51:21 > 0:51:26From there on, it was quite a conceivable series of events.
0:51:26 > 0:51:28It's not what I expected to see.
0:51:28 > 0:51:32I don't think it is what many people would deem as being homeless.
0:51:32 > 0:51:35But we need to change our perception of that, cos there is a problem.
0:51:35 > 0:51:38And I guess the reason that we think of homeless as
0:51:38 > 0:51:42an old man on the street with a can of beer is because that is something
0:51:42 > 0:51:47that we have all grown up seeing, it's something we all see day-to-day when we're out on the streets.
0:51:47 > 0:51:49But there is a huge problem, clearly,
0:51:49 > 0:51:52with people that we don't see. They are virtually invisible.
0:51:57 > 0:52:00The hidden homeless have many faces.
0:52:00 > 0:52:02From those like Lauren, teetering on the edge,
0:52:02 > 0:52:07to the rough sleepers facing the dangers of the streets every night.
0:52:13 > 0:52:16Back in Manchester, there has been some shocking news.
0:52:19 > 0:52:23One of Luke's friends, Daniel Smith, was killed while sleeping rough.
0:52:25 > 0:52:27Luke's brought me to some railway arches
0:52:27 > 0:52:29where they found Daniel's body.
0:52:29 > 0:52:31I'm worried to find out how Luke's coping.
0:52:33 > 0:52:36He was staying there, he's been battered.
0:52:36 > 0:52:40Dragged, actually, in a tent while he has been dead and set on fire.
0:52:40 > 0:52:42So they beat him to death?
0:52:42 > 0:52:44Beat him to death and set him on fire.
0:52:44 > 0:52:47- 23 years of age.- Poor kid. 23?!
0:52:47 > 0:52:50And to say it was homeless people who did it, in the community,
0:52:50 > 0:52:52it's not nice. It's sick.
0:52:54 > 0:52:57'We make our way round to the other side of the arches.
0:52:57 > 0:52:58'When we get there,
0:52:58 > 0:53:01'the police have still got the crime scene cordoned off.'
0:53:01 > 0:53:02What a horrible place to die.
0:53:04 > 0:53:06It makes you shudder, doesn't it?
0:53:06 > 0:53:09Obviously they have dragged all the stuff out and pulled it to one side.
0:53:09 > 0:53:12Clothes, sleeping bags, covers.
0:53:12 > 0:53:16Just what would have been going through his head, the fear.
0:53:16 > 0:53:18I can't even imagine what was going through his head.
0:53:18 > 0:53:21It is not a death anyone should meet, is it?
0:53:23 > 0:53:26- It must make you think, man. - It does, man.
0:53:26 > 0:53:28I go home every night, I think about it. Trust me.
0:53:28 > 0:53:32I was sat in that exact same room two weeks ago.
0:53:32 > 0:53:35- Exact same room to where he was battered.- It's fucked. Fucked.
0:53:35 > 0:53:36It's sick. It's sick.
0:53:39 > 0:53:42You've seen a lot of stuff in your time on the streets.
0:53:42 > 0:53:44Is this the worst?
0:53:44 > 0:53:48A boy has lost his life, a family has lost its son.
0:53:51 > 0:53:54'I can see Daniel's death has deeply affected the Luke.'
0:53:56 > 0:53:58It's the wind, innit?
0:53:59 > 0:54:01- Thank you.- It's all right.
0:54:01 > 0:54:02What does the tent signify?
0:54:02 > 0:54:05I came and stayed here last Friday and Saturday night.
0:54:05 > 0:54:07I just... I just thought...
0:54:07 > 0:54:10Because I'm allowed out two nights of my hostel a week,
0:54:10 > 0:54:12I just thought I would come and stay here.
0:54:12 > 0:54:15Stayed here Friday and Saturday night and just paid a bit of respect.
0:54:15 > 0:54:17It's weird to think, though, once the tent is gone,
0:54:17 > 0:54:20- once that is taken down, there will be...- There will be nothing of him.
0:54:20 > 0:54:22Nothing left of him. No.
0:54:22 > 0:54:25I suppose that is a reason not to end up back on the streets, innit?
0:54:25 > 0:54:26It is. It is a good enough reason.
0:54:26 > 0:54:29People are stabbing each other in the backs out here.
0:54:29 > 0:54:30It shouldn't be happening.
0:54:30 > 0:54:32You should be looking out for each other out here,
0:54:32 > 0:54:36not stabbing each other in the backs and killing people.
0:54:36 > 0:54:39He was a good guy. A top guy.
0:54:39 > 0:54:43Does it not make you worried about what could happen to you?
0:54:43 > 0:54:46Yeah, of course it does. It's not nice, man.
0:54:46 > 0:54:48It shouldn't be happening.
0:54:52 > 0:54:55Two men have been charged with the murder of Daniel Smith.
0:54:57 > 0:54:59Luke has been off the streets for a month.
0:54:59 > 0:55:03This could be the wake-up call he needs to keep hold of his hostel place
0:55:03 > 0:55:06and break the cycle of homelessness before it is too late.
0:55:07 > 0:55:11I don't know where Luke is going to end up. It is anyone's guess.
0:55:11 > 0:55:14He is smoking, but he obviously cares -
0:55:14 > 0:55:16to come down and put his tent up for two nights
0:55:16 > 0:55:18when he has got a bed in a hostel.
0:55:19 > 0:55:22We have spent a couple of days in his life.
0:55:22 > 0:55:23We don't understand his world
0:55:23 > 0:55:25and we don't have to live this day in and day out.
0:55:30 > 0:55:33So many people are homeless for so many different reasons,
0:55:33 > 0:55:37and everyone's case, although there might be consistencies -
0:55:37 > 0:55:42family breakdown, mental health, drug addiction -
0:55:42 > 0:55:45everyone's story is slightly different.
0:55:45 > 0:55:47And the help that people need is different.
0:55:49 > 0:55:53What I have found is that once you lose the security of having a home,
0:55:53 > 0:55:56the fight to get it back is incredibly difficult,
0:55:56 > 0:55:59made worse by the lack of social housing and support.
0:55:59 > 0:56:01Charities do what they can,
0:56:01 > 0:56:03but until we recognise the true scale of the problem,
0:56:03 > 0:56:06often hidden from view, more and more young people
0:56:06 > 0:56:10will find themselves trapped in these desperate circumstances.
0:56:10 > 0:56:11Head fuck.
0:56:13 > 0:56:15It is. It is a proper head fuck.
0:56:17 > 0:56:19We go back to life now.
0:56:19 > 0:56:21And this life that for everyone who is on the streets
0:56:21 > 0:56:24just continues as it does day in, day out.
0:56:24 > 0:56:27I wouldn't say that I am leaving this with any more hope
0:56:27 > 0:56:29than I came into it. I think, if anything, less so.
0:56:31 > 0:56:34The more I understand about homelessness,
0:56:34 > 0:56:38the more I understand how difficult it is to break that cycle.