0:00:02 > 0:00:05I've been on the street so long now I've give up.
0:00:05 > 0:00:07I'm going to be on the street for the rest of my life, I think.
0:00:07 > 0:00:10Cardiff is facing a housing crisis.
0:00:10 > 0:00:11In just two years,
0:00:11 > 0:00:14the number of people sleeping rough on the streets
0:00:14 > 0:00:16has more than doubled.
0:00:16 > 0:00:17Yeah, I sleep in here.
0:00:17 > 0:00:20I'm film-maker Chris Rushton,
0:00:20 > 0:00:23and together with Angharad Arnold we've spent six months
0:00:23 > 0:00:26following the plight of Cardiff's homeless.
0:00:26 > 0:00:30I want to understand why the numbers are on the increase...
0:00:30 > 0:00:32I don't know what the council are going to do
0:00:32 > 0:00:34with my particular case.
0:00:34 > 0:00:38I've just got to sit there, bare it, grin and just keep on going.
0:00:39 > 0:00:42..the risks they take sleeping rough...
0:00:42 > 0:00:46There's dangers. I've been beat up.
0:00:46 > 0:00:48Men offering me money for sex.
0:00:48 > 0:00:52..find out how the homeless survive, and the prejudices they face.
0:00:52 > 0:00:54- Get a life and get a fucking grip. - That's it.
0:00:54 > 0:00:56- There's loads of work. - Grab yourself and do it.
0:00:56 > 0:00:57And stop begging.
0:00:57 > 0:00:59I don't like being like that.
0:00:59 > 0:01:01They need to get me off the streets. I don't like doing this.
0:01:01 > 0:01:04Following the lives of those with nowhere to go
0:01:04 > 0:01:07would prove to be an upsetting story.
0:01:07 > 0:01:09I can't live like this no more.
0:01:12 > 0:01:15HE WHIMPERS
0:01:15 > 0:01:19This is the reality of living on Cardiff's streets.
0:01:25 > 0:01:29I'd followed the plight of the homeless in Swansea
0:01:29 > 0:01:31on film five years ago,
0:01:31 > 0:01:34but since then, Cardiff has overtaken Swansea
0:01:34 > 0:01:37as the homeless capital of Wales.
0:01:38 > 0:01:41When Cardiff seemed to be showing all the signs
0:01:41 > 0:01:43of affluence and success,
0:01:43 > 0:01:46I wanted to find out about those who were down on their luck
0:01:46 > 0:01:48with nowhere to go.
0:01:50 > 0:01:53Our journey begins in summer of 2016.
0:01:56 > 0:01:59One of the main reasons for homelessness
0:01:59 > 0:02:01is relationship break down
0:02:01 > 0:02:04and having no-one to turn to in a crisis.
0:02:04 > 0:02:08I've been on my own since I was 16.
0:02:08 > 0:02:12I've had no family around me, no family contact,
0:02:12 > 0:02:15so it's just something I've become accustomed to.
0:02:18 > 0:02:21Raymond has been homeless on and off for years.
0:02:21 > 0:02:24Living on the streets and sleeping rough
0:02:24 > 0:02:26has become his normal routine.
0:02:30 > 0:02:34It's 7.30 in the morning. Raymond's asleep.
0:02:34 > 0:02:36His bedroom, ironically,
0:02:36 > 0:02:39is the emergency exit of one of Cardiff's biggest hotels.
0:02:46 > 0:02:49I'm so tired. Bad night tonight.
0:02:49 > 0:02:52What was keeping you awake last night?
0:02:52 > 0:02:53The birds.
0:02:54 > 0:02:55The bloody seagulls.
0:02:57 > 0:02:59If I had a gun I'd kill the lot of them.
0:02:59 > 0:03:01SEAGULL SQUAWKS IN DISTANCE
0:03:01 > 0:03:06When he sleeps, both him and his possessions are a soft target.
0:03:06 > 0:03:10I see you've got a bit of a deterrent there, with your bag.
0:03:10 > 0:03:13Yeah, I tie it to the post.
0:03:13 > 0:03:16'Being organised is half the battle.'
0:03:16 > 0:03:20Battery pack. Travel charger.
0:03:20 > 0:03:21But it's dead.
0:03:21 > 0:03:25He's chosen this pitch partly because of this facility.
0:03:25 > 0:03:28It's just an outside socket
0:03:28 > 0:03:30for the people that is using the restaurant,
0:03:30 > 0:03:32so you can charge your stuff.
0:03:32 > 0:03:35As long as I'm not shaving outside like I did before
0:03:35 > 0:03:37in the middle of the day when the restaurant's open.
0:03:37 > 0:03:40I like to have a change of clothes and be clean
0:03:40 > 0:03:44instead of looking like a tramp every day.
0:03:44 > 0:03:46If I'm on my own, it limits me where I can go,
0:03:46 > 0:03:48but I just don't care.
0:03:48 > 0:03:51I just take it wherever I've got to go anyway.
0:03:51 > 0:03:55Oh! I've left my blooming charger around there!
0:03:55 > 0:03:57Can't let that go missing.
0:04:02 > 0:04:03Now, this, I need.
0:04:11 > 0:04:12If I lose this, I'm knackered.
0:04:24 > 0:04:27We were shocked by the numbers of people
0:04:27 > 0:04:30who've made Cardiff city centre their home.
0:04:32 > 0:04:39A survey by charities on one night counted 47 people sleeping rough.
0:04:41 > 0:04:46Shoes. Spare trainers.
0:04:46 > 0:04:51Another of the well-kitted rough sleepers is known as Smurf.
0:04:51 > 0:04:54He's spent most of his life with no fixed abode.
0:04:54 > 0:04:57That's the bag sorted.
0:04:57 > 0:04:59I've got everything, yeah.
0:04:59 > 0:05:00Very good, yeah.
0:05:00 > 0:05:0331-year-old Smurf grew up in Derby.
0:05:03 > 0:05:06I've been on the streets now...
0:05:06 > 0:05:09It'll be 12 years on the 19th of August.
0:05:09 > 0:05:12My little journey started when I was 13,
0:05:12 > 0:05:13when I started to go downhill.
0:05:13 > 0:05:16He had a falling out with his family
0:05:16 > 0:05:18and wanted to make a new life here.
0:05:18 > 0:05:20I've been here, what, eight years?
0:05:20 > 0:05:22His real name is Stuart,
0:05:22 > 0:05:25but the reason he ended up with the nickname Smurf
0:05:25 > 0:05:28is to do with the blue-skinned cartoon characters.
0:05:28 > 0:05:31I was sitting with a group of friends one day
0:05:31 > 0:05:37and we was having a bit of a conversation,
0:05:37 > 0:05:39and they just basically turned and said,
0:05:39 > 0:05:42"Oh, you're well blue-minded, you are. You're like a Smurf."
0:05:42 > 0:05:43And it stuck.
0:05:44 > 0:05:46Look at Smurf's back garden!
0:05:46 > 0:05:48It's Alexandra Park.
0:05:48 > 0:05:52It's just a stone's throw away from the Civic Centre.
0:05:52 > 0:05:54This, unknown to other people,
0:05:54 > 0:05:58this little bush on this amazing garden,
0:05:58 > 0:06:01is where you will find my Smurf workshop.
0:06:06 > 0:06:10I've been on this park now two and a half, three months.
0:06:10 > 0:06:16This is my little home. You have to duck down and stuff.
0:06:16 > 0:06:20You sort of get in. It's not a lot, but it's my home.
0:06:21 > 0:06:25It's where I live. It's where I sleep when I can get to sleep.
0:06:26 > 0:06:30We were about to discover that his collection of junk
0:06:30 > 0:06:34is the raw materials for making all kinds of amazing things.
0:06:34 > 0:06:37This bike here is made from an office chair...
0:06:39 > 0:06:43They're wheelie bin wheels, the back axle is off a pushchair.
0:06:43 > 0:06:47We've got a BMX scooter, which is the main framework.
0:06:47 > 0:06:49A unicycle on the front,
0:06:49 > 0:06:52and the whole thing holding it together,
0:06:52 > 0:06:54two planks of wood, and two bolts.
0:06:54 > 0:06:57That is holding the whole thing together.
0:07:02 > 0:07:04Yeah! That looks pretty cool.
0:07:06 > 0:07:13It was truly an astonishing feat of engineering and up-cycling.
0:07:15 > 0:07:18Use the breaks, always check the traffic.
0:07:18 > 0:07:19Safety first.
0:07:20 > 0:07:22With nowhere safe to keep his stuff,
0:07:22 > 0:07:26his tricycle makes light work of having to lug it around.
0:07:26 > 0:07:29Hello, lads. Hi!
0:07:30 > 0:07:32Cheers.
0:07:32 > 0:07:33What happens when I'm cycling around
0:07:33 > 0:07:35on my lovely little contraption here
0:07:35 > 0:07:38is people kind of laugh.
0:07:38 > 0:07:41They don't quite understand the concept of the bike.
0:07:41 > 0:07:44The bike was created to make people laugh,
0:07:44 > 0:07:45to spread joy.
0:07:45 > 0:07:50I want to see people laughing. Not hiding away from it, you know.
0:07:50 > 0:07:51This is fun.
0:07:51 > 0:07:54It's a fantastic way to exercise and keep your heart rate down.
0:07:58 > 0:08:00See, that's the sort of bag I could do with,
0:08:00 > 0:08:02cos it's waterproof.
0:08:02 > 0:08:07Smurf chose a life on the street to escape his family difficulties,
0:08:07 > 0:08:11but many end up here as a result of serious addiction
0:08:11 > 0:08:12to drugs and alcohol.
0:08:16 > 0:08:20In 2013, I'd filmed in Swansea
0:08:20 > 0:08:22where most of the homeless people I met
0:08:22 > 0:08:24were trapped on the streets by drink.
0:08:26 > 0:08:29One of the people I'd filmed back then was Dean,
0:08:29 > 0:08:31sleeping rough on the streets.
0:08:31 > 0:08:34Oh, well. At least it's not raining!
0:08:34 > 0:08:38He was in poor health because of his alcoholism
0:08:38 > 0:08:40and was repeatedly collapsing on the streets.
0:08:40 > 0:08:42You've got a head injury, that's the thing.
0:08:42 > 0:08:46I can't release you. I won't be happy to release you on the streets.
0:08:46 > 0:08:49I'm not Iron Man. I can't live like this for the rest of my life,
0:08:49 > 0:08:50you know what I mean?
0:08:50 > 0:08:55Now, four years later, I met Dean again.
0:08:55 > 0:08:57He's come to the Huggard Centre,
0:08:57 > 0:09:00one of the charities in Cardiff that helps the homeless.
0:09:00 > 0:09:02- Hello, Dean.- Hi, babe.- All right?
0:09:02 > 0:09:06The Huggard offers some of Cardiff's most entrenched homeless people
0:09:06 > 0:09:08accommodation and support of all kinds.
0:09:08 > 0:09:12- Ah, nice one.- There's your quilt, all right.- Huh?- OK?- Yeah.
0:09:12 > 0:09:15They help him out with a duvet.
0:09:15 > 0:09:20Dean hasn't put his name down for one of Cardiff's 43 emergency beds.
0:09:20 > 0:09:24Being caught up in drink means his life can be chaotic.
0:09:24 > 0:09:29I will be warm, because I've got this big quilt.
0:09:29 > 0:09:32And the main thing is somewhere bloody safe.
0:09:34 > 0:09:36Where people don't go past and spit on you
0:09:36 > 0:09:38and kick you and stuff like that.
0:09:40 > 0:09:41How do you do it, Dean, every night?
0:09:41 > 0:09:46Like, looking for somewhere new every night to sleep.
0:09:47 > 0:09:52It's not the easiest thing to do, but it's got to be done.
0:09:52 > 0:09:54'Trekking past City Hall,
0:09:54 > 0:09:56'he's looking for somewhere safe to sleep.'
0:09:56 > 0:09:58There we are, look. See it?
0:10:00 > 0:10:02What's good about this spot?
0:10:02 > 0:10:05It's dark, it's out of the way.
0:10:05 > 0:10:07I can't see nothing else.
0:10:27 > 0:10:32'I'd witnessed homeless people bedding down many times before,
0:10:32 > 0:10:34'but it was still upsetting to see.'
0:10:41 > 0:10:44So, this is your good night, yeah?
0:10:46 > 0:10:48It sure is, Chris.
0:10:49 > 0:10:51Safe enough for me.
0:10:58 > 0:11:01'I'd known Dean for five years,
0:11:01 > 0:11:03'and it seemed to me there was little hope
0:11:03 > 0:11:06'that he would ever be able to get off the streets
0:11:06 > 0:11:10'and break the habit of a lifetime.'
0:11:14 > 0:11:18At the weekend, the city centre is packed with people
0:11:18 > 0:11:19on a big night out.
0:11:19 > 0:11:21Some of the homeless make the most of it.
0:11:21 > 0:11:23Any spare change, please?
0:11:23 > 0:11:26Whilst others have to put up with the invasion
0:11:26 > 0:11:29and the bad behaviour of some of the revellers.
0:11:29 > 0:11:34The spot where Smurf was planning to sleep has lost its appeal.
0:11:34 > 0:11:36That's normally my spot.
0:11:36 > 0:11:38Someone's obviously had too much to drink,
0:11:38 > 0:11:40thrown up all over the place.
0:11:40 > 0:11:43One of Smurf's strategies for surviving on the streets
0:11:43 > 0:11:46is to make friends with everyone.
0:11:46 > 0:11:49- Hi.- Hiya, mate.
0:11:49 > 0:11:51But there's no avoiding the dark side
0:11:51 > 0:11:52of a night on the town.
0:11:55 > 0:12:00This looks like a typical Friday of young people going out,
0:12:00 > 0:12:04taking full advantage of cheap drinks in nightclubs
0:12:04 > 0:12:06and kicking off.
0:12:06 > 0:12:09Not homeless people, drunks.
0:12:09 > 0:12:13Smurf's front room has become a battleground.
0:12:13 > 0:12:16SIREN WAILS
0:12:16 > 0:12:19- It's escalating, isn't it? - Yeah, it's kind of escalating.
0:12:19 > 0:12:21It's, getting, you know, heated,
0:12:21 > 0:12:24so let's get out of the way before we get pulled into it.
0:12:29 > 0:12:34I mean, I've spent that long on the streets, you know,
0:12:34 > 0:12:36it's nothing to me.
0:12:36 > 0:12:39Pissheads fighting, pissheads throwing up on your front yard.
0:12:39 > 0:12:42It's just everyday life.
0:12:44 > 0:12:47I was seeing another side to Smurf.
0:12:47 > 0:12:51Part of him actually wanted a way out of homelessness.
0:12:51 > 0:12:53I want to get out of it now, you know, I've had enough.
0:12:53 > 0:12:55I've done 12 years. I've had enough.
0:12:55 > 0:12:59But, you know, I'm that far out of the system,
0:12:59 > 0:13:01you know, it's...
0:13:01 > 0:13:03It's just everyday life to me now.
0:13:06 > 0:13:08Three months ago, Smurf put his name down
0:13:08 > 0:13:11on a waiting list for a hostel that could offer him
0:13:11 > 0:13:15the support he'll need to readjust to normal life,
0:13:15 > 0:13:18but he's losing hope that it will ever become a reality.
0:13:23 > 0:13:26Finding any kind of roof over your head in Cardiff
0:13:26 > 0:13:27can be difficult.
0:13:27 > 0:13:32The council's housing list has 8,500 people on it,
0:13:32 > 0:13:35and over 800 of these have no fixed abode.
0:13:38 > 0:13:42It's now been two months since Raymond first told me
0:13:42 > 0:13:44that he was on the waiting list.
0:13:45 > 0:13:49You start losing faith in people and faith in the system.
0:13:50 > 0:13:52You know, I'm born and bred in Wales.
0:13:52 > 0:13:57I've got nothing against any foreigners, nothing like that,
0:13:57 > 0:14:02but they seem to get priority over anyone,
0:14:02 > 0:14:05which I do think is wrong.
0:14:05 > 0:14:08Spare a bit of change, please, ma'am?
0:14:08 > 0:14:10The doorways where Raymond sleeps
0:14:10 > 0:14:12offer little protection from the weather.
0:14:15 > 0:14:17You know, I don't want to be out here,
0:14:17 > 0:14:20especially with winter on the way.
0:14:20 > 0:14:24Cos it's starting to get me down.
0:14:24 > 0:14:28You know, feeling depressed a lot more, stressed.
0:14:33 > 0:14:35Just...lonely, as well.
0:14:35 > 0:14:38There's no way I'm going to be out here for Christmas.
0:14:40 > 0:14:43Christmas is four months away
0:14:43 > 0:14:45and I wondered if Raymond would manage
0:14:45 > 0:14:47to get off the streets by then.
0:14:50 > 0:14:52Living on the streets is both dangerous
0:14:52 > 0:14:55and bad for your health.
0:14:55 > 0:14:58In a recent survey of homeless people,
0:14:58 > 0:15:0180% said they suffered from mental health problems.
0:15:03 > 0:15:05Smurf is one of them.
0:15:05 > 0:15:06When he was 22,
0:15:06 > 0:15:11he was diagnosed with paranoid schizophrenia.
0:15:11 > 0:15:15The stress of living on the streets exacerbates his illness.
0:15:15 > 0:15:19I'm just finding it really hard at the minute.
0:15:19 > 0:15:21Yeah, it's just getting tough on me at the minute.
0:15:21 > 0:15:23With my head, that's where my problems start.
0:15:23 > 0:15:28I start getting agitated, and then, before you know it,
0:15:28 > 0:15:31I'm in jail for GBH, or something stupid.
0:15:31 > 0:15:34He makes light of the voices in his head.
0:15:34 > 0:15:36Luckily, I never feel alone.
0:15:36 > 0:15:39I've always got somebody talking to me.
0:15:39 > 0:15:44But it's a hard thing to live with, but if you know how to deal with it
0:15:44 > 0:15:47and how to cope with it, you're all right.
0:15:47 > 0:15:50And I've kind of come to terms with it.
0:15:50 > 0:15:52I've got a grip on it.
0:15:52 > 0:15:55There's the odd occasion that I lose my temper
0:15:55 > 0:15:59and I'll have an episode, but I've not had one for a while.
0:15:59 > 0:16:01You know, you find little ways to make yourself stand out,
0:16:01 > 0:16:04so people smile and actually notice you.
0:16:04 > 0:16:06It's a very, very lonely place.
0:16:10 > 0:16:13Hopefully, it's not going to be for much longer.
0:16:13 > 0:16:15Hopefully, I'll be off the streets soon.
0:16:22 > 0:16:27One of Smurf's coping mechanisms is his creativity.
0:16:27 > 0:16:28Chop the top off it first...
0:16:30 > 0:16:31..cos you don't need the top.
0:16:33 > 0:16:36With me being schizophrenic,
0:16:36 > 0:16:39my head goes to a very dark place at times,
0:16:39 > 0:16:43and it's nice to be able to do something like this.
0:16:43 > 0:16:46I find it therapeutic, you know, doing something with my hands
0:16:46 > 0:16:50and keeping busy, keeping me sane.
0:16:52 > 0:16:54It helps my head.
0:16:54 > 0:16:59It stops me from losing my temper, and it works.
0:16:59 > 0:17:01It does the job.
0:17:01 > 0:17:03Once he fixed cars for a living.
0:17:03 > 0:17:05See, I'm a panel beater by trade.
0:17:05 > 0:17:09I used to repair smashed-up cars for a living,
0:17:09 > 0:17:12but that trade died out.
0:17:12 > 0:17:15I'm a very proud man, and I don't claim benefits or anything.
0:17:17 > 0:17:19And there we have it.
0:17:19 > 0:17:23Any drinks can, candle holder, lantern.
0:17:23 > 0:17:28I can literally get a 35p can and sell them for £15 each!
0:17:28 > 0:17:31And he doesn't just sell these creations.
0:17:31 > 0:17:35What I do, I go and I secretly hide them around town, you know,
0:17:35 > 0:17:37cos nobody notices them.
0:17:37 > 0:17:39But then when they see people pointing up at something,
0:17:39 > 0:17:40then they notice.
0:17:42 > 0:17:44I've planted them all around Cardiff.
0:17:44 > 0:17:46They are, literally, absolutely everywhere.
0:17:56 > 0:18:00But most of the long-term homeless aren't like Smurf.
0:18:04 > 0:18:06Those who struggle with serious addictions
0:18:06 > 0:18:11and end up homeless on the streets face the biggest challenges.
0:18:14 > 0:18:16Dean's 37.
0:18:16 > 0:18:18He's been on a downward spiral
0:18:18 > 0:18:21for all the time that I've known him.
0:18:21 > 0:18:24I've been an alcoholic for about 13 years.
0:18:27 > 0:18:30It is my downfall, I'll be honest with you.
0:18:30 > 0:18:32The booze is.
0:18:33 > 0:18:38It's when Dean goes without drink that he really suffers.
0:18:38 > 0:18:42Every morning, if I haven't got enough of the drink...
0:18:44 > 0:18:46..either, you know...
0:18:48 > 0:18:50..I'll spew a bile.
0:18:53 > 0:18:56He told me that the only way he could stop the retching
0:18:56 > 0:18:58is to have more to drink.
0:18:58 > 0:19:02I know it sounds ridiculous,
0:19:02 > 0:19:07but that's the way that an alcoholic works.
0:19:07 > 0:19:10Why do you still want to go for a drink after that?
0:19:10 > 0:19:13I'll never stop drinking. I'll never stop drinking.
0:19:13 > 0:19:15Never, ever.
0:19:18 > 0:19:22That's what's keeping me less depressed.
0:19:26 > 0:19:28It was hard to bear.
0:19:28 > 0:19:30In all the years I'd known Dean,
0:19:30 > 0:19:34I'd never seen him in such poor mental and physical health.
0:19:42 > 0:19:45At night, those living on Cardiff's streets
0:19:45 > 0:19:47are at their most vulnerable.
0:19:47 > 0:19:51As the clubs and pubs begin to empty,
0:19:51 > 0:19:53Smurf's putting on his friendly face.
0:19:53 > 0:19:55- How you getting on, guys? - Very good, mate.
0:19:55 > 0:19:58He attracts the attention of some visitors to the city.
0:19:58 > 0:20:00What are you doing here right now?
0:20:00 > 0:20:02I'm homeless. I've been on the streets 12 years.
0:20:02 > 0:20:04Why are you on the streets 12 years?
0:20:04 > 0:20:05I got made redundant
0:20:05 > 0:20:07and then I couldn't pay my rent on my flat.
0:20:07 > 0:20:09Obviously, I lost my flat.
0:20:09 > 0:20:12And you're 12 years...telling me... Come on. Be honest.
0:20:12 > 0:20:14- 12 years on the streets on the 19th of August.- No, no.
0:20:14 > 0:20:16- You can't be on the street for 12 years.- 12 years.- No way.
0:20:16 > 0:20:19- No way.- 12 years on the streets. - Why aren't you working?
0:20:20 > 0:20:21I am.
0:20:21 > 0:20:25Smurf usually tries to avoid situations like this.
0:20:25 > 0:20:28- You've got your little jewellery. - Yeah.- You've got nice clothes on
0:20:28 > 0:20:29and you're still a bum on the street.
0:20:29 > 0:20:31Yeah, pull your socks up and do it.
0:20:31 > 0:20:33- Excuse me, get a life and get a fucking grip.- That's it.
0:20:33 > 0:20:35- Grab yourself and do it. - There's loads of work for you.
0:20:35 > 0:20:37And stop begging, because you don't need to beg.
0:20:37 > 0:20:39I'm not begging. I don't beg.
0:20:39 > 0:20:40I don't ask anybody for anything.
0:20:40 > 0:20:43- You've jumped to the conclusion, right...- You...
0:20:43 > 0:20:45- THEY TALK OVER EACH OTHER - Anyone told you homeless people...?
0:20:45 > 0:20:48- No, no, wait.- Whoa, whoa. - 12 years. 12 years.
0:20:48 > 0:20:50The trouble attracts passers-by.
0:20:50 > 0:20:52..many people like you. And you don't bother me.
0:20:52 > 0:20:54I don't drink, I don't do drugs.
0:20:54 > 0:20:56I make things from cans.
0:20:56 > 0:20:58I struggle my balls off travelling around Britain
0:20:58 > 0:21:00taking shit from dicks like you.
0:21:00 > 0:21:03- No, we're not.- So, go and finish getting pissed, yeah?
0:21:03 > 0:21:04- We're not getting... - I don't give a toss.
0:21:04 > 0:21:06Now we're seeing the real you.
0:21:06 > 0:21:08The government take more drugs than he does.
0:21:08 > 0:21:10- Yeah, a schizophrenic that doesn't give a fuck.- Right.
0:21:10 > 0:21:13You think you can come to me and talk down to me?
0:21:13 > 0:21:16Fuck off back to your house and be happy doing your shit.
0:21:16 > 0:21:18- THEY TALK OVER EACH OTHER - Yeah. Oh, yeah.
0:21:18 > 0:21:21- Go make your cans. - I will. I will. I will.
0:21:21 > 0:21:23- Get a job, you stupid- BLEEP.
0:21:23 > 0:21:25I've got a job. I've got a job.
0:21:25 > 0:21:28- I've done it. - Do I claim benefits? No.
0:21:28 > 0:21:31All this puts his mental health in jeopardy.
0:21:31 > 0:21:33Yeah, I'm a bit shaken up. That guy's...
0:21:33 > 0:21:35That guy's just affected my blood.
0:21:35 > 0:21:37You know, that guy's just affected my karma
0:21:37 > 0:21:38and I don't like that.
0:21:38 > 0:21:40Stereotyping me, you know.
0:21:40 > 0:21:42I don't like that. I don't like being like that.
0:21:42 > 0:21:44That's what I mean. They need to get me off the streets.
0:21:44 > 0:21:45I don't like doing this.
0:21:45 > 0:21:48When I'm out at work, you know what I mean, I work.
0:21:48 > 0:21:50I've never signed on in my life. Never will.
0:21:52 > 0:21:55I'd thought Smurf could survive on the streets,
0:21:55 > 0:21:57but now I understand why
0:21:57 > 0:22:00he so desperately needs a place indoors.
0:22:04 > 0:22:07For five weeks we've been trawling the streets
0:22:07 > 0:22:10to find out what had happened to Dean.
0:22:10 > 0:22:14When we finally caught up with him, he was very much in the limelight.
0:22:14 > 0:22:18You're all right, boy. All right, Trick, or what?
0:22:18 > 0:22:19His friend's been worrying about him.
0:22:19 > 0:22:21I've been in detox.
0:22:23 > 0:22:27Yeah, I've been in detox. Llandough. I'm looking well, ain't I?
0:22:27 > 0:22:29Much better, much better. See you later, buddy.
0:22:29 > 0:22:32- Take it easy, Trick. - Good luck, mate.- Ta-ra, mucker.
0:22:32 > 0:22:35Dean looked like a completely new man.
0:22:35 > 0:22:37I feel healthy.
0:22:38 > 0:22:40Clean.
0:22:40 > 0:22:45I can remember stuff what I done the day before, which is a plus.
0:22:45 > 0:22:50I had to do it for myself, and there we go.
0:22:50 > 0:22:54He'd collapsed on the streets again and ended up in hospital,
0:22:54 > 0:22:58but this time he was referred to an alcohol detox unit.
0:22:59 > 0:23:03Now he's completely off the booze.
0:23:03 > 0:23:05You know, there's off-licences all around me.
0:23:05 > 0:23:09I could just go in the shop now and pull out a can of special brew. No.
0:23:09 > 0:23:11Why? Why, like?
0:23:11 > 0:23:14What's the point in doing all those weeks in detox
0:23:14 > 0:23:16just to bugger it up by drinking again?
0:23:16 > 0:23:18But because he was in hospital,
0:23:18 > 0:23:21he missed an appointment with probation,
0:23:21 > 0:23:24and as a result he's been in court today.
0:23:24 > 0:23:28And everyone, even the judge today when I had to go to court,
0:23:28 > 0:23:31commented how healthy I look and how clean I am.
0:23:33 > 0:23:36The judge decided to drop the case, so instead of prison,
0:23:36 > 0:23:39Dean's heading back to the detox unit.
0:23:40 > 0:23:44We're just filming Wales' Lost Millionaires, we are, like.
0:23:44 > 0:23:45And that's you, is it, love? Yeah.
0:23:45 > 0:23:49- You single?- Yeah. - Whey-hey, I'm your girl!
0:23:49 > 0:23:52- Let's go to the church, then, is it? - THEY LAUGH
0:23:52 > 0:23:55He's telling everyone about his transformation.
0:23:55 > 0:23:57If you'd seen from then to now,
0:23:57 > 0:23:59you wouldn't recognise me, put it that way.
0:23:59 > 0:24:02- Aw!- You know what I mean? - So you've got your life together?
0:24:02 > 0:24:04Yeah. I'm in the detox.
0:24:04 > 0:24:06Put on a bit of weight, had a bit more faith,
0:24:06 > 0:24:08- and I knew I could do it then.- Yes.
0:24:08 > 0:24:10- Well, you're looking good. - And you are.
0:24:10 > 0:24:12Pity you're not a millionaire!
0:24:12 > 0:24:13Take it easy, ladies.
0:24:15 > 0:24:19If I can do it then, basically, get off your arses
0:24:19 > 0:24:21and you can do it too.
0:24:21 > 0:24:24Dean has been at risk of dying on the streets,
0:24:24 > 0:24:27so he was fast-tracked toward the help he needed.
0:24:31 > 0:24:36There are over 450 supported accommodation places in Cardiff
0:24:36 > 0:24:40that help people who've been homeless tackle their problems,
0:24:40 > 0:24:42but accessing them can take months.
0:24:43 > 0:24:46Since the Friday night altercation on the streets,
0:24:46 > 0:24:50Smurf had disappeared from his usual haunts.
0:24:50 > 0:24:52How you getting on, lads? You all right?
0:24:52 > 0:24:56Now he's back, but minus his pride and joy.
0:24:56 > 0:24:59I haven't got my bike any more, because the scrap man took it
0:24:59 > 0:25:00because he thought it was scrap,
0:25:00 > 0:25:04which I can understand cos it was made from scrap.
0:25:04 > 0:25:08He'd given up on ever getting a place in a hostel.
0:25:08 > 0:25:10I've been waiting, like, four months on the waiting list,
0:25:10 > 0:25:12but, like, they've never got back to me.
0:25:12 > 0:25:15And then they got back to me, and, yeah...
0:25:16 > 0:25:18..the ball's started rolling.
0:25:19 > 0:25:23He's moving in tomorrow, but he's not counting his chickens.
0:25:23 > 0:25:28Going from this being my house to a one-bedroom flat,
0:25:28 > 0:25:30I'm a bit nervous about it, to be honest.
0:25:30 > 0:25:32It's a bit weird.
0:25:37 > 0:25:41Today's the day when Smurf begins a new life.
0:25:41 > 0:25:4612 years on the streets, and it's actually coming to an end.
0:25:46 > 0:25:50He's moving into a hostel where he'll get the help he needs.
0:25:50 > 0:25:51Home sweet home.
0:25:54 > 0:25:56- OVER INTERCOM:- 'Hello, office.' - Hello, it's Stuart.
0:25:56 > 0:25:59'Oh, hiya. Push the door and come up to the office.'
0:25:59 > 0:26:00Okey dokey.
0:26:02 > 0:26:06Smurf meets his support worker, Millie Griffiths.
0:26:06 > 0:26:09Before he settles in, she helps him complete a benefits claim...
0:26:09 > 0:26:13The main things we need to get done is your housing benefit form.
0:26:13 > 0:26:17..so now his housing benefit will be paid directly to the hostel.
0:26:17 > 0:26:20The idea is that we're trying to teach you how to be independent
0:26:20 > 0:26:22and how to manage your own tenancy, OK?
0:26:22 > 0:26:26He'll also get the support he needs for his mental health problems.
0:26:26 > 0:26:28Good. I'm really pleased you got here.
0:26:28 > 0:26:31I think it's been a long journey, and there's been a lot of heartache,
0:26:31 > 0:26:33- hasn't there?- Yeah. - And disappointments.
0:26:33 > 0:26:37But from here, let's hope you're finally safe and secure.
0:26:37 > 0:26:38If you could just sign that for me.
0:26:38 > 0:26:42- Thank you. - Took 12 years, but I'm finally here.
0:26:42 > 0:26:46That's what I'm getting, one of them TVs.
0:26:46 > 0:26:48The same as that, as well.
0:26:48 > 0:26:51It's a Samsung, isn't it? Yeah. Same as that one. 32-inch.
0:26:51 > 0:26:52Ready?
0:26:56 > 0:26:57And we're in.
0:26:57 > 0:27:01This is my lovely little one-bedroom flat.
0:27:01 > 0:27:02Little single bed.
0:27:04 > 0:27:06In my own bed tonight.
0:27:07 > 0:27:09Yeah!
0:27:09 > 0:27:11So, yeah, make it your home, basically.
0:27:11 > 0:27:14- It's really important that you feel at home here.- Yeah.- OK?
0:27:14 > 0:27:16- Congratulations, Stu. - Thank you very much.
0:27:16 > 0:27:19- Your property.- Home sweet home.
0:27:22 > 0:27:24My bathroom, which is really cool.
0:27:26 > 0:27:28Only now does the reality
0:27:28 > 0:27:31that he's actually got his own place hit home.
0:27:31 > 0:27:34See, look, I've got new bedsheets and everything.
0:27:34 > 0:27:35Look. Wicked.
0:27:35 > 0:27:38I think it was more along the lines of I was that close to the end
0:27:38 > 0:27:40it sort of didn't seem real, sort of thing, you know.
0:27:40 > 0:27:42"Is it going to actually happen?"
0:27:42 > 0:27:45And now I'm actually here and I've actually got my keys,
0:27:45 > 0:27:48it's like, "Yeah, it's happened. I'm done."
0:27:48 > 0:27:49So, I'm kind of happy.
0:27:51 > 0:27:53Ah! Cool.
0:27:56 > 0:27:57I think this blind doesn't work.
0:27:57 > 0:28:00I am so chuffed. So chuffed.
0:28:00 > 0:28:03Finally, my journey has ended.
0:28:09 > 0:28:12Two months into our six months of filming
0:28:12 > 0:28:16and we'd seen how people could end up trapped living on the streets
0:28:16 > 0:28:19for months and even years at a time.
0:28:19 > 0:28:21As well as getting a roof over their heads,
0:28:21 > 0:28:24we were realising that solving the complex problems
0:28:24 > 0:28:28of homeless people also needed specialist help and support.
0:28:30 > 0:28:35Next time on Cardiff - Living On The Streets, it's autumn.
0:28:35 > 0:28:38Those who end up with nowhere to go risk a run-in with the law.
0:28:38 > 0:28:40I'm not doing nothing wrong though.
0:28:42 > 0:28:43I'm picked on again.
0:28:43 > 0:28:47And how desperate it can be for those who've given up on the system.
0:28:47 > 0:28:51The more I try, the more I can't get somewhere to live,
0:28:51 > 0:28:53so I've give up.
0:28:54 > 0:28:56I'm going to be on the street for the rest of my life, I think.