0:00:02 > 0:00:03You soaked me!
0:00:03 > 0:00:07Having nowhere to go but to live on the streets is a last resort
0:00:07 > 0:00:11and there are many reasons why people end up sleeping rough.
0:00:11 > 0:00:12I'm in bits!
0:00:14 > 0:00:17I'm filmmaker Chris Rushton and together with
0:00:17 > 0:00:21Tracy Harris over a period that spans three years we have followed
0:00:21 > 0:00:24the plight of the homeless in Swansea.
0:00:24 > 0:00:26Oh, it's no fun at all.
0:00:26 > 0:00:28Really... no fun.
0:00:29 > 0:00:32Now, we want to understand the difficulties
0:00:32 > 0:00:35many homeless people face when they try to break out of
0:00:35 > 0:00:37the cycle of homelessness.
0:00:37 > 0:00:39I've had to beg since I got out of jail, you know what I mean?
0:00:39 > 0:00:42Get out of jail and they expect you to stay on the streets.
0:00:42 > 0:00:45- It don't make sense.- We wanted to find out what had happened to
0:00:45 > 0:00:49some of those we'd filmed in the most desperate circumstances.
0:00:57 > 0:01:01And to discover if those trapped on the streets by alcohol
0:01:01 > 0:01:04and drug addiction can change their lives for the better.
0:01:05 > 0:01:10This programme contains strong language
0:01:11 > 0:01:15It's now a month before Christmas 2013.
0:01:17 > 0:01:20As the winter weather begins to bite, most of Swansea's homeless
0:01:20 > 0:01:24have found places to stay with friends or family.
0:01:24 > 0:01:28But I knew of at least eight still living on the streets.
0:01:28 > 0:01:30Wally's one of them.
0:01:30 > 0:01:31Anti-frost devices...
0:01:33 > 0:01:34..called cardboard.
0:01:38 > 0:01:40Stop you getting piles.
0:01:42 > 0:01:46You know what I mean, cos a warm arse and a cold floor...
0:01:46 > 0:01:48not a good combination.
0:01:49 > 0:01:52He grew up in Swansea and at one time had a steady job,
0:01:52 > 0:01:56but now, aged 31, he's living and begging on the streets.
0:01:56 > 0:01:58- Hello, my friend!- How are you?
0:01:58 > 0:01:59LAUGHTER
0:01:59 > 0:02:03My friend, do you have some spare change, please? I take notes, I take debit cards,
0:02:03 > 0:02:06I take all donations gratefully received.
0:02:06 > 0:02:09- There you go, sir. - You fucking serious?
0:02:09 > 0:02:12Wally's gift of the gab sometimes pays dividends.
0:02:12 > 0:02:15I'm saving up all my Jobseeker's Allowance...
0:02:15 > 0:02:19to pay for a deposit for a house...
0:02:19 > 0:02:23a month's rent in advance, a month's bond. I mean,
0:02:23 > 0:02:26I'm saving it all up on my own.
0:02:26 > 0:02:27So, how much you got so far?
0:02:27 > 0:02:29Erm...
0:02:29 > 0:02:31£340.
0:02:31 > 0:02:32In the Post Office.
0:02:34 > 0:02:37He knows how to avoid dipping into his savings.
0:02:37 > 0:02:40One of the places those on the street can get free food
0:02:40 > 0:02:44is the Swansea Mission of Mother Teresa's Sisters of Mercy.
0:02:46 > 0:02:47- Thank you.- Thank you.
0:02:48 > 0:02:51What a concoction this is. It's nice, isn't it?
0:02:51 > 0:02:54It's OK for somebody helping you for nothing.
0:02:54 > 0:02:56I can give you a fish finger if you want a fish finger.
0:02:56 > 0:02:59Do you want a roast potato?
0:02:59 > 0:03:02Enjoy then, boys.
0:03:04 > 0:03:08Wally's been homeless before so he knows the score.
0:03:08 > 0:03:11Last time I was out for 12 months, I had to live in a tent
0:03:11 > 0:03:12and everything.
0:03:12 > 0:03:16And then I got myself a job, worked myself out.
0:03:16 > 0:03:19Got myself a room.
0:03:19 > 0:03:21And things were going good and then...
0:03:23 > 0:03:27..things happened so I ended up back on the street again.
0:03:27 > 0:03:28So...
0:03:28 > 0:03:29it's all right.
0:03:32 > 0:03:34But the reality is that many others
0:03:34 > 0:03:37don't find it such an easy place to survive.
0:03:42 > 0:03:45Andy and Barry spent November sleeping rough.
0:03:46 > 0:03:50But finally, they got to view a property for rent.
0:03:50 > 0:03:52Oh, I want the front bedroom, I told you that.
0:03:52 > 0:03:54LAUGHTER
0:03:54 > 0:03:56- It's nice for you to come in and the place is nice.- OK, yeah.
0:03:56 > 0:03:57You will like it, then.
0:03:57 > 0:04:00And after, we're just going to sign the paperwork
0:04:00 > 0:04:02and we can do it when you move in.
0:04:02 > 0:04:05They were all set to move in a week ago,
0:04:05 > 0:04:08but there's been a delay in making the house ready.
0:04:08 > 0:04:13He's still saying that they're cleaning out the property today which is Friday and,
0:04:13 > 0:04:14you know...
0:04:14 > 0:04:17the landlord, if you give us the landlord's number
0:04:17 > 0:04:19we can actually speak to the landlord and say,
0:04:19 > 0:04:21"Look, we're on the streets, we need to get in there now."
0:04:21 > 0:04:23With nowhere else to go,
0:04:23 > 0:04:25they have no choice but to live on the streets.
0:04:25 > 0:04:28They head to the City Temple,
0:04:28 > 0:04:32another place in Swansea that helps those who are down on their luck.
0:04:32 > 0:04:34- Tea or coffee?- Coffee please, love. - Milk or sugar?
0:04:34 > 0:04:36Three sugars with milk, please.
0:04:39 > 0:04:43It was the people here who helped Andy, an alcoholic of 20 years,
0:04:43 > 0:04:45get a place in a residential centre in Yorkshire
0:04:45 > 0:04:48to try and tackle his addiction.
0:04:48 > 0:04:51He did well and got off the booze for six months
0:04:51 > 0:04:52before he relapsed.
0:04:52 > 0:04:56I've done something for the first time in my life for 23 years...
0:04:56 > 0:05:00I dried. I had a go and I failed.
0:05:01 > 0:05:05And I... now I've got to try and make amends and think about
0:05:05 > 0:05:09what I'm going to do now, to get it back.
0:05:09 > 0:05:11And the worst thing about it is I'm back to square one
0:05:11 > 0:05:13like I was last year
0:05:13 > 0:05:15and the year before.
0:05:15 > 0:05:18In the same place, doing what I do...
0:05:18 > 0:05:20surviving.
0:05:21 > 0:05:23Of those who attempt rehab,
0:05:23 > 0:05:26less than 30% succeed in getting off the booze.
0:05:26 > 0:05:29It's not unusual for those who try
0:05:29 > 0:05:32to relapse two or three times and have to start all over again.
0:05:36 > 0:05:39For Barry, his rehab was enforced, he spent three years in prison.
0:05:39 > 0:05:44- Let me work.- I'm sober, remember, you're the piss head, not me. - Oh, shut up, you tramp.
0:05:44 > 0:05:47When he was released four weeks ago, he started drinking.
0:05:47 > 0:05:52Now he wants to quit, but it's tough when you are surrounded by drinkers.
0:05:52 > 0:05:53It's just too much.
0:05:53 > 0:05:57As I've come off myself being around is not a problem,
0:05:57 > 0:05:59being around is OK cos I know...
0:05:59 > 0:06:00well, it's there
0:06:00 > 0:06:04and because I don't want one and the way they talk and go on and on
0:06:04 > 0:06:07it... takes about 20 questions to get one answer.
0:06:07 > 0:06:09Do you know what I mean? It's hard.
0:06:11 > 0:06:15Almost three years ago, I filmed another homeless person
0:06:15 > 0:06:17who ended up on the street because of her addiction.
0:06:20 > 0:06:23Tracie's everyday life revolved around drink.
0:06:23 > 0:06:26This is my habit and I'm not afraid to open the thing and drink it.
0:06:26 > 0:06:28This has been my habit since I've been a young age,
0:06:28 > 0:06:30since I've been nine.
0:06:30 > 0:06:33She turned up in Swansea with a boyfriend who beat her
0:06:33 > 0:06:35and then, promptly, disappeared.
0:06:38 > 0:06:40She wanted to get back to her family in Ireland.
0:06:40 > 0:06:44I just wish things would change, but they can't.
0:06:44 > 0:06:46SOBBING: Cos I'm destroying my life.
0:06:47 > 0:06:49I'm away and I've no friends and nothing.
0:06:49 > 0:06:51I'm living on the street.
0:06:51 > 0:06:54Trying to get into hostels and that all the time.
0:06:54 > 0:06:55I know...
0:06:56 > 0:06:59To blank out the pain, Tracie also turned to drugs.
0:07:09 > 0:07:12At rock bottom, rehab was the only way out.
0:07:12 > 0:07:16Now, two years later, we are about to meet her again.
0:07:16 > 0:07:20I think things have improved, as you can see, there's the new me.
0:07:20 > 0:07:22The old me has gone, here I am. Sorry!
0:07:22 > 0:07:24I don't mean...!
0:07:24 > 0:07:25SHE CHUCKLES
0:07:27 > 0:07:30For the last 18 months, Tracie has been in rehab
0:07:30 > 0:07:32at a faith-based centre in southwest Wales.
0:07:34 > 0:07:37I can actually see things more clearly now without drink in my life
0:07:37 > 0:07:39and without drugs there.
0:07:39 > 0:07:41I'm actually getting to observe the beautiful world
0:07:41 > 0:07:45and surroundings around me, it's just so amazing to be sober here today.
0:07:49 > 0:07:51But it was a difficult journey.
0:07:51 > 0:07:54When she arrived, she still craved alcohol and drugs
0:07:54 > 0:07:57and had to face up to going cold turkey.
0:08:00 > 0:08:03Well, to be honest, I went through the hot flushes, the sweats
0:08:03 > 0:08:05and the shebang.
0:08:05 > 0:08:10Er, the withdrawal symptoms, erm, but I didn't go on any medication
0:08:10 > 0:08:11to come off it.
0:08:11 > 0:08:15I just kind of sweated it out and just started praying and just
0:08:15 > 0:08:19started... asking God to help me.
0:08:19 > 0:08:22I'm actually in a routine and I'm actually doing something
0:08:22 > 0:08:24from when I get up to the time I go to bed.
0:08:24 > 0:08:27You have your breakfast and then you do cleaning.
0:08:27 > 0:08:30You do actual things each day to keep...
0:08:30 > 0:08:33keep you motivated and not think about going out and drinking and...
0:08:33 > 0:08:36no, it gives you a deeper way of thinking about the way
0:08:36 > 0:08:40life should be, rather than living the life that I've had before.
0:08:42 > 0:08:45- And you've been a great asset to us, Tracie...- I have...
0:08:45 > 0:08:46You've done really well.
0:08:46 > 0:08:49For me, it's a major turning point...
0:08:49 > 0:08:54Through counselling and diversion therapy, she has re-learnt
0:08:54 > 0:08:56how to live a normal life.
0:08:56 > 0:09:00The only mentality when you were out on them streets was just sitting
0:09:00 > 0:09:03there having nowhere to go, freezing cold...
0:09:03 > 0:09:04having to be told to move on and...
0:09:04 > 0:09:08it's probably still the same there now, it probably hasn't changed,
0:09:08 > 0:09:11but I just feel sorry for the people that are on the streets in that area
0:09:11 > 0:09:14cos there's no place for them to live and nowhere for them to go.
0:09:19 > 0:09:22Back in Swansea, Andy and Barry have nowhere to go
0:09:22 > 0:09:24so tonight they'll be sleeping out again.
0:09:26 > 0:09:29Before they bed down, they stop off for supplies.
0:09:30 > 0:09:34No point in looking, one can now... Andy.
0:09:34 > 0:09:36Barry is turning out to be quite influential
0:09:36 > 0:09:38getting Andy to cut down on drink.
0:09:38 > 0:09:40Got to keep an eye on him.
0:09:41 > 0:09:43Otherwise, otherwise he'll be...
0:09:43 > 0:09:45HE WHISTLES THROUGH TEETH
0:09:47 > 0:09:49Slipping cans in his pocket, that's what I mean,
0:09:49 > 0:09:52I got to watch him to make sure he is doing what he says he's going to do.
0:09:52 > 0:09:55Andy usually needs more than just one can to see him through
0:09:55 > 0:09:58until morning, but even the one can is causing a problem.
0:09:58 > 0:10:02- Don't drink that can.- I'm not drinking it on the street. - It's not open.
0:10:02 > 0:10:04If I was going to drink it I would, but I'm not going to.
0:10:04 > 0:10:08Because the can of cider is unopened, Andy is in the clear.
0:10:10 > 0:10:14It's Friday night and the city centre will soon get rowdy,
0:10:14 > 0:10:18so, to avoid any potential trouble they head out of town.
0:10:19 > 0:10:22Their destination is Swansea Civic Centre
0:10:22 > 0:10:25where no-one is likely to bother them.
0:10:27 > 0:10:31Tonight the temperature is expected to drop to minus three.
0:10:31 > 0:10:33Another blanket, there's two there.
0:10:35 > 0:10:39Come prepared, see? Every time I come out I end up doing this until I get myself sorted,
0:10:39 > 0:10:42but the only person who can do it is yourself.
0:10:42 > 0:10:44Can't rely on anybody, really.
0:10:45 > 0:10:47Barry and Andy expected to be off the streets
0:10:47 > 0:10:49and living in a rented house by now.
0:10:51 > 0:10:54But their planned move is delayed even further.
0:10:55 > 0:11:00It's not very nice for someone to give you false hopes, especially...
0:11:00 > 0:11:04It's a dream, innit? You light up a dream and you let that dream go past.
0:11:04 > 0:11:06It's devastating, really, innit?
0:11:06 > 0:11:10They gave us false hopes and they let us down, and that's wrong.
0:11:11 > 0:11:14With no family or friends to take them in,
0:11:14 > 0:11:17they have to put up with five more nights in the cold.
0:11:23 > 0:11:25For those who end up being homeless for long periods,
0:11:25 > 0:11:29living on the street can become a normal way of life.
0:11:30 > 0:11:32Timmy, where's Baz?
0:11:32 > 0:11:35One of the youngest on the street, Wally, meets Tim,
0:11:35 > 0:11:36one of the oldest.
0:11:36 > 0:11:37You seen Andy and that, have you?
0:11:37 > 0:11:41Nah, I didn't see Andy. How you keeping, son?
0:11:41 > 0:11:43Good, how are you?
0:11:43 > 0:11:48- Sweetheart! You're still looking beautiful.- Thanks.
0:11:48 > 0:11:51With 20 years' experience, Tim knows only too well how
0:11:51 > 0:11:54the homeless are perceived.
0:11:54 > 0:11:57All the people walk over us.
0:11:57 > 0:11:58I didn't want this.
0:11:59 > 0:12:01But...
0:12:01 > 0:12:02- it did happen to me.- Yeah.
0:12:04 > 0:12:07- And we're still smiling and having a laugh.- Oh, well...
0:12:07 > 0:12:10If you don't smile, you're going to cry.
0:12:10 > 0:12:12Some people just look at us...
0:12:12 > 0:12:14- "Oh, get up and get a job."- Yeah.
0:12:14 > 0:12:17Who's going to give me a job?
0:12:17 > 0:12:18- I'm homeless...- Yeah.
0:12:20 > 0:12:22How can you go to work without a home?
0:12:22 > 0:12:25- Thank you very much for that. - You know what I mean?
0:12:32 > 0:12:35Two miles away, it's good news for Andy and Barry.
0:12:35 > 0:12:37They have moved into their rented house
0:12:37 > 0:12:41and Barry is enjoying just being indoors.
0:12:41 > 0:12:44I don't have to go out in the rain, I don't have to go out in the cold.
0:12:44 > 0:12:47I can just go to bed and chill in the warm.
0:12:50 > 0:12:52But they can't get the heating to work
0:12:52 > 0:12:56and the previous occupants have bypassed the electricity meter.
0:12:56 > 0:12:58It's a way of getting free electricity,
0:12:58 > 0:13:00but it's highly dangerous.
0:13:02 > 0:13:05At the Access Point, a local charity that helps support
0:13:05 > 0:13:08people who struggle with housing issues,
0:13:08 > 0:13:09Andy's calling the landlord.
0:13:09 > 0:13:13The light fittings, the tubing's in the kitchen, they're not
0:13:13 > 0:13:17working at all. I'd like that gas meter and the electric meter sorted
0:13:17 > 0:13:21because... the electric cooker's not working neither.
0:13:22 > 0:13:25He wants to get everything fixed before Christmas.
0:13:25 > 0:13:27If he rings back today, let's go from there, shall we?
0:13:27 > 0:13:30- Cos I'm in again in the morning so if you let me know what he says. - He knows...
0:13:30 > 0:13:34- I mean, at least if the oven was working...- Yeah.
0:13:34 > 0:13:36..I could use the oven.
0:13:36 > 0:13:37But no-one called back.
0:13:40 > 0:13:44Most of the homeless people we met came from broken homes
0:13:44 > 0:13:45and have been in care.
0:13:48 > 0:13:51Wally told me that as a young child when his parents split up
0:13:51 > 0:13:54he ended up living with his grandmother.
0:13:54 > 0:13:58This was fine until she became seriously ill.
0:13:58 > 0:14:01I looked after her for a few years and...
0:14:03 > 0:14:05..they wouldn't let me look after her after she had a stroke.
0:14:05 > 0:14:08I wanted to look after her, they wouldn't let me.
0:14:08 > 0:14:11Because I was too young.
0:14:11 > 0:14:13So she went to a nursing home.
0:14:13 > 0:14:14I was... 12.
0:14:16 > 0:14:20Parted from his nan, Wally had no-one to care for him.
0:14:20 > 0:14:23From then on, trouble was never far away.
0:14:23 > 0:14:26I was an alcoholic from a young age.
0:14:26 > 0:14:29Since I was about 12.
0:14:29 > 0:14:32Wally got through school and then trained as a mechanic.
0:14:32 > 0:14:35I had an apprenticeship with Rover.
0:14:35 > 0:14:40And... I was working hard. And my drinking got the better of me.
0:14:42 > 0:14:45And then the drugs started coming into play and...
0:14:45 > 0:14:49the drinking side and the partying side kind of took over my life.
0:14:49 > 0:14:52And... Here I am again.
0:14:53 > 0:14:55This is what happens.
0:14:55 > 0:15:00He became homeless after separating from his girlfriend four months ago.
0:15:00 > 0:15:03Since then, the streets have been his home.
0:15:03 > 0:15:04I'll take you to my house.
0:15:05 > 0:15:07Watch your step.
0:15:08 > 0:15:09Watch your step.
0:15:11 > 0:15:12And welcome to my house.
0:15:16 > 0:15:18This is my house, this is my bedroom.
0:15:19 > 0:15:22My living room, my kitchen.
0:15:22 > 0:15:23Sorry, it's not much, like.
0:15:23 > 0:15:25I would offer you a cup of tea but I don't have a kettle
0:15:25 > 0:15:27and then I can't make it.
0:15:27 > 0:15:31It's an entry to a cellar but at least it has a roof.
0:15:31 > 0:15:33This is it, you go up here like this.
0:15:33 > 0:15:36And... some pop. You want some pop?
0:15:37 > 0:15:39Want pop?
0:15:39 > 0:15:42It's only pop, it's Caribbean.
0:15:42 > 0:15:44There you are.
0:15:44 > 0:15:47Then we got chilli sauce for when we have food.
0:15:47 > 0:15:49Even though we're homeless...
0:15:49 > 0:15:52it makes you feel homely. I've been here for two months.
0:15:54 > 0:15:58Usually, this one will go like this. Over there... Over the air vent.
0:16:00 > 0:16:02And then you got...
0:16:02 > 0:16:03this one like this...
0:16:04 > 0:16:07And then you got this blanket.
0:16:07 > 0:16:09Put your head...
0:16:09 > 0:16:11It's better than a sleeping bag and you go like this.
0:16:13 > 0:16:16But Wally is vulnerable in this spot
0:16:16 > 0:16:19because there's only one way in and one way out.
0:16:20 > 0:16:23I'd heard of many instances in Swansea where rough sleepers
0:16:23 > 0:16:26had been the victims of unprovoked attacks.
0:16:31 > 0:16:32It's far safer indoors,
0:16:32 > 0:16:36but taking responsibility for your own place can be daunting.
0:16:38 > 0:16:40Having finally got a house to live in,
0:16:40 > 0:16:43Andy and Barry now face new challenges.
0:16:43 > 0:16:47Barry's coping well but housemate Andy is hardly ever home.
0:16:48 > 0:16:52So, I don't really know what's going on in his head.
0:16:52 > 0:16:55He's been... he's back on the drinking, he's drinking too much.
0:16:55 > 0:16:58So, really, I don't know what he's doing.
0:17:01 > 0:17:05That very same day we found Andy in the city centre.
0:17:05 > 0:17:07LAUGHING AND JOKING
0:17:07 > 0:17:10He'd fallen back in with Swansea's street alcoholics
0:17:10 > 0:17:12and looked the worse for wear.
0:17:13 > 0:17:15Now, Andy's back with Tim,
0:17:15 > 0:17:17even though they had a big fallout in the past.
0:17:19 > 0:17:20He's a pain in the...
0:17:22 > 0:17:24But he's OK.
0:17:24 > 0:17:27So, you've got the house and you're out here, what's going on with that?
0:17:27 > 0:17:28- HOARSELY:- I've got a house.
0:17:29 > 0:17:31Yeah, I'm living well, but...
0:17:33 > 0:17:35I've lost my voice, so what?
0:17:37 > 0:17:40Alcohol can damage the vocal cords
0:17:40 > 0:17:42and that's why Andy is sounding so rough.
0:17:49 > 0:17:51Wally might be down, but he's not out.
0:17:51 > 0:17:54He's a well-known face in Swansea.
0:17:56 > 0:17:58Hiya.
0:17:58 > 0:17:59BABY CRIES
0:17:59 > 0:18:01Oh, don't like me! Oh... "Get the tramp away!"
0:18:01 > 0:18:03HE CHUCKLES
0:18:04 > 0:18:06BABY CRIES
0:18:07 > 0:18:09No, that's bad tramping.
0:18:09 > 0:18:11Oh, I lose points now for this.
0:18:11 > 0:18:14I'm losing my rating because... Oh, no.
0:18:15 > 0:18:16Don't cry.
0:18:18 > 0:18:19Oh, Dan.
0:18:21 > 0:18:25Tramping is Wally's code for how a good tramp should behave
0:18:25 > 0:18:26on the streets.
0:18:26 > 0:18:29And in his imagination, he has conjured up
0:18:29 > 0:18:32another version of the Top Trumps card game,
0:18:32 > 0:18:36where favourite things like fast cars are replaced by
0:18:36 > 0:18:38the homeless, who are Top Tramps.
0:18:38 > 0:18:42I guess you've got top speed.
0:18:42 > 0:18:45But with tramping rules, you've got begging.
0:18:46 > 0:18:51And then you've got 0-60. No. That's thinkability.
0:18:51 > 0:18:55And then you've got likeability, you've got trampability
0:18:55 > 0:18:58and you've got overall tramping rules.
0:19:07 > 0:19:11Barry is at the Access Point drop-in centre to sort out a problem
0:19:11 > 0:19:12with his benefits claim.
0:19:12 > 0:19:15- Can I use your phone? - Of course you can, mate, go ahead.
0:19:15 > 0:19:18He's had a worrying letter about his housing benefit
0:19:18 > 0:19:20from the local authority.
0:19:20 > 0:19:23You can read, can't you? I'm not very good at reading.
0:19:23 > 0:19:27Why are they saying my housing benefit started on the 26th -
0:19:27 > 0:19:30that's right - but ends on the 9th of December?
0:19:30 > 0:19:34Can you have a look at that for me, please? I'm not good at reading.
0:19:34 > 0:19:36It looks like he could be evicted.
0:19:36 > 0:19:41Reason for termination - claim terminated, not resident.
0:19:41 > 0:19:46- I am, in't I?- As in here, or...? - Ah, you know, yeah because...
0:19:46 > 0:19:48- He's not a resident here. - You're not a resident here.
0:19:48 > 0:19:52You need to phone them and tell them your new address.
0:19:52 > 0:19:53- I need to phone these?- Yeah.
0:19:53 > 0:19:57The letter seems to say that the local authority think Barry
0:19:57 > 0:20:01is living here at Caer Las, the charity that runs the Access Point,
0:20:01 > 0:20:03not his newly-rented house across town.
0:20:03 > 0:20:07And it's a permanent tenancy as long as the rent is getting paid.
0:20:07 > 0:20:09Why is it ending on the 9th of December
0:20:09 > 0:20:11and why have you got a different address for me?
0:20:13 > 0:20:14I am, though. I'm living there.
0:20:16 > 0:20:19Well, I wasn't living at Caer Las Road, there was no claim
0:20:19 > 0:20:21for housing benefit at that address.
0:20:23 > 0:20:25It's a charity-run place.
0:20:25 > 0:20:28I can't live there, I can only use it as a correspondence.
0:20:28 > 0:20:32Because I brought in a tenancy agreement and everything,
0:20:32 > 0:20:33showing you where I'm living.
0:20:33 > 0:20:36That's how I got the rent paid in the first place.
0:20:36 > 0:20:39Yeah, sorry, sorry, love, I'm just a bit mixed up.
0:20:39 > 0:20:41Barry's been on the phone for an hour.
0:20:45 > 0:20:48I've never lived at the address, it's an Access Point!
0:20:48 > 0:20:52You can't live at the other address because it's just a drop-in centre.
0:20:52 > 0:20:55Send me out a letter confirming it's been done?
0:20:55 > 0:20:59OK. No problem. Thank you, love. All right, no problem, bye.
0:21:01 > 0:21:05I don't get it. They don't listen, do they? They don't listen.
0:21:05 > 0:21:07You've got to scream at them to get any sense
0:21:07 > 0:21:10and when you scream at them, "Can you please calm down?"
0:21:14 > 0:21:18Many of those who end up homeless come from broken families
0:21:18 > 0:21:21and so they have no-one to fall back on or help them out.
0:21:24 > 0:21:28Andy grew up in care after being abandoned by his parents.
0:21:29 > 0:21:32But his father is still around, occasionally.
0:21:35 > 0:21:39Andy's dad, Cookie, has just been released from jail.
0:21:39 > 0:21:40He's a pensioner
0:21:40 > 0:21:44and he too has spent most of his life on the streets.
0:21:44 > 0:21:46Cookie's also a drinker.
0:21:50 > 0:21:53It wasn't my dad that made me drink.
0:21:54 > 0:21:59I don't blame my dad for the drink, it was my choice. It wasn't his.
0:22:01 > 0:22:03I do feel like I want to be like my dad, yeah.
0:22:03 > 0:22:05I love living like the way I live.
0:22:05 > 0:22:09And you know why I love living like the way I live? Because...
0:22:09 > 0:22:11I know I can wake up in the morning,
0:22:11 > 0:22:15probably with a couple of pounds shoved underneath my sheet...
0:22:17 > 0:22:19..and just get up.
0:22:19 > 0:22:20And go.
0:22:25 > 0:22:28After a night on the streets, Cookie's legs have swollen.
0:22:29 > 0:22:32Yeah, you're all right.
0:22:32 > 0:22:33One, two, three...
0:22:33 > 0:22:37It's not the first time he's been taken straight from the streets
0:22:37 > 0:22:38to A & E.
0:22:42 > 0:22:45- Set up the bed there. - COOKIE:- Hang on.
0:22:46 > 0:22:50It was difficult to comprehend that 73-year-old Cookie,
0:22:50 > 0:22:53with a myriad of health problems, was released from prison
0:22:53 > 0:22:58to the street, only to end up in hospital within 24 hours.
0:22:58 > 0:23:01He ain't got long left. I know he ain't.
0:23:01 > 0:23:02I might never see my dad again.
0:23:02 > 0:23:05If anything happens to my dad, I want to be with him.
0:23:10 > 0:23:14Andy is falling back into a life on the street with his pals,
0:23:14 > 0:23:18but he's also been bringing them back to the house he shares with Barry.
0:23:19 > 0:23:22Who is now fitting a lock to his bedroom door.
0:23:23 > 0:23:27Andy brings people back all the time, so I'm just making sure
0:23:27 > 0:23:30nobody can get into my room when I'm not here.
0:23:30 > 0:23:33Even when I am here, my door's going to be locked from the inside
0:23:33 > 0:23:35so I can just tell them I'm in bed
0:23:35 > 0:23:37and I don't have to associate with them.
0:23:43 > 0:23:46Andy and Barry's story was one I had witnessed before.
0:23:46 > 0:23:49Of homeless people having no choice
0:23:49 > 0:23:51but to take whatever accommodation they could get.
0:23:53 > 0:23:57They had got a house, but with it came a whole set of problems
0:23:57 > 0:23:58and stress.
0:23:58 > 0:24:02Barry has made a new start whilst Andy is out on the streets
0:24:02 > 0:24:04and getting into scrapes.
0:24:04 > 0:24:07Now their differences are driving them apart.
0:24:07 > 0:24:10The only problem me and you got is we've got to live together.
0:24:10 > 0:24:14I don't want to do you, but if it comes to it, I would. I would.
0:24:14 > 0:24:17I'll be honest with you. I don't want that. I have to live together.
0:24:17 > 0:24:21It ain't gonna happen. You and me ain't going to fall out over this.
0:24:21 > 0:24:24But we fell out the other day over the fucking TV and the stairs,
0:24:24 > 0:24:28over your missus, your missus went fucking nuts on you,
0:24:28 > 0:24:31took your money, you took it out on me because you got jealous.
0:24:31 > 0:24:33There was a TV downstairs, it weren't working,
0:24:33 > 0:24:35and I had a TV and Digibox upstairs.
0:24:35 > 0:24:37You threw your toys out the pram. What was all that about?
0:24:37 > 0:24:39All right, all right, fair enough.
0:24:39 > 0:24:42But the two have no choice but to continue to muddle through,
0:24:42 > 0:24:44despite their differences.
0:24:44 > 0:24:47- You understand where I'm coming from?- Yes.
0:24:50 > 0:24:52For those still living on the street,
0:24:52 > 0:24:56the December weather is turning colder.
0:24:56 > 0:24:59There are 41 hostel beds for the homeless in Swansea,
0:24:59 > 0:25:01but there are no vacancies.
0:25:02 > 0:25:05There is, though, one emergency bed
0:25:05 > 0:25:09and it's allocated on a daily basis to whoever is the most in need.
0:25:09 > 0:25:12And tonight, that's Wally.
0:25:12 > 0:25:16The way the weather is, I need a break.
0:25:17 > 0:25:19I need one night and then I'll be back out.
0:25:21 > 0:25:23And here we go.
0:25:25 > 0:25:27I've got an emergency bed.
0:25:29 > 0:25:31It's the Dinas Fechan Hostel,
0:25:31 > 0:25:34run by one of Wales' largest homeless charities.
0:25:34 > 0:25:36Yeah. Yeah, only twice...
0:25:36 > 0:25:40He's shown to his bed for the night in the hostel's laundry room.
0:25:40 > 0:25:42Twice in nearly two months...
0:25:42 > 0:25:46- It gets quite chilly in here but we've got heating.- Brilliant.
0:25:46 > 0:25:47Thank you. See you later.
0:25:47 > 0:25:50And there could be ten of us on the street,
0:25:50 > 0:25:52so we have to take it in turns.
0:25:52 > 0:25:53And share.
0:25:56 > 0:25:57Yeah.
0:25:57 > 0:25:59That's better than the floor.
0:26:02 > 0:26:05It's not much, but it's something.
0:26:07 > 0:26:10The next day, Wally went back to the streets
0:26:10 > 0:26:12but just before Christmas, friends took him in.
0:26:16 > 0:26:21As Christmas nears, Andy is spending less time on the streets
0:26:21 > 0:26:23and he and Barry are getting on well.
0:26:23 > 0:26:25Look at that. Da-nah!
0:26:25 > 0:26:28I reckon you'll have to go out and buy more decorations
0:26:28 > 0:26:29if you're going to put that tree up.
0:26:29 > 0:26:32The move from living on the streets to taking
0:26:32 > 0:26:37responsibility for a home has been stressful, especially for Andy.
0:26:37 > 0:26:41The landlord still hasn't fixed the problems with the house
0:26:41 > 0:26:45and they end up without central heating or an oven over Christmas.
0:26:47 > 0:26:51It's hard to adjust, like, but I mean, what is the point in me
0:26:51 > 0:26:54staying out and freezing my nuts off and getting myself bad again,
0:26:54 > 0:26:57and I'm trying to give up the drink now at the moment, and that's going to be hard.
0:26:57 > 0:27:01But at the end of the day, if I don't do it now, I never will.
0:27:01 > 0:27:05They are at Zac's, the church run by the motorcycling God squad.
0:27:05 > 0:27:08It's their Christmas do for those down on their luck.
0:27:08 > 0:27:12- We've got to hang around, haven't we? - Pardon?- We've got to hang around.
0:27:12 > 0:27:16If you can do it in rehab, you can do it here. There's no difference.
0:27:16 > 0:27:19When I came back from rehab, it was like, I knew I was going to go
0:27:19 > 0:27:22back on it, I knew I had to go back on the street and do it.
0:27:22 > 0:27:25If you can do this without going to rehab now, you are coming well.
0:27:25 > 0:27:29- Christmas treats as well, all right? - Wicked. Thank you.- No worries.
0:27:29 > 0:27:34- Christmas goodies! - How nice is that, eh?- Very nice.
0:27:34 > 0:27:36Andy is trying again to cut down on drink,
0:27:36 > 0:27:39but this time with the support of his friend, Barry.
0:27:44 > 0:27:47Next time on Return To The Streets,
0:27:47 > 0:27:50Christmas sees some of the wettest weather ever.
0:27:50 > 0:27:53We discover one of the last remaining rough sleepers,
0:27:53 > 0:27:57Dan, who is on the streets with serious health problems.
0:27:58 > 0:28:00My feet fit into the...
0:28:03 > 0:28:06..knack at the bottom.
0:28:06 > 0:28:08Got the hood there.
0:28:08 > 0:28:12Despite the hardship at Christmas, Tim is full of cheer.
0:28:12 > 0:28:15- Ho, ho, ho! - That's it, you've got it, Tim.
0:28:15 > 0:28:17You've got it, mate.
0:28:17 > 0:28:21And we follow homeless drifter Paul, who has been waiting two months
0:28:21 > 0:28:25for a reply to a message he sent to his long-lost family.
0:28:25 > 0:28:29Every day I am waiting. Waiting, waiting, waiting for a phone call.
0:28:31 > 0:28:32It hurts.