0:00:03 > 0:00:04Soaked me!
0:00:04 > 0:00:08Having nowhere to go but to live on the streets is a last resort,
0:00:08 > 0:00:11and there are many reasons why people end up sleeping rough.
0:00:11 > 0:00:13I'm in bits!
0:00:15 > 0:00:19I'm film-maker Chris Rushton, and together with Tracy Harris,
0:00:19 > 0:00:21over a period that spans three years,
0:00:21 > 0:00:24we have followed the plight of the homeless in Swansea.
0:00:25 > 0:00:27It's no fun at all, honestly.
0:00:27 > 0:00:29HE MUMBLES
0:00:29 > 0:00:33Now we want to understand the difficulties many homeless
0:00:33 > 0:00:38people face when they try to break out of the cycle of homelessness.
0:00:38 > 0:00:40I haven't had a bed since I got out of jail, d'you know what I mean?
0:00:40 > 0:00:44Get out of jail and they expect you to stay on the streets. It don't make sense.
0:00:44 > 0:00:47We wanted to find out what had happened to some of those
0:00:47 > 0:00:50we'd filmed in the most desperate circumstances.
0:00:58 > 0:01:02And to discover if those trapped on the streets by alcohol
0:01:02 > 0:01:05and drug addiction can change their lives for the better.
0:01:10 > 0:01:14It's the third time we've filmed on Swansea's streets around Christmas.
0:01:14 > 0:01:18This is the most difficult time of the year for the homeless,
0:01:18 > 0:01:21many of whom have been rejected by their families.
0:01:23 > 0:01:27Of those we met with no choice but to live on the streets over winter,
0:01:27 > 0:01:31many end up with serious health problems.
0:01:34 > 0:01:38We'd come across Dean unconscious on the street before.
0:01:41 > 0:01:43All right, Dean? Morning.
0:01:43 > 0:01:46Calls from concerned commuters brought him to the attention
0:01:46 > 0:01:48of the police.
0:01:48 > 0:01:49You all right?
0:01:49 > 0:01:55Yeah, sound as a pound. Right, you going to be on your way, then? OK.
0:01:55 > 0:01:57See you later, then.
0:02:02 > 0:02:05Dean has been homeless on and off for three years,
0:02:05 > 0:02:08and living on the streets has taken its toll.
0:02:08 > 0:02:11I'm not Iron Man, I can't live like this
0:02:11 > 0:02:14for the rest of my life. I can't.
0:02:14 > 0:02:16Dean's at Zack's place.
0:02:16 > 0:02:21It's a church that offers help for those who are homeless.
0:02:22 > 0:02:2411 stone. 11 stone? Yeah.
0:02:24 > 0:02:27Today, there's a medical team on hand.
0:02:27 > 0:02:29I'll be here today to make sure you're registered with a dentist.
0:02:29 > 0:02:33Offering help in a place that is familiar to homeless people
0:02:33 > 0:02:37is one way of making sure they have their health problems looked at.
0:02:37 > 0:02:42The outreach nurse Pat is already on Dean's case.
0:02:42 > 0:02:45Hopefully, within the next month, we will have you in accommodation.
0:02:47 > 0:02:50Good. I'm, I'm, I'm really chuffed with that, like.
0:02:50 > 0:02:55Over the last couple of weeks you've been lurching from one disaster to the other, haven't you?
0:02:55 > 0:02:58Every time I see you you're falling around. You've been overdoing it.
0:02:58 > 0:03:01Today is the best I've seen you for about a month.
0:03:01 > 0:03:04But you're going to have to start engaging, Dean.
0:03:04 > 0:03:06You're in the last chance saloon here, mate.
0:03:08 > 0:03:12Dean is a street alcoholic who lives a chaotic life.
0:03:12 > 0:03:14He's from the Gwent Valleys, and he told us
0:03:14 > 0:03:19he'd turned to drink after an exceptionally traumatic event.
0:03:19 > 0:03:25I lost my father and my mother and my brother in the same car crash.
0:03:25 > 0:03:26Know what I mean?
0:03:28 > 0:03:29Know what I mean?
0:03:30 > 0:03:31And that was, er...
0:03:33 > 0:03:35..two and a half, three years ago.
0:03:37 > 0:03:43And basically that's when I started drinking really heavily.
0:03:43 > 0:03:46Really, really heavily.
0:03:46 > 0:03:49It just numbs the pain of losing my family.
0:03:51 > 0:03:55D-Does that makes sense to you? OK?
0:03:59 > 0:04:04And I'm going to... break down now. Sorry.
0:04:06 > 0:04:08DEAN SOBS
0:04:12 > 0:04:14I'm so sorry. Oh, don't be sorry.
0:04:16 > 0:04:18I'm so sorry. It's all right.
0:04:20 > 0:04:23Dean's story was so hard to bear because we knew
0:04:23 > 0:04:27he was living on the streets with worrying health problems.
0:04:30 > 0:04:34This is the third time that Dean's collapsed in the last ten days.
0:04:37 > 0:04:41His nose went purple first. Then his lips.
0:04:43 > 0:04:46He's like...doing it like that. I couldn't get him back. Epileptic.
0:04:46 > 0:04:49Are you registered epileptic? No, I have fits, I do.
0:04:51 > 0:04:54You've got a head injury, that's the thing. I can't really sew.
0:04:54 > 0:04:58I won't be happy doing it here on the streets. All right?
0:04:58 > 0:05:01Later, they discover that withdrawal from alcohol caused him
0:05:01 > 0:05:04to have a fit and lose consciousness.
0:05:05 > 0:05:09But even after being repeatedly picked up off the street,
0:05:09 > 0:05:13there's no guarantee that Dean would be given a place in a hostel.
0:05:19 > 0:05:23I discovered that those living on the streets who have chronic
0:05:23 > 0:05:26illnesses have trouble following through with treatment.
0:05:28 > 0:05:31This time we encountered more people with both serious physical
0:05:31 > 0:05:34and mental health problems on the streets.
0:05:36 > 0:05:40We met Dan. He's been sleeping rough for three weeks.
0:05:40 > 0:05:44He has obvious health issues, the result of an accident,
0:05:44 > 0:05:47but he also has other problems that aren't so evident,
0:05:47 > 0:05:55for which he's had treatment.
0:05:58 > 0:06:02I've been in mad houses, institutes and...the like.
0:06:02 > 0:06:05It's frightening to come face-to-face with someone
0:06:05 > 0:06:07who's suffering like that.
0:06:07 > 0:06:11Dan has psychosis, which stops him from thinking clearly
0:06:11 > 0:06:13and causes hallucinations.
0:06:14 > 0:06:17It was this that led to an event that caused his physical injuries
0:06:17 > 0:06:19a year ago.
0:06:20 > 0:06:22I have paranoid episodes.
0:06:24 > 0:06:29And the door went and I thought it was the police. I hid on the roof...
0:06:31 > 0:06:32..slipped...
0:06:33 > 0:06:34..fell about 30 foot.
0:06:37 > 0:06:41I can't remember anything after that. Just waking up in agony, like.
0:06:48 > 0:06:52Dan's been sleeping rough and sofa-surfing at friends' places.
0:06:52 > 0:06:56Tonight, his friend Chris who has a flat makes him an offer.
0:06:57 > 0:06:59Come with me, innit?
0:06:59 > 0:07:02I might take you up on that offer. No, it shouldn't be a might.
0:07:02 > 0:07:04So you might go and stay with Chris?
0:07:04 > 0:07:09I may do. I've had your offer and Moss's name.
0:07:09 > 0:07:12You've got a nice bed to sleep in. I might take you up on that.
0:07:12 > 0:07:13You know what I mean?
0:07:13 > 0:07:17But being around people can bring on anxiety.
0:07:17 > 0:07:20"Come to mine, it's only up the road." I'm like, "Whoa."
0:07:20 > 0:07:24I feel out of my comfort zone when I'm out of town.
0:07:24 > 0:07:28I can say that it's my side of Swansea, if you know what I mean.
0:07:29 > 0:07:33He's in close contact with his mother in Swansea,
0:07:33 > 0:07:38yet he prefers to sleep on the streets.
0:07:38 > 0:07:41or they've given up on me.
0:07:41 > 0:07:42I just think...
0:07:45 > 0:07:47..I need to be alone and do my own thing.
0:07:49 > 0:07:53It was difficult to comprehend that although he had other options,
0:07:53 > 0:07:55Dan chose the streets.
0:08:00 > 0:08:03That's my sleeping bag. This is my pillow.
0:08:04 > 0:08:08It's the only part of me that feels homely, I suppose,
0:08:08 > 0:08:13because it's comfort...and a bit of security, which we all need.
0:08:15 > 0:08:16It's what I need.
0:08:16 > 0:08:21It's quite far back enough for the public in general not to
0:08:21 > 0:08:25notice me, which is what I want, really.
0:08:25 > 0:08:27HE SIGHS
0:08:33 > 0:08:35My feet fit into the...
0:08:38 > 0:08:40..knack at the bottom.
0:08:41 > 0:08:42Got the hood there.
0:08:44 > 0:08:45Which is important.
0:08:48 > 0:08:54I'm just here...for the sake, simple sake, of surviving.
0:08:56 > 0:09:00For Dan, living on the streets was a way of avoiding anxiety
0:09:00 > 0:09:03brought on by having to live with others.
0:09:03 > 0:09:06But now he faced spending Christmas on the streets.
0:09:11 > 0:09:12But at Christmas time,
0:09:12 > 0:09:16those down on their luck do get some extra attention.
0:09:16 > 0:09:23At this time of year, donations to the homeless charities of food,
0:09:25 > 0:09:29But by Christmas Eve, the drop-in centres and organisations
0:09:29 > 0:09:33that help the homeless close, some right through to the New Year.
0:09:33 > 0:09:36So there will be nowhere for them to go.
0:09:36 > 0:09:40Most try to get off the streets before the Christmas holiday,
0:09:40 > 0:09:43but 57-year-old Tim is still sleeping rough.
0:09:43 > 0:09:48He has an alcohol-related illness and could do with a place indoors.
0:09:48 > 0:09:50But then, a couple of days later,
0:09:50 > 0:09:53we discover him staying with his friend Alan.
0:09:53 > 0:09:56Oh, sweetie, how are you keeping? Lovely. How are you?
0:09:56 > 0:09:58Oh, great.
0:09:58 > 0:10:01We'd filmed Alan and his friend Susan over a year ago
0:10:01 > 0:10:03when they were homeless.
0:10:06 > 0:10:09But now they both have a place of their own
0:10:09 > 0:10:13and they often put up friends, especially at Christmas.
0:10:13 > 0:10:15You all like me. I don't know why.
0:10:15 > 0:10:18You've got a heart of gold. You have. He's like me.
0:10:18 > 0:10:20He's there for everyone.
0:10:20 > 0:10:22Susan reckons with a little help,
0:10:22 > 0:10:26Tim could play the role of an important Christmas figure.
0:10:26 > 0:10:29I get a suit in the Pound Shop, 99 pence, and dress you up.
0:10:29 > 0:10:32Put clothing inside to make you look fatter. And she will do it. I will.
0:10:32 > 0:10:34Glasses and disguise.
0:10:34 > 0:10:36Irish Father Christmas, go round everyone.
0:10:36 > 0:10:40And when I'm drunk then, I fall all over the place.
0:10:41 > 0:10:44Doing it for the children. Doing it for the children.
0:10:44 > 0:10:45Oh, I know.
0:10:45 > 0:10:47Ho, ho, ho!
0:10:47 > 0:10:50That's it! You've got it, Tim. You've got it, mate. SHE LAUGHS
0:10:50 > 0:10:54It was a relief to know that Tim's getting a break from life outdoors.
0:10:58 > 0:11:01In the city centre, Dan's in one of the only places where
0:11:01 > 0:11:04he can escape the early morning cold.
0:11:04 > 0:11:08It's the fast food outlet open 24/7.
0:11:08 > 0:11:11But if he nods off, he's asked to leave.
0:11:14 > 0:11:17He's so desperate to get indoors that he has put aside
0:11:17 > 0:11:21the feelings of anxiety he gets when he's around people.
0:11:21 > 0:11:25So he's been in touch with one of Swansea's hostels for the homeless.
0:11:25 > 0:11:30So there's a chance of a hostel today, do you think? Possibly.
0:11:31 > 0:11:33They said there could be a room going.
0:11:35 > 0:11:38As long as I play ball with them, they should, er...
0:11:40 > 0:11:42..should allow me to stay.
0:11:44 > 0:11:47To get the room, Dan will have to go to an interview.
0:11:51 > 0:11:54Stressed by the prospect, Dan's taken some Valium,
0:11:54 > 0:12:00or vals as they are known on the street, to help him relax.
0:12:06 > 0:12:08When he emerges from the interview,
0:12:08 > 0:12:11it's obvious things haven't gone well.
0:12:11 > 0:12:13Did they tell you why you didn't get the room?
0:12:14 > 0:12:17Yeah, they said I was a bit inebriated, which is right.
0:12:17 > 0:12:20But I needed the vals just to calm me down.
0:12:21 > 0:12:24Erm...yeah.
0:12:25 > 0:12:28He's missed the chance of a hostel place.
0:12:28 > 0:12:32And it was hard for us to leave him knowing Dan had nowhere else to go.
0:12:38 > 0:12:42We had become so involved in the lives of those on the streets
0:12:42 > 0:12:45we often felt compelled to help them.
0:12:45 > 0:12:46Paul was one of them.
0:12:47 > 0:12:48All right, fella?
0:12:54 > 0:12:58who'd been wandering around Britain and sleeping rough for 30 years.
0:12:59 > 0:13:01This is where I sleep.
0:13:06 > 0:13:09In the time we'd known him, he kept coming back to Wales.
0:13:10 > 0:13:13And in the summer of 2013, he decided to stay.
0:13:14 > 0:13:17To me, Swansea is my home.
0:13:19 > 0:13:23He'd left his family and hadn't been in touch with them for 25 years.
0:13:24 > 0:13:28Tracy and I tracked down his sister Lynn on Facebook.
0:13:29 > 0:13:33And we helped Paul send her a message.
0:13:33 > 0:13:36I love her. I miss her.
0:13:36 > 0:13:38Please contact me.
0:13:39 > 0:13:44But the weeks went by and there was still no reply from his sister.
0:13:44 > 0:13:45It hurts.
0:13:47 > 0:13:50Every day I'm waiting. Waiting, waiting, waiting.
0:13:50 > 0:13:53After this knock back, Paul left Swansea.
0:13:53 > 0:13:56All we knew was that he was heading for England.
0:13:57 > 0:14:01Three months later, I received a reply from Paul's sister.
0:14:01 > 0:14:04But now we had lost contact with Paul
0:14:04 > 0:14:06and had no way of passing on the message.
0:14:08 > 0:14:12We scoured every drop-in centre in the west of England.
0:14:13 > 0:14:16Then finally we tracked him down in Cheltenham.
0:14:18 > 0:14:20It's nice to see you guys. It really is.
0:14:20 > 0:14:23How did we manage to get detached again? What happened?
0:14:23 > 0:14:26My phone went west. It had no numbers, nothing.
0:14:26 > 0:14:29I don't know what was happening with me because I didn't realise I'd had a stroke.
0:14:32 > 0:14:34I keep forgetting things, to be honest with you.
0:14:34 > 0:14:39The stroke had clearly been a shock to him, just as it was to us.
0:14:40 > 0:14:42Come into my den of iniquity.
0:14:42 > 0:14:44Luckily, he was off the street
0:14:44 > 0:14:47and had the support of a charity-run housing project.
0:14:48 > 0:14:53Now, after 25 years, he's finally awaiting a call from his sister.
0:14:55 > 0:14:57PHONE RINGS
0:14:57 > 0:14:58Hello?
0:14:58 > 0:15:00'Is that Paul?'
0:15:00 > 0:15:01It is, my darling, how are you?
0:15:01 > 0:15:04'Hiya, how are you?' I'm fine. 'Are you all right?'
0:15:04 > 0:15:06Yeah, I'm all right, yeah.
0:15:06 > 0:15:08Up until a week ago,
0:15:08 > 0:15:12she had no idea that Paul had been homeless all this time.
0:15:12 > 0:15:15'I'm still in a little bit of a shock, Paul, that's all.
0:15:15 > 0:15:18'Cos I didn't know you'd had nowhere to go.'
0:15:18 > 0:15:21There's a lot... There's a lot that you don't know.
0:15:21 > 0:15:23'Well, I know, obviously.'
0:15:23 > 0:15:24HE LAUGHS
0:15:24 > 0:15:26Can I tell you something before you carry on?
0:15:26 > 0:15:29'Yes.' I've missed you so much, Lynn.
0:15:29 > 0:15:32'Yeah, I know.' I really don't know what to say to you.
0:15:32 > 0:15:36I just want to get hold of you. I can't believe what's happened.
0:15:36 > 0:15:38'No.' But I'm a different person now.
0:15:38 > 0:15:41The reason Paul left home and went on the road
0:15:41 > 0:15:44is because his father was violent.
0:15:44 > 0:15:47'Let me know if you need anything.' I just need you and my family.
0:15:48 > 0:15:52'Yeah, but I can't just come with just like... Do you want Backy?'
0:15:52 > 0:15:57All I want is you. I want my family. 'Right.' That's all I need.
0:15:57 > 0:15:58And a pint.
0:15:58 > 0:16:01'And a pint. Yeah, well, that doesn't change either.'
0:16:01 > 0:16:03HE LAUGHS No.
0:16:03 > 0:16:05All right, my darling. I'll talk to you soon.
0:16:05 > 0:16:08'All right. You take care.' I love you, Lynn.
0:16:08 > 0:16:11'I love you too.' Bye-bye. 'Bye.'
0:16:16 > 0:16:19Well, I never expected that in a million years.
0:16:22 > 0:16:24I'm not on my own any more.
0:16:26 > 0:16:31After more than two decades of separation, they want to meet up.
0:16:31 > 0:16:35But we knew that reuniting families who'd been apart for years
0:16:35 > 0:16:37could be fraught with difficulty.
0:16:39 > 0:16:44Back in Swansea, with just three days to go before Christmas,
0:16:44 > 0:16:46the weather takes a dramatic turn.
0:16:47 > 0:16:52It's 9am, and by now most rough sleepers are on the move.
0:16:55 > 0:16:57But there's one who is dead to the world.
0:17:03 > 0:17:04GROANING
0:17:05 > 0:17:07Oh, well.
0:17:07 > 0:17:08At least it's not raining(!)
0:17:10 > 0:17:13The last time we saw Dean was when he collapsed and was taken
0:17:13 > 0:17:18from the street by ambulance having suffered an epileptic fit.
0:17:18 > 0:17:20# What a beautiful day. #
0:17:21 > 0:17:25Now he's got an injury - a fractured ankle.
0:17:25 > 0:17:28But Dean has no recollection of how it happened.
0:17:28 > 0:17:32Apparently a vehicle ran him over and he was taken to hospital.
0:17:32 > 0:17:36He told us he was discharged without crutches.
0:17:36 > 0:17:40A hospital that big, run out of crutches.
0:17:40 > 0:17:41Come on, man!
0:17:41 > 0:17:46I have learnt, literally, to walk without anything.
0:17:52 > 0:17:54He seemed disorientated,
0:17:54 > 0:17:57so Tracy and I took him to the Cyrenians Drop-in Centre.
0:18:04 > 0:18:06Dean's unsure of his surroundings
0:18:06 > 0:18:09and is struggling to remember even where he slept.
0:18:09 > 0:18:11Where did you find me, too?
0:18:11 > 0:18:12By the bins.
0:18:12 > 0:18:15Behind the bins on Wind Street.
0:18:15 > 0:18:18By the blowers. How did you get there?
0:18:19 > 0:18:21That's a good question.
0:18:25 > 0:18:27Being so used to...
0:18:28 > 0:18:30..sleeping rough...
0:18:31 > 0:18:34..I just... I just...
0:18:37 > 0:18:38I accept it now.
0:18:40 > 0:18:44Eventually the staff discover he's suffering from memory loss.
0:18:44 > 0:18:47A phone call reveals that actually there's no reason for him
0:18:47 > 0:18:49to be sleeping on the streets.
0:18:49 > 0:18:51OK, no problem. No problem.
0:18:51 > 0:18:54Right, Dean, you've got to go up to Hanover Street.
0:18:54 > 0:18:58You've still got the room, so you're OK for Christmas.
0:18:58 > 0:19:01He's forgotten that two weeks ago he got a place in a hostel.
0:19:01 > 0:19:04Yeah. As you just said.
0:19:04 > 0:19:07You really need to be staying in there with the leg.
0:19:07 > 0:19:12Cos you've got no crutches and the weather's turning. If it gets wet...
0:19:12 > 0:19:14They've made him these cards.
0:19:14 > 0:19:17Hopefully they'll be useful next time he's lost.
0:19:17 > 0:19:22"My name is Dean. I suffer from memory loss and epilepsy.
0:19:22 > 0:19:24"If you are concerned about my condition,
0:19:24 > 0:19:32"please contact Swansea Shoreline on 01792 466603."
0:19:35 > 0:19:38I can read. Put it in your pocket.
0:19:42 > 0:19:46There are only a few left on the streets still looking
0:19:46 > 0:19:48for a place to stay over Christmas.
0:19:48 > 0:19:52Dan, who suffers from mental illness,
0:19:52 > 0:19:54has returned to his usual spot.
0:19:55 > 0:19:57Dan? Yeah.
0:19:58 > 0:20:00Are you all right? Yeah, just...
0:20:00 > 0:20:01bit fatigued is all.
0:20:04 > 0:20:06Yeah. Better pack my stuff up.
0:20:14 > 0:20:18Christmas Eve, I can see everyone's trying to enjoy themselves
0:20:18 > 0:20:20and get themselves ready for tomorrow.
0:20:21 > 0:20:23That's the last thing on my mind.
0:20:24 > 0:20:29I just want a roof over my head and a place to get my head down.
0:20:29 > 0:20:33Now his only chance of getting off the street is Swansea's
0:20:33 > 0:20:35one and only emergency bed.
0:20:35 > 0:20:39Normally it's available for one or two nights,
0:20:39 > 0:20:43but if he gets it today he will have it right over the Christmas period.
0:20:49 > 0:20:52Oh, sorry. All right? He goes to the access point,
0:20:52 > 0:20:56where he has to get through another interview before he can be accepted.
0:20:56 > 0:20:59Any physical health problems? Yeah, I've got...
0:21:00 > 0:21:03I fractured my leg just over a year ago.
0:21:03 > 0:21:05And my arm.
0:21:05 > 0:21:07I've got a pin in my hip
0:21:07 > 0:21:10and I'm recovering from three fractured vertebrae.
0:21:13 > 0:21:17Also suffering depression and psychosis.
0:21:18 > 0:21:21Support worker Rebecca has to asses Dan's needs.
0:21:21 > 0:21:24Everybody that comes onto the project has to read and sign this.
0:21:24 > 0:21:27It's just to say the use, possession and dealing of illegal drugs
0:21:27 > 0:21:29is strictly forbidden on the premises, all right?
0:21:29 > 0:21:31Have a quick read and then give a sign for me.
0:21:43 > 0:21:47Christmas Eve, 2013, and rain and gales are on the way.
0:21:50 > 0:21:54No longer able to stay at his friend's flat, Tim's back outside.
0:21:54 > 0:21:59So, where are you going to sleep tonight, do you think? I don't know.
0:21:59 > 0:22:02Out here in the wind? Yeah.
0:22:02 > 0:22:04Why not(?)
0:22:04 > 0:22:08It's the worst Christmas weather on record, isn't it...? Yes, it is.
0:22:08 > 0:22:12But...what can one person do?
0:22:12 > 0:22:15Can't change everything.
0:22:15 > 0:22:18You can't change Tim. No, I doubt it very much!
0:22:18 > 0:22:20I have to change myself.
0:22:21 > 0:22:23And that's going to be...
0:22:24 > 0:22:26..a bit hard.
0:22:26 > 0:22:28There's one change we can make.
0:22:28 > 0:22:31What is that? I ain't putting that on me!
0:22:31 > 0:22:32You've got to. No!
0:22:32 > 0:22:35No. Come on. It's Christmas. Get it on.
0:22:35 > 0:22:38I know it's Christmas, but it's not good to me!
0:22:40 > 0:22:41Oh, here we go.
0:22:47 > 0:22:49Does it fit all right?
0:22:49 > 0:22:53No, I think my head is too big for it. Merry Christmas to you.
0:22:53 > 0:22:55Thank you very much.
0:22:55 > 0:22:58Tim's all set to sleep on the streets this Christmas Eve.
0:22:58 > 0:23:02But at the access point, things are looking up for Dan.
0:23:02 > 0:23:07We've also got a little bag of goodies, cos it's Christmas, for you.
0:23:07 > 0:23:08Thank you very much.
0:23:08 > 0:23:11Oh, bless you. That's for you. Thank you very much. OK?
0:23:11 > 0:23:15He's been accepted for the emergency bed over Christmas.
0:23:15 > 0:23:19I would like to use this solely as a stepping stone
0:23:19 > 0:23:21to somewhere decent to live.
0:23:24 > 0:23:25It's getting colder.
0:23:26 > 0:23:29But he still can't help feeling anxious.
0:23:29 > 0:23:31I hope I'm not walking into a trap.
0:23:31 > 0:23:33Do I ring a bell? BELL RINGS
0:23:34 > 0:23:36Evening, Daniel. Evening. OK?
0:23:36 > 0:23:39Support worker Gareth puts him at ease.
0:23:39 > 0:23:42We always say it's the best bed in Swansea.
0:23:42 > 0:23:45Because it's warm. Well, it's because if you weren't in that bed
0:23:45 > 0:23:48then where would you be? Yeah, so... In a tunnel. Exactly.
0:23:48 > 0:23:50So it is the best bed.
0:23:50 > 0:23:55It's a lonely room. It's pretty good. I'm not locked in, am I?
0:23:55 > 0:23:58It may be basic and double up as the hostel's laundry,
0:23:58 > 0:24:00but it's warm and better than the streets.
0:24:00 > 0:24:02That looks fantastic.
0:24:02 > 0:24:04Absolutely fantastic.
0:24:05 > 0:24:06HE SIGHS
0:24:15 > 0:24:17And it's good for my back.
0:24:24 > 0:24:27In Cheltenham, it's a big day for Paul.
0:24:27 > 0:24:31There's a present he's been waiting for for a very long time.
0:24:33 > 0:24:35Good morning.
0:24:35 > 0:24:38His sisters Lynn and Edwina are travelling down
0:24:38 > 0:24:42from Warrington to see him for the first time in 25 years.
0:24:49 > 0:24:50I'm really nervous.
0:24:53 > 0:24:55I don't know what to expect.
0:24:57 > 0:24:58Freaking my head out.
0:25:13 > 0:25:14Hiya!
0:25:15 > 0:25:18SOBBING: Thank you. How are you doing?
0:25:18 > 0:25:21All right. Aw. Jesus, Paul!
0:25:25 > 0:25:28I love you, guys. Love you too.
0:25:28 > 0:25:32Until three weeks ago, his sisters had no idea that Paul had
0:25:32 > 0:25:34been homeless for most of his adult life.
0:25:39 > 0:25:41You don't look like Paul any more.
0:25:46 > 0:25:49This is the best Christmas present I could ever have wanted.
0:25:51 > 0:25:52After all these years.
0:25:54 > 0:25:55Thank you, guys.
0:25:55 > 0:25:58I'll be back in a minute. I need to go and sort this out in my head.
0:26:07 > 0:26:10Now there's 25 years of catching up to do.
0:26:10 > 0:26:14This is you in...I'm not sure when.
0:26:15 > 0:26:17But I don't remember that dog.
0:26:17 > 0:26:20It was called, um... Shandy.
0:26:20 > 0:26:22I remember Shandy.
0:26:22 > 0:26:24HE LAUGHS
0:26:24 > 0:26:25Look at the wallpaper!
0:26:28 > 0:26:31It was a relief to see such a positive beginning
0:26:31 > 0:26:33to a new chapter in their lives.
0:26:33 > 0:26:34There's the four of us.
0:26:35 > 0:26:38You were probably ten. Nine or ten.
0:26:38 > 0:26:40Pat would've been 11. Yeah...
0:26:42 > 0:26:43All right.
0:26:45 > 0:26:47I love you, you know? I love you too.
0:26:47 > 0:26:48OK? And you.
0:26:51 > 0:26:54But simply picking up from where they'd left off will not be easy.
0:26:54 > 0:26:58Paul's had his scrapes, done time in jail
0:26:58 > 0:27:01and often walked away from difficult situations.
0:27:02 > 0:27:05I'd like Paul to come and try and get things sorted out,
0:27:05 > 0:27:08move to Warrington and we can be a family.
0:27:08 > 0:27:11Yeah. That's what I'd like more than anything.
0:27:11 > 0:27:13He's just got to behave himself first. I will.
0:27:13 > 0:27:16Got to behave yourself. What does that mean, Lynn?
0:27:16 > 0:27:19Not running off. Not doing a runner. Staying put.
0:27:21 > 0:27:24Little steps. Little steps at a time. Not rushing.
0:27:24 > 0:27:28Don't think it's going to happen tomorrow. It'll take a bit.
0:27:28 > 0:27:31Take a while. Take a while. Yeah, I understand that. I understand that.
0:27:31 > 0:27:34Things don't happen overnight, do they? No.
0:27:34 > 0:27:38Do you know something, Edwina? What? I've got a bloody good start.
0:27:38 > 0:27:41And you, Lynn. I've got a good start. Thank you, girls.
0:27:42 > 0:27:47Since then, Paul's already visited his sisters and is happier than ever.
0:27:47 > 0:27:52He'll continue to see his family, which also includes nephews and nieces,
0:27:52 > 0:27:53who he's getting to know.
0:27:55 > 0:27:58For us, it was the end of a journey that began three years ago
0:27:58 > 0:28:02on the streets of Swansea, following the lives of homeless people.
0:28:02 > 0:28:04That's me down for the night.
0:28:04 > 0:28:08We were shocked to discover how harsh life could be for those
0:28:08 > 0:28:09with nowhere to go.
0:28:11 > 0:28:12HE SOBS
0:28:14 > 0:28:16It astonished us just how often the people
0:28:16 > 0:28:19we met on the streets came from broken families,
0:28:19 > 0:28:23and how this was one of the main reasons for homelessness.
0:28:23 > 0:28:25Where am I going to go now?
0:28:25 > 0:28:27After that, where am I going to go but on the streets?
0:28:27 > 0:28:31But those we met in such desperate circumstances
0:28:31 > 0:28:36had touched our hearts, and remain a part of our lives, even to this day.