Episode 3 Swansea: Return to the Streets

Soaked me!

Having nowhere to go but to live on the streets is a last resort,

and there are many reasons why people end up sleeping rough.

I'm in bits!

I'm film-maker Chris Rushton, and together with Tracy Harris,

over a period that spans three years,

we have followed the plight of the homeless in Swansea.

It's no fun at all, honestly.

HE MUMBLES

Now we want to understand the difficulties many homeless

people face when they try to break out of the cycle of homelessness.

I haven't had a bed since I got out of jail, d'you know what I mean?

Get out of jail and they expect you to stay on the streets. It don't make sense.

We wanted to find out what had happened to some of those

we'd filmed in the most desperate circumstances.

And to discover if those trapped on the streets by alcohol

and drug addiction can change their lives for the better.

It's the third time we've filmed on Swansea's streets around Christmas.

This is the most difficult time of the year for the homeless,

many of whom have been rejected by their families.

Of those we met with no choice but to live on the streets over winter,

many end up with serious health problems.

We'd come across Dean unconscious on the street before.

All right, Dean? Morning.

Calls from concerned commuters brought him to the attention

of the police.

You all right?

Yeah, sound as a pound. Right, you going to be on your way, then? OK.

See you later, then.

Dean has been homeless on and off for three years,

and living on the streets has taken its toll.

I'm not Iron Man, I can't live like this

for the rest of my life. I can't.

Dean's at Zack's place.

It's a church that offers help for those who are homeless.

11 stone. 11 stone? Yeah.

Today, there's a medical team on hand.

I'll be here today to make sure you're registered with a dentist.

Offering help in a place that is familiar to homeless people

is one way of making sure they have their health problems looked at.

The outreach nurse Pat is already on Dean's case.

Hopefully, within the next month, we will have you in accommodation.

Good. I'm, I'm, I'm really chuffed with that, like.

Over the last couple of weeks you've been lurching from one disaster to the other, haven't you?

Every time I see you you're falling around. You've been overdoing it.

Today is the best I've seen you for about a month.

But you're going to have to start engaging, Dean.

You're in the last chance saloon here, mate.

Dean is a street alcoholic who lives a chaotic life.

He's from the Gwent Valleys, and he told us

he'd turned to drink after an exceptionally traumatic event.

I lost my father and my mother and my brother in the same car crash.

Know what I mean?

Know what I mean?

And that was, er...

..two and a half, three years ago.

And basically that's when I started drinking really heavily.

Really, really heavily.

It just numbs the pain of losing my family.

D-Does that makes sense to you? OK?

And I'm going to... break down now. Sorry.

DEAN SOBS

I'm so sorry. Oh, don't be sorry.

I'm so sorry. It's all right.

Dean's story was so hard to bear because we knew

he was living on the streets with worrying health problems.

This is the third time that Dean's collapsed in the last ten days.

His nose went purple first. Then his lips.

He's like...doing it like that. I couldn't get him back. Epileptic.

Are you registered epileptic? No, I have fits, I do.

You've got a head injury, that's the thing. I can't really sew.

I won't be happy doing it here on the streets. All right?

Later, they discover that withdrawal from alcohol caused him

to have a fit and lose consciousness.

But even after being repeatedly picked up off the street,

there's no guarantee that Dean would be given a place in a hostel.

I discovered that those living on the streets who have chronic

illnesses have trouble following through with treatment.

This time we encountered more people with both serious physical

and mental health problems on the streets.

We met Dan. He's been sleeping rough for three weeks.

He has obvious health issues, the result of an accident,

but he also has other problems that aren't so evident,

for which he's had treatment.

I've been in mad houses, institutes and...the like.

It's frightening to come face-to-face with someone

who's suffering like that.

Dan has psychosis, which stops him from thinking clearly

and causes hallucinations.

It was this that led to an event that caused his physical injuries

a year ago.

I have paranoid episodes.

And the door went and I thought it was the police. I hid on the roof...

..slipped...

..fell about 30 foot.

I can't remember anything after that. Just waking up in agony, like.

Dan's been sleeping rough and sofa-surfing at friends' places.

Tonight, his friend Chris who has a flat makes him an offer.

Come with me, innit?

I might take you up on that offer. No, it shouldn't be a might.

So you might go and stay with Chris?

I may do. I've had your offer and Moss's name.

You've got a nice bed to sleep in. I might take you up on that.

You know what I mean?

But being around people can bring on anxiety.

"Come to mine, it's only up the road." I'm like, "Whoa."

I feel out of my comfort zone when I'm out of town.

I can say that it's my side of Swansea, if you know what I mean.

He's in close contact with his mother in Swansea,

yet he prefers to sleep on the streets.

or they've given up on me.

I just think...

..I need to be alone and do my own thing.

It was difficult to comprehend that although he had other options,

Dan chose the streets.

That's my sleeping bag. This is my pillow.

It's the only part of me that feels homely, I suppose,

because it's comfort...and a bit of security, which we all need.

It's what I need.

It's quite far back enough for the public in general not to

notice me, which is what I want, really.

HE SIGHS

My feet fit into the...

..knack at the bottom.

Got the hood there.

Which is important.

I'm just here...for the sake, simple sake, of surviving.

For Dan, living on the streets was a way of avoiding anxiety

brought on by having to live with others.

But now he faced spending Christmas on the streets.

But at Christmas time,

those down on their luck do get some extra attention.

At this time of year, donations to the homeless charities of food,

But by Christmas Eve, the drop-in centres and organisations

that help the homeless close, some right through to the New Year.

So there will be nowhere for them to go.

Most try to get off the streets before the Christmas holiday,

but 57-year-old Tim is still sleeping rough.

He has an alcohol-related illness and could do with a place indoors.

But then, a couple of days later,

we discover him staying with his friend Alan.

Oh, sweetie, how are you keeping? Lovely. How are you?

Oh, great.

We'd filmed Alan and his friend Susan over a year ago

when they were homeless.

But now they both have a place of their own

and they often put up friends, especially at Christmas.

You all like me. I don't know why.

You've got a heart of gold. You have. He's like me.

He's there for everyone.

Susan reckons with a little help,

Tim could play the role of an important Christmas figure.

I get a suit in the Pound Shop, 99 pence, and dress you up.

Put clothing inside to make you look fatter. And she will do it. I will.

Glasses and disguise.

Irish Father Christmas, go round everyone.

And when I'm drunk then, I fall all over the place.

Doing it for the children. Doing it for the children.

Oh, I know.

Ho, ho, ho!

That's it! You've got it, Tim. You've got it, mate. SHE LAUGHS

It was a relief to know that Tim's getting a break from life outdoors.

In the city centre, Dan's in one of the only places where

he can escape the early morning cold.

It's the fast food outlet open 24/7.

But if he nods off, he's asked to leave.

He's so desperate to get indoors that he has put aside

the feelings of anxiety he gets when he's around people.

So he's been in touch with one of Swansea's hostels for the homeless.

So there's a chance of a hostel today, do you think? Possibly.

They said there could be a room going.

As long as I play ball with them, they should, er...

..should allow me to stay.

To get the room, Dan will have to go to an interview.

Stressed by the prospect, Dan's taken some Valium,

or vals as they are known on the street, to help him relax.

When he emerges from the interview,

it's obvious things haven't gone well.

Did they tell you why you didn't get the room?

Yeah, they said I was a bit inebriated, which is right.

But I needed the vals just to calm me down.

Erm...yeah.

He's missed the chance of a hostel place.

And it was hard for us to leave him knowing Dan had nowhere else to go.

We had become so involved in the lives of those on the streets

we often felt compelled to help them.

Paul was one of them.

All right, fella?

who'd been wandering around Britain and sleeping rough for 30 years.

This is where I sleep.

In the time we'd known him, he kept coming back to Wales.

And in the summer of 2013, he decided to stay.

To me, Swansea is my home.

He'd left his family and hadn't been in touch with them for 25 years.

Tracy and I tracked down his sister Lynn on Facebook.

And we helped Paul send her a message.

I love her. I miss her.

Please contact me.

But the weeks went by and there was still no reply from his sister.

It hurts.

Every day I'm waiting. Waiting, waiting, waiting.

After this knock back, Paul left Swansea.

All we knew was that he was heading for England.

Three months later, I received a reply from Paul's sister.

But now we had lost contact with Paul

and had no way of passing on the message.

We scoured every drop-in centre in the west of England.

Then finally we tracked him down in Cheltenham.

It's nice to see you guys. It really is.

How did we manage to get detached again? What happened?

My phone went west. It had no numbers, nothing.

I don't know what was happening with me because I didn't realise I'd had a stroke.

I keep forgetting things, to be honest with you.

The stroke had clearly been a shock to him, just as it was to us.

Come into my den of iniquity.

Luckily, he was off the street

and had the support of a charity-run housing project.

Now, after 25 years, he's finally awaiting a call from his sister.

PHONE RINGS

Hello?

'Is that Paul?'

It is, my darling, how are you?

'Hiya, how are you?' I'm fine. 'Are you all right?'

Yeah, I'm all right, yeah.

Up until a week ago,

she had no idea that Paul had been homeless all this time.

'I'm still in a little bit of a shock, Paul, that's all.

'Cos I didn't know you'd had nowhere to go.'

There's a lot... There's a lot that you don't know.

'Well, I know, obviously.'

HE LAUGHS

Can I tell you something before you carry on?

'Yes.' I've missed you so much, Lynn.

'Yeah, I know.' I really don't know what to say to you.

I just want to get hold of you. I can't believe what's happened.

'No.' But I'm a different person now.

The reason Paul left home and went on the road

is because his father was violent.

'Let me know if you need anything.' I just need you and my family.

'Yeah, but I can't just come with just like... Do you want Backy?'

All I want is you. I want my family. 'Right.' That's all I need.

And a pint.

'And a pint. Yeah, well, that doesn't change either.'

HE LAUGHS No.

All right, my darling. I'll talk to you soon.

'All right. You take care.' I love you, Lynn.

'I love you too.' Bye-bye. 'Bye.'

Well, I never expected that in a million years.

I'm not on my own any more.

After more than two decades of separation, they want to meet up.

But we knew that reuniting families who'd been apart for years

could be fraught with difficulty.

Back in Swansea, with just three days to go before Christmas,

the weather takes a dramatic turn.

It's 9am, and by now most rough sleepers are on the move.

But there's one who is dead to the world.

GROANING

Oh, well.

At least it's not raining(!)

The last time we saw Dean was when he collapsed and was taken

from the street by ambulance having suffered an epileptic fit.

# What a beautiful day. #

Now he's got an injury - a fractured ankle.

But Dean has no recollection of how it happened.

Apparently a vehicle ran him over and he was taken to hospital.

He told us he was discharged without crutches.

A hospital that big, run out of crutches.

Come on, man!

I have learnt, literally, to walk without anything.

He seemed disorientated,

so Tracy and I took him to the Cyrenians Drop-in Centre.

Dean's unsure of his surroundings

and is struggling to remember even where he slept.

Where did you find me, too?

By the bins.

Behind the bins on Wind Street.

By the blowers. How did you get there?

That's a good question.

Being so used to...

..sleeping rough...

..I just... I just...

I accept it now.

Eventually the staff discover he's suffering from memory loss.

A phone call reveals that actually there's no reason for him

to be sleeping on the streets.

OK, no problem. No problem.

Right, Dean, you've got to go up to Hanover Street.

You've still got the room, so you're OK for Christmas.

He's forgotten that two weeks ago he got a place in a hostel.

Yeah. As you just said.

You really need to be staying in there with the leg.

Cos you've got no crutches and the weather's turning. If it gets wet...

They've made him these cards.

Hopefully they'll be useful next time he's lost.

"My name is Dean. I suffer from memory loss and epilepsy.

"If you are concerned about my condition,

"please contact Swansea Shoreline on 01792 466603."

I can read. Put it in your pocket.

There are only a few left on the streets still looking

for a place to stay over Christmas.

Dan, who suffers from mental illness,

has returned to his usual spot.

Dan? Yeah.

Are you all right? Yeah, just...

bit fatigued is all.

Yeah. Better pack my stuff up.

Christmas Eve, I can see everyone's trying to enjoy themselves

and get themselves ready for tomorrow.

That's the last thing on my mind.

I just want a roof over my head and a place to get my head down.

Now his only chance of getting off the street is Swansea's

one and only emergency bed.

Normally it's available for one or two nights,

but if he gets it today he will have it right over the Christmas period.

Oh, sorry. All right? He goes to the access point,

where he has to get through another interview before he can be accepted.

Any physical health problems? Yeah, I've got...

I fractured my leg just over a year ago.

And my arm.

I've got a pin in my hip

and I'm recovering from three fractured vertebrae.

Also suffering depression and psychosis.

Support worker Rebecca has to asses Dan's needs.

Everybody that comes onto the project has to read and sign this.

It's just to say the use, possession and dealing of illegal drugs

is strictly forbidden on the premises, all right?

Have a quick read and then give a sign for me.

Christmas Eve, 2013, and rain and gales are on the way.

No longer able to stay at his friend's flat, Tim's back outside.

So, where are you going to sleep tonight, do you think? I don't know.

Out here in the wind? Yeah.

Why not(?)

It's the worst Christmas weather on record, isn't it...? Yes, it is.

But...what can one person do?

Can't change everything.

You can't change Tim. No, I doubt it very much!

I have to change myself.

And that's going to be...

..a bit hard.

There's one change we can make.

What is that? I ain't putting that on me!

You've got to. No!

No. Come on. It's Christmas. Get it on.

I know it's Christmas, but it's not good to me!

Oh, here we go.

Does it fit all right?

No, I think my head is too big for it. Merry Christmas to you.

Thank you very much.

Tim's all set to sleep on the streets this Christmas Eve.

But at the access point, things are looking up for Dan.

We've also got a little bag of goodies, cos it's Christmas, for you.

Thank you very much.

Oh, bless you. That's for you. Thank you very much. OK?

He's been accepted for the emergency bed over Christmas.

I would like to use this solely as a stepping stone

to somewhere decent to live.

It's getting colder.

But he still can't help feeling anxious.

I hope I'm not walking into a trap.

Do I ring a bell? BELL RINGS

Evening, Daniel. Evening. OK?

Support worker Gareth puts him at ease.

We always say it's the best bed in Swansea.

Because it's warm. Well, it's because if you weren't in that bed

then where would you be? Yeah, so... In a tunnel. Exactly.

So it is the best bed.

It's a lonely room. It's pretty good. I'm not locked in, am I?

It may be basic and double up as the hostel's laundry,

but it's warm and better than the streets.

That looks fantastic.

Absolutely fantastic.

HE SIGHS

And it's good for my back.

In Cheltenham, it's a big day for Paul.

There's a present he's been waiting for for a very long time.

Good morning.

His sisters Lynn and Edwina are travelling down

from Warrington to see him for the first time in 25 years.

I'm really nervous.

I don't know what to expect.

Freaking my head out.

Hiya!

SOBBING: Thank you. How are you doing?

All right. Aw. Jesus, Paul!

I love you, guys. Love you too.

Until three weeks ago, his sisters had no idea that Paul had

been homeless for most of his adult life.

You don't look like Paul any more.

This is the best Christmas present I could ever have wanted.

After all these years.

Thank you, guys.

I'll be back in a minute. I need to go and sort this out in my head.

Now there's 25 years of catching up to do.

This is you in...I'm not sure when.

But I don't remember that dog.

It was called, um... Shandy.

I remember Shandy.

HE LAUGHS

Look at the wallpaper!

It was a relief to see such a positive beginning

to a new chapter in their lives.

There's the four of us.

You were probably ten. Nine or ten.

Pat would've been 11. Yeah...

All right.

I love you, you know? I love you too.

OK? And you.

But simply picking up from where they'd left off will not be easy.

Paul's had his scrapes, done time in jail

and often walked away from difficult situations.

I'd like Paul to come and try and get things sorted out,

move to Warrington and we can be a family.

Yeah. That's what I'd like more than anything.

He's just got to behave himself first. I will.

Got to behave yourself. What does that mean, Lynn?

Not running off. Not doing a runner. Staying put.

Little steps. Little steps at a time. Not rushing.

Don't think it's going to happen tomorrow. It'll take a bit.

Take a while. Take a while. Yeah, I understand that. I understand that.

Things don't happen overnight, do they? No.

Do you know something, Edwina? What? I've got a bloody good start.

And you, Lynn. I've got a good start. Thank you, girls.

Since then, Paul's already visited his sisters and is happier than ever.

He'll continue to see his family, which also includes nephews and nieces,

who he's getting to know.

For us, it was the end of a journey that began three years ago

on the streets of Swansea, following the lives of homeless people.

That's me down for the night.

We were shocked to discover how harsh life could be for those

with nowhere to go.

HE SOBS

It astonished us just how often the people

we met on the streets came from broken families,

and how this was one of the main reasons for homelessness.

Where am I going to go now?

After that, where am I going to go but on the streets?

But those we met in such desperate circumstances

had touched our hearts, and remain a part of our lives, even to this day.