0:00:09 > 0:00:13Not long ago, these North London streets became my world.
0:00:13 > 0:00:17I was trying to experience homelessness for a documentary.
0:00:17 > 0:00:19Here we are.
0:00:19 > 0:00:21So, this was my spot.
0:00:23 > 0:00:26Now, I only slept rough for a week and I'm not pretending that
0:00:26 > 0:00:29I know what it's like to be homeless after such a short period of time.
0:00:29 > 0:00:32But it was the hardest thing, that I think I've ever done.
0:00:32 > 0:00:35After just a couple of nights of not sleeping properly,
0:00:35 > 0:00:37not eating properly and begging for money,
0:00:37 > 0:00:40I began to understand how hard life on the streets really is.
0:00:40 > 0:00:43You become physically and emotionally drained
0:00:43 > 0:00:44very, very quickly.
0:00:44 > 0:00:47You become grubby and you become invisible.
0:00:50 > 0:00:53After my brief experience, I decided I needed to get involved
0:00:53 > 0:00:56and learn more about homelessness.
0:00:58 > 0:01:01There's a charity that's funding exactly the kind of help that
0:01:01 > 0:01:04homeless people need to rebuild their lives.
0:01:04 > 0:01:07It's called Church Housing Trust.
0:01:07 > 0:01:10The charity's roots stretch back more than 100 years, offering
0:01:10 > 0:01:15shelter, food and work to homeless people from any faith or background.
0:01:16 > 0:01:19Homelessness can happen to anyone.
0:01:19 > 0:01:22Sometimes, it's not the people you'd expect.
0:01:22 > 0:01:23This is Richard.
0:01:25 > 0:01:28I'd led a pretty good life. I did some good jobs.
0:01:28 > 0:01:31I lived in a nice apartment.
0:01:31 > 0:01:35For the previous eight years, I'd actually been a full-time home dad.
0:01:36 > 0:01:39But then, Richard's marriage broke down
0:01:39 > 0:01:41and he found himself on the streets.
0:01:42 > 0:01:45When you come from quite a good standard of living, it can be
0:01:45 > 0:01:47quite traumatic.
0:01:47 > 0:01:49The big difference is, of course, there's no privacy,
0:01:49 > 0:01:51there's no safety or anything like that.
0:01:51 > 0:01:54You think, "Am I going to get moved? Am I going to get arrested?
0:01:54 > 0:01:57"Is someone going to attack me?"
0:01:57 > 0:02:00The most difficult bit, I think, was separation from my children.
0:02:00 > 0:02:01That was...
0:02:03 > 0:02:04Yeah.
0:02:05 > 0:02:07Absolutely devastating.
0:02:14 > 0:02:16Homelessness is a huge problem.
0:02:17 > 0:02:20All over the country, people are sleeping rough.
0:02:20 > 0:02:23And there are thousands more in temporary accommodation, too.
0:02:27 > 0:02:30Up until his mid-20s, Dave was serving in the army
0:02:30 > 0:02:32and owned a flat.
0:02:32 > 0:02:34But he struggled to cope with traumatic memories
0:02:34 > 0:02:37of his childhood spent in care.
0:02:37 > 0:02:39I left the army due to depression, you know,
0:02:39 > 0:02:43stuff coming back to haunt you sometimes.
0:02:43 > 0:02:46After he quit the army, Dave worked as a scaffolder,
0:02:46 > 0:02:49but soon he started using drugs and he ended up sleeping rough
0:02:49 > 0:02:52and in hostels for nearly eight years.
0:02:53 > 0:02:56Back then, it was a mixture of three things. It was hostels,
0:02:56 > 0:03:00sleeping rough and prison. But looking back on it just scares me.
0:03:00 > 0:03:03You know, the dangers it involves, you know,
0:03:03 > 0:03:06the risks you're putting yourself.
0:03:06 > 0:03:09The time when I was homeless, you know, it was quite violent.
0:03:09 > 0:03:13I look back now and I think, "My God, why did I do that for so long?'
0:03:14 > 0:03:18Dave finally decided to break the cycle and go into rehab.
0:03:19 > 0:03:21Now, he lives in a rented flat
0:03:21 > 0:03:24and he is closely involved with Church Housing Trust's work,
0:03:24 > 0:03:27helping people who are still homeless.
0:03:27 > 0:03:30The charity provides the basics for homeless people
0:03:30 > 0:03:31arriving at a hostel,
0:03:31 > 0:03:34when a towel and a toothbrush might be the first steps towards
0:03:34 > 0:03:37feeling normal again.
0:03:37 > 0:03:39What do you think about adding cheese to the breakfasts?
0:03:39 > 0:03:41- For sure.- Yeah?
0:03:43 > 0:03:46Dave helped set up a breakfast club at a hostel in Westminster.
0:03:46 > 0:03:50Church Housing Trust funds several clubs like this in other hostels
0:03:50 > 0:03:51across the country.
0:03:51 > 0:03:54The breakfast club is a stepping stone to get the lads
0:03:54 > 0:03:57involved to do more and more things for themselves.
0:03:57 > 0:03:59You see them down here, cooking meals for people.
0:03:59 > 0:04:01It's building up confidence in them.
0:04:01 > 0:04:05They're building up skills. You know, it's about empowering people.
0:04:07 > 0:04:11Homelessness can very quickly become a way of life.
0:04:11 > 0:04:13I met people sleeping rough were desperate to
0:04:13 > 0:04:15get off the streets and get a roof over their heads,
0:04:15 > 0:04:18but others who were very distrustful of any help that was on offer.
0:04:18 > 0:04:21Church Housing Trust knows that tackling homelessness
0:04:21 > 0:04:24long-term is about building relationships and self-confidence.
0:04:24 > 0:04:27And that's why the charity is funding an innovative project
0:04:27 > 0:04:28called Street Buddies.
0:04:30 > 0:04:34Street Buddies are former homeless people who now volunteer.
0:04:34 > 0:04:37They go out in pairs, on shifts, to find rough sleepers
0:04:37 > 0:04:40and show them how they can get help.
0:04:40 > 0:04:42Richard has pieced his life back together
0:04:42 > 0:04:44and, for now, he's found somewhere to live.
0:04:44 > 0:04:46He sees his children more often
0:04:46 > 0:04:49and he's passing on some of what he's learnt through
0:04:49 > 0:04:51the Street Buddies project.
0:04:51 > 0:04:53Dave has recently become a Street Buddy, too.
0:04:53 > 0:04:55Hi, Dave.
0:04:55 > 0:04:59- How you doing, mate?- Cool. We've got a new one just around the corner.
0:05:00 > 0:05:02What sort of approach do you take with people?
0:05:02 > 0:05:04How do you go up to them?
0:05:04 > 0:05:05It's softly, softly.
0:05:05 > 0:05:09- We take our time to approach people. - And you build people's trust?- Yeah.
0:05:09 > 0:05:10Cups of coffee, have a little chat.
0:05:10 > 0:05:13Building up that relationship with people, you know,
0:05:13 > 0:05:16regular appearances. When we say we're going to come back next week,
0:05:16 > 0:05:17we do come back next week.
0:05:17 > 0:05:21How rewarding is it for you when you get someone off the streets?
0:05:21 > 0:05:25It's massive. There's nothing more of a warm feeling for me.
0:05:26 > 0:05:30The Street Buddy Scheme is run day-to-day by an organisation
0:05:30 > 0:05:32called Riverside Care and Support.
0:05:32 > 0:05:37Coordinator Lou believes the buddies provide a unique service.
0:05:37 > 0:05:40- So you went out yesterday morning?- Yeah.
0:05:41 > 0:05:44'You can't teach what Dave and the other Street Buddies have.'
0:05:44 > 0:05:46Having lived experience of having been homeless,
0:05:46 > 0:05:49but also trying to rebuild your lives. Unless you've
0:05:49 > 0:05:52been through that journey, you won't understand it completely.
0:05:52 > 0:05:54So they have something different to offer as a service
0:05:54 > 0:05:56and it's invaluable.
0:05:57 > 0:05:59Street Buddies enables some of us
0:05:59 > 0:06:02who have been homeless to put something back.
0:06:02 > 0:06:08Without the support of the Church Housing Trust, we couldn't do that.
0:06:10 > 0:06:12Think about what holds your live together -
0:06:12 > 0:06:15family, friends, work.
0:06:15 > 0:06:17Now, what would you do if you lost all of those things?
0:06:17 > 0:06:20How would you cope? Where would you turn?
0:06:20 > 0:06:23Imagine how much the projects supported by Church Housing Trust
0:06:23 > 0:06:26would mean to you, if you were trying to get back on your feet.
0:06:29 > 0:06:33Street buddies can go on to become paid trainees, like Trisha,
0:06:33 > 0:06:35helping the homeless.
0:06:35 > 0:06:39I was a teenager living at home. Me and my mum argued a lot.
0:06:40 > 0:06:44And that's how I ended up... I ended up leaving home.
0:06:45 > 0:06:49She was homeless for ten years and became addicted to heroin.
0:06:49 > 0:06:54As I got older, I started to realise that I wanted a life.
0:06:54 > 0:06:58I was sick of moving from place to place,
0:06:58 > 0:07:02from hostel to hostel, back on the streets.
0:07:03 > 0:07:06I wanted to get married, have kids, have a job.
0:07:06 > 0:07:08Be normal.
0:07:08 > 0:07:12Since she's had training, funded by Church Housing Trust,
0:07:12 > 0:07:14Tricia's been working in a hostel
0:07:14 > 0:07:17for people with mental health issues.
0:07:17 > 0:07:19Being a trainee has made me more confident with myself
0:07:19 > 0:07:22that I can actually go out and get a job.
0:07:22 > 0:07:25My family are well pleased for me.
0:07:25 > 0:07:28I felt that I'd let them down, in my past, I put shame on them.
0:07:28 > 0:07:32Now they can be proud of me and say, "That's my daughter".
0:07:38 > 0:07:42Tonight, people who have nowhere to call home will be looking for places
0:07:42 > 0:07:46to bed down on the streets of Britain's towns and cities.
0:07:46 > 0:07:49But, there's so much we can do to look after homeless people
0:07:49 > 0:07:54and help them find a way out of dangerous and desperate situations.
0:07:54 > 0:07:56You can make a difference now
0:07:56 > 0:08:00by supporting Church Housing Trust, to run their range of projects.
0:08:01 > 0:08:05£10 buys food, clothes and toiletries for anybody
0:08:05 > 0:08:10turning up a hostel with nothing. £20 covers a Street Buddy's shift.
0:08:10 > 0:08:15So, please, donate now, if you can, to Church Housing Trust
0:08:15 > 0:08:18and help homeless people rebuild their lives.
0:08:18 > 0:08:24To donate, please go to the website, bbc.co.uk/lifeline
0:08:24 > 0:08:29To give by phone, call 0800 011 011.
0:08:29 > 0:08:31Calls are free from mobiles and landlines.
0:08:31 > 0:08:36You can also donate £10, by texting DONATE to 70121.
0:08:36 > 0:08:39Texts cost £10, plus your standard network message charge
0:08:39 > 0:08:43and the whole £10 goes to Church Housing Trust.
0:08:43 > 0:08:48Full terms and conditions can be found at bbc.co.uk/lifeline
0:08:48 > 0:08:50Or if you would like to post a donation,
0:08:50 > 0:08:53please make your cheque payable to Church Housing Trust
0:08:53 > 0:08:56and send it to FREEPOST, BBC LIFELINE APPEAL.
0:08:56 > 0:08:59Please write Church Housing Trust on the back of the envelope.
0:08:59 > 0:09:02If you want the charity to claim gift aid on your donation,
0:09:02 > 0:09:05please include an e-mail or postal address,
0:09:05 > 0:09:06so they can send you a gift aid form.
0:09:06 > 0:09:08Thank you.