Episode 2 Famous, Rich and Homeless

This programme contains strong language.

In the last five years,

the number of homeless people across the country has doubled.

The rising cost of housing means eight million of us

have only enough money saved to cover one month's rent or mortgage.

I've built so much up in my life -

my house, my daughter, my girlfriend -

and, all of a sudden, a run of luck just took it all away from me

and then I'm on the streets.

With support services having their budgets cut,

life's getting tougher for those living on the street.

Any spare change at all?

In aid of Sport Relief,

four volunteers have abandoned their fame and fortune...

SHE GROANS

..to face the frightening reality of life on the streets.

DOG BARKS

INDISTINCT

They've found out what it's like to go from having everything...

SIREN WAILS ..to absolutely nothing.

What a terrible life.

Ex-snooker pro Willie Thorne...

Homelessness nearly broke me.

Well, it did break me.

..presenter Julia Bradbury...

My family are definitely worried about me.

They didn't want me to do this at all.

..comedian Nick Hancock...

My first instinct is to get through tonight.

Where's the milk of human kindness in that?

..and TV personality Kim Woodburn.

I would rather be dead than homeless.

SIRENS WAIL

They've tasted what it's like to lose your home, your family,

your identity...

-You only know this because you're a scag head!

-James...

..to not know who to trust.

You're a disgrace,

cos you're a little horror.

She's a con artist.

I can't let anybody do that to me.

This time, can they discover the truth

about why so many people in the UK end up homeless?

This is a man that does not deserve to be living like this.

And what will it mean for their own lives?

-Do not complain.

-No, I've finished.

He's trying to escape from the reality of it all.

You see, we are what we've lived.

SIREN WAILS

I was swelling up all over my legs and arms,

I was getting a headache.

My body had given up.

I just couldn't go on any more.

I just needed a night off.

The four Sport Relief volunteers

are only halfway through their time on the streets.

It is hell on this earth.

You don't feel like a female.

You feel dirty, filthy and judged.

They're meeting up again with John Bird -

a former rough sleeper and founder of the Big Issue magazine.

Cheers, mate.

He's running this experience...

Hello, Nick.

-..and is about to put them back on the streets.

-Hi.

But this time, they won't be alone.

Hello, Willie.

Arriving for duty, sir.

How are you doing? Have they slaved you as well?

-Good morning.

-Morning.

Three days ago, four of you went out onto the streets

to sleep rough

and to experience homelessness.

Unfortunately, one of you slept in a hotel last night.

Tell us about that.

Well, I'd just got to the end of my tether, really.

I was really struggling and I said,

"Look, I'm happy to continue this

"but I just need to have a night off."

I didn't want to quit,

-but I came very close to quitting.

-Yep.

Can I just ask about Kim's experience?

Because you've, kind of, come up with this idea

that there are two kinds of homeless people.

Most definitely.

I found lazy bums...

..and I found wonderful people.

What about the lazy bums? I'm interested.

Yeah, I'm interested because,

when I was on the street,

I was one of those bums.

I came across a girl, 18.

I said, "You're a lazy little bum

"and you're a disgrace!"

Sorry, I don't mince words.

I'm sorry, I disagree with you

and I don't mince words either.

That may be your opinion, and that's fine.

It doesn't make it a fact,

-it doesn't make it the end of the argument.

-Oh, yes, it does.

It may be in your head, but, you know...

then everybody else should be allowed to say what they think.

-All right.

-I haven't got a second in my life to bullshit.

I'll tell you what I definitely found. She's a bum!

Kim, I'm going to cut you dead there.

-Well, I'm sorry. I'll say it, but I believe it.

-I can tell you,

I believe that everybody is redeemable.

-You've got to give everybody...

-The same chance.

..the chance of redemption.

You don't know what's going on at home.

-You don't know what her mum is.

-Can we...?

-Well...

Can we now crack on here?

So, now we're moving on to a new stage.

What we're going to do is

put you with a homeless buddy.

I'll describe them to you.

Two of them are addicts,

one of them has been a drunk,

one is a 65-year-old lady

who has been homeless for the last three years

and the other one has been in and out the nick.

You're going to get close to these people,

you're going to be kipping down with them,

but I'm not giving you social workers,

I'm giving you people who are real,

have got real problems,

so spend a bit of time finding out why they're homeless.

Anyway, good luck and thank you very much.

ALL: Thank you very much.

The next three days are going to be a lot more difficult for them

because they're going to get really close

to people who are living a disaster

and a personal tragedy.

They are very, very troubled people.

John's sending Nick to live alongside two homeless friends

in South East London.

SCREAMING

It's just such an incredible contrast to...

both the West End and the city.

Until a few years ago, the men had good jobs, homes and families.

Now they're living on the streets.

Hello.

-Oh, They Think It's All Over.

-THEY LAUGH

-How are you, boys?

-Not too bad, yourself?

-Good to see you.

-How you doing? What's your name?

-Rodney.

-Rodney. I'm Nick.

-Nick. I know who you are, Nick.

-Oh.

I didn't think I knew you. I'm James.

James, I'm Nick.

I'm going to be spending a couple of days with you,

-if that's all right with you.

-Yeah.

-Yeah.

But what you don't understand is,

we've been chucked out of our place where we were staying.

It was basically a place we lived for four months.

It was, like, at the top of a car park, but we made it into our house.

It was somewhere that we called home.

This is the car park James and Rodney used to squat,

along with other local homeless people.

The top window.

That's the penthouse suite.

James became homeless nine months ago.

I lost my nan,

then I lost my grandad,

my mum had a double brain haemorrhage,

I started drinking, I started not thinking about work any more

and then, just one thing after another

and I ended up on the street.

You know, at one point, I had a beautiful girlfriend,

a beautiful daughter...

She's such a beautiful girl.

It ruins me to think that I've made such mistakes with her

and I hope she can see that she is in my life every day.

Two days ago, they were issued with a dispersal order by the police

and had to leave within the hour.

So, where are you stopping now?

-Well...

-We haven't got a clue.

-No.

-Right, so, we're going to find somewhere between us, are we?

-Yes.

OK.

And you can feel the biting cold, can't you?

Yeah, we want...

The bus over there has got to turn around and come back.

Kim's spending the next three days in Croydon

with 65-year-old Patricia,

whose five bedroom home was destroyed in a house fire.

-SMOKE ALARM BLARES

-Yeah, this is what happened.

-Yep.

Because it's so small,

this is what happens all the time

and I'm not burning anything.

Since the fire,

she's been locked in a dispute with her insurance company

and is now officially homeless,

living in emergency accommodation.

A six-by-ten-foot bedsit.

You still want to retain pride,

but be very label "homeless"

takes pride away from you.

And to keep hold of it

means you've got to be a fighter.

A far cry from my five-bedroom house and handmade kitchen.

Come on, we've got to go.

I haven't used a bus in years.

-Snobby woman.

-I'm not snobby...

-I'm not snobby.

-I'm joking.

Honestly. But I just... You know.

But isn't it warm? Ooh.

-It's nice.

-I might do this more often. Not.

Patricia's just moved into an even smaller room.

What do I do? I don't know what I do with this. What do I do?

-We're getting off.

-Oh, God. We're getting off?

Kim's about to see the reality

for over 100,000 homeless people in the UK.

Officially deemed most vulnerable,

yet who can't get a council flat due to housing shortages.

Poor bugger.

This includes those affected by fires and floods,

people with disabilities and children.

When you, a lady of 65,

have to walk into this room,

what do you think?

You get a big sinking feeling in your heart and you think,

"For Christ's sake, what did I do to deserve this?"

Well, you didn't actually, you were a victim...

I'm going to get teary now.

That's all right. That's all right.

So, you sit in here...

I wake up in the morning and the first thought is,

"For Christ's sake, let me get out of here."

I know, darling, I know.

Sometimes you can...

Come on.

-Come on.

-I can't bear it.

-Come on, darling.

-I hate crying.

It will finish one day but it is a hell.

It's a hell for you, isn't it?

I really don't want to be here. I know I've got a roof over my head.

I'm aware of that. But you don't feel like you're living.

You barely feel like you're existing.

I concur with that because it's dreadful.

It's minuscule. It's Victorian is what it is.

It's Oliver with different clothes.

-How are you doing?

-Hello.

-What's your name?

-It's Per.

-Peter?

-Per.

-Per.

-Yes.

-Nice to see you. Where are you from?

-I'm from Denmark.

-You're kidding.

-But been here for 20 years.

And how long have you been on the street?

-Six, seven years now, so it's a long time.

-You look immaculate.

Thank you.

At least.

Willie will be experiencing life with Per, a former company

director who is now homeless.

Seven years ago when Per couldn't afford to pay

the rent on his flat he came up with an unusual solution.

This is my home.

Sometimes you feel like a second-class citizen.

You do look at people's houses, people's cars,

and thinking, "Why is that not me?"

You feel like you are scum.

Some of my business ventures went sadly wrong. I lost a lot of money.

My mother died of cancer. I lost a child in the hospital, dead born.

A lot of trauma.

It's a bit like a domino effect.

One thing go wrong, then it goes second thing wrong,

and you end up in a situation like this.

Per's traumatic life events have also resulted in a battle with addiction.

I used to be alcoholic but I don't drink any more. I stopped.

-How long ago was that?

-A couple of months ago.

I've been a gambler myself and it's ruined my life over the years.

It cost me my first marriage. I am actually bankrupt at the moment.

-I went bankrupt six, seven weeks ago.

-Yeah.

It's amazing how you've got into just sleeping rough.

I never thought that myself.

I used to have Mercedes and five bedroom house

-and everything over here...

-Really?

-..but things fall apart.

Julia is in west London and about to walk in the shoes of Jatinder.

Hey, how are you doing? I'm Julia. Hi, how are you.

-Nice to meet you.

-Yeah, nice to meet you as well.

Jatinder once had a promising career working for the Ministry Of Defence.

He is now homeless.

-I've been in prison and...

-What were you in prison for? Can I ask?

-I'd rather not say.

-I'm going to be spending a couple of days with you.

I'd feel more comfortable if I knew.

-I was up for possession with intent to supply.

-OK.

What was the drug if you don't mind me asking?

I'd rather not talk about it. That's not what we're here to talk about.

No, no, no, but I'm interested. OK. So, from my point of view, OK,

back again to, I'm going to spend time you. Any other time inside?

-Anything that if you were me you'd want to know?

-No. You don't need to be concerned about anything.

-You're all right.

-OK. All right.

Jatinder's life unravelled after a relationship

broke down and he slipped into drug addiction and crime.

He now sleeps alone in the stairwell of this tower block.

Sometimes I can just stand here and look out into the distance and think

to myself of certain things that I need to do and where my life's going.

I've done a few wrongs and I had to pay the price for that

but there's so much potential out there where... Meaning

I could go out there and make something of my life.

And instead I'm sleeping on a stairwell.

My life should be better than this.

Jatinder has served 14 months in Wormwood Scrubs prison.

Getting back to work with a criminal record

and no fixed address is a challenge.

I've had people come up to me and say, "Go get yourself a job.

"Why are you sat there on the street?"

But it's difficult. Let's just say if I did get a job.

Am I going to run and use McDonald's toilets every day to sort myself out?

I know, I know.

-Have you ever took drugs?

-I've had experience of drugs.

I've got friends who've got in trouble with drugs.

In South-east London Nick's beginning to realise that homelessness

isn't James and Rodney's only problem.

I'll leave you guys to it.

-Off you go. I'll see you a bit later.

-I'll be two seconds.

-All right.

-All right.

-All right, I'll be back in a minute.

-All right.

-He's going to get sick in a minute.

-Is he?

-Is he getting on a down, down?

-He's a heroin addict.

Now he's about to puke and shit himself.

Erm... Let's leave him to do what he has to do.

-He doesn't get buzzing. It doesn't get nothing of it...

-It just gets him through.

..but he stops feeling sick.

And what you used to do to make you feel special now you have to do to make you feel normal.

And that happens with a lot of addictions.

-This is a fire escape.

-Come on, mate.

-It's a fire escape.

-Right, so is it so important that you have to push us away?

-Yes.

It's a fire escape. I could call the fire brigade here and ask them...

-Call

-them, then. This is a fire escape.

I don't give a fuck about your fire escape, mate.

Well, then fuck off if you don't give a fuck about our fire escape.

-You fuck off then.

-Go away. Go and find a home somewhere.

-Come on.

-Horrible old bastard.

-Leave him to it.

-Excuse me. Celebrity coming through.

-Celebrity! High five!

Most nights James and Rodney head to the High Street on a mission

to beg for money.

-Can you spare any change for the homeless?

-Maybe?

-Only a couple of quid.

Don't worry, darling. You have a good day.

-The worst one for me is being ignored.

-Yeah, yeah.

-Being ignored. It makes you feel like that.

-Yeah, yeah.

You already spend a lot of the time looking up

-and let alone being ignored as well.

-Yeah. Yeah.

-Yeah?

-Yeah.

That's what I was saying the other day,

we really do feel like we're bottom of the ladder.

All right, can I ask everyone,

when I ask for money in the street, do you think that I'm a beggar,

just had nothing in my life, or do you realise that I've had a

past and that I'm asking for help?

-Everybody's got a past.

-Is there anyone that understands that I haven't always lived this way?

And I've got no money. You haven't got any money you could give me to get a drink?

I literally haven't got a penny. I'm staying on the streets for a week with my mates here.

-Come on, we'll buy you some fish and chips, mate. Are you hungry?

-Yeah...

-We need money.

This is the rule. Never give money.

-Is that

-what you think? If you've got a bad habit, I'm against that.

I don't want you... I don't want to give you money

and you go and buy alcohol.

I used to have 20 people working for me.

I turned over about £390,000 in one year.

And it's like everyone will look at me now

and just think that I'm nothing and I've never done nothing.

But I've done something and things went wrong.

But people have to do what they want to do.

I've got to say that I'll come and have some fish

-and chips with you later if you're offering.

-No worries. No worries.

-Thank you.

-No worries we'll get you something to eat.

-Thank you very much.

-Take care.

-This gentleman says he'll pay for my order.

-Yes.

-Is that OK?

-Yes.

There's a raw honesty from the reactions you get here from other people.

There's not so much, "This is what I ought to be saying and this is what I ought to be doing."

'And there's something refreshing in that.'

-Thank you very much.

-Thank you very much.

-No fish bites but fish and chips. Salt and vinegar?

-Yes.

-Done.

Just one tea and one coffee. Thank you very much.

If I said I'd take you out for a meal

-and it could be anything you wanted what would it be?

-Chinese.

-Chinese.

-You like Chinese?

-Yeah. Sweet and sour chicken balls...

-Yeah. Egg fried rice or normal rice?

-Oh, my God.

-You sure you don't want any salad on your...?

-I haven't got this fat eating salad.

For seven years Per has survived in the woods.

But three months ago his alcoholism became

so debilitating he was hospitalised.

Going through cold turkey.

It all starts with pure pain in your whole body.

And this time I was throwing blood out of my mouth...

And in the moment it came out of my mouth, it came here too.

-So I have to when I was puking up lots out of my mouth...

-Also...

..I had to pull down my trousers and then they came at the same time.

-That's the most awful thing.

-You must have lost an awful lot of blood.

-Yes.

-Did the doctors say if you carry on drinking you're going to kill yourself?

-Yes.

-Or did they say you're lucky this time?

-Yes.

Yes, you will do. You will kill yourself.

Obviously.

Having met 20 or 30 people during this last three days

this gentleman I'm more in awe of. He was a very wealthy man.

He's fell on hard times. And went to drink because of it.

And now he's seen the light at the end of the tunnel

and hopefully he doesn't go back down that route.

Tonight all four volunteers will bed down with their buddies

and experience the dangers thousands of homeless people face every night.

We must be getting near somewhere to lie down cos my trousers are falling down again.

Finding security and shelter away from the elements isn't easy.

Listen, right.

They chuck us out of here all the time, so I know they're going to say,

"We're going to phone the police. "We're going to chuck you out." We'll see.

James and Rodney are planning to squat in a stairwell.

(Follow me.)

INDISTINCT

(That was a strong smell.)

-Yeah, I might have to...

-Open that door.

(That's a very strong smell.)

HE RETCHES

(That smell in there is incredible.)

HE COUGHS

(I'll be fine. Don't worry. Don't worry about me.)

(I'll be fine.)

I think it's pretty intimidating.

I don't know where he's stayed the last few days

but I don't think he likes it at all.

It's like, you know... Sometimes you don't get a choice where you stay.

'And as nice as he is and as much as he wants to sit on the street'

and ask for money I don't think he understands just how tough this is.

-You're going to go first?

-Yeah, well, unless you want to try and work your magic.

No, I think you're good with it.

HE LAUGHS

In west London Jatinder and Julia are also attempting to get into a private block.

What's going on? Ain't Mikey come down yet?

All right. No biggie, no biggie.

The guy is having problems getting in himself

-so I'm not going to stand behind him...

-No.

..when he's trying to get into his own place

and he's looking at me like, "Are you all right?"

Yeah.

That guy's watching us now.

-So what's the plan?

-I just have to hightail

-someone on their way in...

-Yeah.

-..pretend that I'm on my mobile phone

and I'm talking to someone in the block.

'One of the toughest parts of sleeping rough is the constant

'exposure to the outdoor elements.

'So I think to be able to sleep in a sheltered environment would

'make a real difference.

'But obviously it's hard to get into somewhere like this.'

What floor? What's your door number?

Oh, look. Someone's letting me in any way so listen, so what floor shall I get off on?

He's in. Shit.

HE WHISTLES

OK.

-Home sweet home.

-Home sweet home.

HE LAUGHS

So this is how naive I am.

The reason the lights are blue apparently is

if you're a heroin addict and you look for your veins you can't

see it which means people can't shoot up.

You live and learn.

Per also has an extreme solution to securing shelter, something

Willie will live and breathe for the next two nights.

-If my mum could see me now walking the streets...

-She wouldn't believe it.

-It's two o'clock in the morning.

-Yeah.

Think I was on drugs.

PER LAUGHS

They're heading to Per's secret camp in the woods.

From this stage I'm always quite awake to see if anyone is following me.

-Just as a precaution really.

-Of course.

-So...

Per's been physically attacked and robbed in these woods so

he's got strict rules about getting in and out without being spotted.

-Don't talk too much because I won't know if anyone is around.

-Sure.

-Take care of this one, it's very slippery.

-Oops! Hang on. Agh!

Oh, God. Fuck. Where are we going now?

-This way.

-Let me take that.

Just about there. Do you see there?

-So this is where you'd sleep every night?

-Yes.

-Goodness me.

As a routine I'll take my torch check to see

-if any rats or mouse has been through.

-OK.

Hm.

I'm not sure I'll be here tomorrow night to be honest.

I will do it for one night.

-I thought I'd lost money.

-You're all right. I've got it.

-No, no, no.

-Watch the steps.

-Give me that.

-Hold on that rail.

Patricia slept rough for many months before she got her bedsit and

has her own methods of protecting herself against the British weather.

-Show me...

-We're going under the subway.

-Aren't we lucky(?)

BOTH: # Underneath the arches... #

What's the words?

# I dream a dream of you. #

-Something like that.

-Bud Flanagan and Allen?

-Yeah.

-Go on, what's the rest of the words?

-I don't know. I'm not that old.

You ain't no spring chicken, girl.

Patricia's temporary accommodation doesn't allow overnight visitors.

That's where I was...

So she's forced to leave Kim in the safest sleeping spot she knows.

-You could do with a little transistor.

-No, I can't bear noise.

-Oh.

-I'm a peaceful soul.

-It is a good job I'm quiet and refined, yeah?

Let's not push your luck! I'll see you tomorrow.

-Thanks ever so much.

-You're welcome.

-You have a good night's sleep, darling.

-You too, love.

-If you have any problems, shout.

-Thanks.

-All right.

-Sleep well, babe.

-You too.

-Thank you.

This is just such a hard way to live.

And I just can't help feeling in my heart that this is a man

that does not deserve to be living like this.

Oh, God.

There we go.

OK?

I just do what I have to do to survive in that situation I'm in.

Yeah.

That's basically it.

-Goodnight, sleep well.

-See you in the morning.

Hey, Willie? Willie? Hello?

Per has woken to find that Willie has gone missing.

Willie? Where are you?

Nowhere to be seen.

Don't know where he is.

Ten minutes ago Willie just disappeared out of the tent

and I don't know where he is.

I've been looking through the bush to make sure he has not fallen over or anything like that.

Just crossing our fingers there's nothing happened to him.

Hello. I can't see you. Willie?

DOG BARKS

I don't give a fuck...

INDISTINCT

You're sleeping on my fucking stairs.

I've paid good money for this. For this. What, this shit?

You're having a laugh, aren't you?

-You're jacking up on my fucking stairs.

-I'm not jacking...

Now get your fucking shit. Get out.

Come on, out. Sorry, Nick.

My fucking kids have to walk down these stairs.

First time I've been here.

-First time, yeah? And the last, yeah?

-Yeah.

-And tell your mates, yeah?

Whoever comes back next time it will be their last as well.

You wouldn't like it if your kids was walking down the stairs watching all this shit.

I can understand how you'd be emotional about that. I've got kids.

-We've all got kids as it happens.

-Yeah.

But... And you're not cross personally with these guys...

-No, I'm not. It ain't them at all.

-Exactly.

-The problem is the system.

-The system is the problem.

-Exactly.

-Go on. On your way.

-All right. Cheers.

I thought we got quite a good night out of it to tell you

the honest truth. What time is it? He's on his way to work though, is he?

-Is that what's happened?

-I don't know. I've never seen him before.

-No.

I can understand why he's pissed off.

Oh, yeah, I can understand, but it's a bloody difficult one, isn't it?

Hm.

-So...

-I'm fine, man. Have a sit down. I just needed...

Per's found Willie at a nearby bus stop.

Come and sit down. I just needed some air. I felt little bit confined.

-I've never slept in a tent before.

-It is confined.

Exactly. It was just a little bit claustrophobic.

-Just give me that little clue what you're going to do.

-Yeah.

-So I'm not concerned.

-OK. Listen...

-That's the only responsibility I'll give you.

I didn't... I'm very, very sorry

if I've upset anybody but it wasn't the fact that

I was leaving it's just the fact that I can't do a tent.

You know. That was all.

-Yeah?

-Yeah.

'I like him very much.'

But I feel he is like a big baby.

You have to look after him 24 hours a day. And you can't leave him alone.

192. I wonder where that goes.

HE CHUCKLES

He is very vulnerable. He has a big weakness somehow.

HE SIGHS

SHE SIGHS

SHE GROANS

Almost human.

James was born and brought up in southeast London

and still has close family ties here.

-And this is where his house was?

-Yeah.

-I just wondered...

-That's why he's walking ahead.

And that's exactly what I thought, I thought...

It was a bad place to stop.

-Keen to get through.

-Keen to get through, yeah, yeah.

Well, let's do that, then.

You know, a lot of emotional distress that I've got,

mainly, is about me messing up with my daughter.

I haven't been a proper dad to her since she was about seven or eight.

-Yeah.

-And you know, I can never make that up,

-she's 15 now.

-Yeah.

-Can never make it up, so...

You know, my dad was an alcoholic and I never wanted to be like him.

You know, he's a terrible dad

and I've turned into a bad dad to my daughter

and that destroys me. As soon as I start thinking about it I just

-instantly pick up a drink and just cut it out, you know.

-Yeah.

'I think he's feeling bereft.'

If it was me - if there would be one, real strong sense of failure

I'd feel, it would be the failure to see through my

commitment as a parent. Maybe his emotion, his anger

or his defiance are all symptoms of, you know, that separation.

-Now, I need to use the loo. There?

-If you'd like,

we're going to go in the church and use the facilities.

Jatinder relies on this homeless charity for food, showers

and a break from the cold.

-Morning, I'm Julia.

-Hi.

-Hi, I'm with J.

-Hi, Amanda.

-He's showing me around today.

-OK, so we'll just let you guys get on with it.

-Yeah.

It was set up by a volunteer, Amanda Cadogan, in a church,

to serve her local homeless community.

What we offer is a safe environment for the community.

And we see these guys all the time, but they have to do their part.

And take some responsibility for themselves,

because if people don't want the help...

-A lot of them don't.

-No. And you'd actually be surprised how many

people are quite comfortable living... It's a way of life,

it's familiar. It can take many years to address someone

and to bring someone into... What we would call a healthy community.

You know, they have been traumatised, they have been

desensitised and unless members of the community are willing

to get in there, it's just going to be a cycle that keeps going.

-What's your surname?

-Budwal. B-U-D-W-A-L.

What do you make of J? Do you think he can help himself?

I think he's in a cycle that's taken him some time to get there

and I think they also need lots of patience and time to get

out of it, I don't think there's a quick fix with homelessness.

You have to keep giving chances, if it takes five years,

ten years, 20 years for them to decide to break the cycle,

-you have to just be there.

-There we go.

-Thank you very much.

-I wish you all the best.

-Yeah, you too, have a merry Christmas.

Make the right choices now, mate, and see you soon, yeah.

-I'll do my best.

-All right, take care.

-Thank you, I'll see you later.

-Bye.

-See you, Amanda, thank you, bye-bye.

I'm disheartened and saddened because

I have realised that there is no easy fix

and you can be as kind and as well-meaning as you want...

And giving somebody a hot drink or money undoubtedly is

a caring and compassionate thing to do

but that's not going to fix the issue of homelessness.

And I'm... My mind is just...

..curdling with this massive problem and what, what we can do about it.

THEY CHATTER

In southeast London, James, Rodney and Nick again have got

nowhere to sleep.

Oi!

A situation one local resident has little sympathy for.

You're only fucking homeless cos you're a scag head...

You know what, you fucking...

And you have the cheek to say, "I don't get no help, I'm homeless."

I was street homeless for ten years, 20 years.

You're scagging, course you're going to be homeless, you mug.

-Boys...

-Get a life, get a life.

I've got a life...

-James, he's going, let him go.

-Let him go.

MAN CONTINUES SHOUTING

-Next time you see your dick, tell me.

-Someone you know, James?

Erm...

We're just going to wander across the road.

Like you see, right, everyone in Woolwich will tell ya

that I'm a street person. I stand my ground. If I lose, I lose,

-if I win, I win.

-You're not going to be bowed.

No, I'm not going to. No, never... Never.

-I've fought my ground all my life.

-All right, mate.

-Sorry...

No, no, no, don't be sorry.

In Croydon, Patricia is about to spend another night

in her tiny bedsit.

-I want my house back.

-Now, listen to me. Now, it's my turn now...

PATRICIA CHUCKLES

-You haven't got the house, my love.

-I know.

-But you've got to go on, don't let people grind you down.

-Yeah, but...

-Oh, stop...

-No, I realise what you're saying

but if somebody doesn't... These loss adjusters are

-companies that are set up...

-They haven't got a conscience.

But they're set up to profit at vulnerable people's expense.

-Yes...

-So, bugger 'em, I'm not going to let them.

-But you are.

-I don't care if I'm the only one in the world who has

to do it, I will do it. I cannot, I will do or die.

'She's totally stubborn.'

I said, "But you're onto a hiding to nothing, my love."

So, we've got two stubborn, independent women together?

But... Look here...

Well, I don't think you have, I don't think I am like...

And I think you've got a bloody cheek.

I bet you're going to get in tomorrow, Nick,

and just cuddle your family and say, "Thank fuck I'm home."

-Nah.

-"Thank fuck it's over, it is now!"

ALL CHEER

Still stuck for somewhere to bed down, James and Rodney return to the

car park that was home before they were kicked out.

-This was our bedroom.

-And this was my bed up here.

My bed used to be here, and James's was here.

We had the crates stacked up here with all of our food and

-everything else...

-And, and a view.

-Look at this as a penthouse view,

look at this, eh?

Sometimes when you've got a lot on your mind and you come out here,

-it's...

-Yeah.

-It's not that bad, is it?

You get a really nice view over this side, you can see The Shard.

In our situation, this is as close as you can get to normality,

but, like, they just ripped it all away from us in an hour,

they just took it all away, you know.

That's upsetting but it really makes you realise

you don't miss what you ain't got until it's gone.

It really is true. I used to have a house and I miss that

and, you know, now I'm missing the top of a car park.

I never thought I'd miss this, but I do, I do.

-John Bird's come to visit.

-John, this is Rodney.

Hello, Rodney, nice to meet you.

-Nice to meet you.

-This is John and this is James.

-Hello, James...

He's learned that James has been offered accommodation by the council

but hasn't yet taken it up.

Did you find that when you'd done a certain period of homelessness

-that it was almost harder to get off the street?

-Oh, yeah.

Because you get so use to it, it is part of your life.

And to put yourself back in a box...

Like, what I call a flat or a house or a room, it's like...

Did you find that?

I found it very difficult. In fact, I found it difficult

-to sleep indoors.

-Yeah.

-I really did.

-Do you see a way off the streets?

-Do you want to know the truth?

-Yeah.

Just to get a job where I go to work, I come home,

I respect myself and, more than anything, my daughter respects me,

that's the most important thing in my life at the moment

but when you're suffering with depression -

it's hard to have that drive to want to do that.

Give me that drive, please give me that drive.

I would think that the first thing you need to do

is to get some doctor behind you...

Because you can't sort out depression on the streets,

-it's just impossible.

-No.

-It's absolutely impossible.

Do you know what? I genuinely, for the sake of me becoming a

better dad to my daughter, I just want to be someone that she

can look up to and say, "That's my dad." And not,

-"That's not my dad."

-But you can get there, can't you?

Absolutely.

He comes across like a half-decent geezer.

He's been there, he's done it - why can't we?

I've accepted it too long, I don't want to do it any more,

I'm fed up with it. And yeah, I do, you know,

-fuck this.

-Cheers, bye-bye.

So you meet people like James and they tell you

that the reason they're homeless is because of a breakdown

in a relationship or a loss of job or something like that

and that may well be true.

But so many people I meet - have a problem which is deeper than that

and that's often to do with what's happened in their childhood.

And until we can find a way of dismantling the reasons

why people become homeless, we really are

limiting our ability as a society to respond to the

problems of people going off the rails

and becoming homeless and falling into our streets.

-Can't even go in together, look.

-Get in, get in, get in!

PATRICIA CHUCKLES

Christ...

In Croydon, Kim's trying to understand Patricia's

background and why life has become so difficult.

My mum died about six years ago, maybe, but she died on my birthday

and I swear blind she did that on purpose!

-You hadn't spoken to your mum?

-I hadn't spoken to my mum since 1992.

-Was she a good mum?

-No, she used to hit me with frying pans

and knock me down the stairs. You're joking, good mum?

It was a fault in your mother, she did things that weren't too good,

a fault. But you're talking years and years and years ago, aren't you?

Yeah, I know, but I don't let go...

SHE CHUCKLES

-Yeah, but this is what's wrong, isn't it?

-Yeah.

-Can't you put it in the grave and behave?

-Put her in the grave...

You're raking up things that have hurt you -

you've got to leave it behind, you're 60-bloody-5!

You're like Whatever Happened To Baby Jane?

Concentrate on your life, stop living in the past.

Do you know? You're a hell of a nice lady,

you are worth so much more, my love.

'I loathed my mother. She beat the crap out of me.

'Because she loved my father. And he left her.'

And she punished me every day of my life.

"I look at you, I see your father, you fucking little cow!"

Here we go.

-I will see you in the morning.

-You will.

-Bye!

-Bye.

And when she died, although I loathed her, it broke me up.

Cos I thought...

SHE SNIFFLES

SHE SOBS

You know, I just thought...

"You're a little child being hurt all the time..."

And you never get over it.

It's... In all your adult years... I regret...

The most thing I regret in my life...is never having had a

mum and dad that loved me. Because without that backbone

it's a damn struggle.

So, you see, we are what we've lived.

Yes, we are, we really are.

Yeah, we are. Yeah, that's right.

We'll go and sit here, bud.

HE SIGHS

Willie and Per have spent eight hours walking the streets.

Willie's struggling as he faces his final night sleeping rough.

My wife, Jill's stood by me through...

I keep saying she's stood by me through thin and thin,

cos there hasn't been much thick in the last few years.

THEY CHUCKLE

She's a lovely lady, I'm a very, very lucky man.

And she's my rock, she's my rock.

So, do you think your wife actually stopped you gambling?

Yeah, I think so.

Because mentally I was very weak. I got so depressed

-I wanted to commit suicide.

-Oh...

-I was really as low

as you could possibly be low. It's definitely destroyed my life

-as has drink destroyed yours.

-Yeah.

-OK, your drinking was

-brought on by misfortune in business...

-Yes.

-Where my misfortune in life has been brought on by myself.

-Yeah.

-Through gambling.

-Yeah.

-You know, I've got no excuse

for what's happened to me. I was always on the phone,

because I didn't want people to know that I was having the

-amount of money I was having on horses.

-There's no end, is there?

When you have credit, you end up saying,

"I'll have another £500-worth of chips, please.

-"I'll have another £500-worth of chips."

-Yeah.

And, "I've got to get that back because my wife won't know

-"I've done that." And that's how gambling is.

-Yeah.

-You know...

-You can relate it to alcohol as well...

-Absolutely.

A little bit... Yeah.

Same exchange.

-HE CHUCKLES

-It's amazing.

It's the final night on the streets of London for our four volunteers.

Oof!

You're going to be a path tomorrow.

The answer isn't just housing, it isn't just money,

it isn't just counselling.

People need support and they need...

They need respect.

Night, all.

While the others sleep...

SIRENS WAIL

..Willie's final night has run into trouble.

Hello, madam, all right?

I am. My foot has all swollen up and I just want to make sure it's OK...

He's about to have an X-ray on a swollen ankle.

Homelessness has been the hardest thing I think

I could ever imagine to do and it nearly broke me.

Well, it did break me. It's made me realise that these

homeless people... Erm, you know, I...

Goodness me, I find it amazing how they survive.

-Oh...

-Is it sore?

-Yeah.

-Yeah?

Says there's nothing broken, nothing that...

You know, a good night's rest won't help.

HE SIGHS

I don't know. I didn't want to quit, I wanted to see it out

and, erm... You know, that's the thing.

Wow.

It's very nice.

Willie is going to stay in a hotel for the second time

during this experience and has insisted Per gets a

-bed for the night, too.

-Very smart.

-Entre le maison.

-After you, my friend.

-Oh, wow.

-First hotel room for ten years, huh?

-Oh.

-WILLIE LAUGHS

-Oh, we've got loads of beds.

-Oh, wow.

-Soft enough for you?

WILLIE LAUGHS

-Very nice.

-I feel like a wimp - for the second time this week

I've ended up in a hotel room. The first time was just literally -

I couldn't cope with the situation. But then the next morning

I've decided to brush myself down and go for it.

And a couple of nights later - the foot...

-Oh!

-Gee whiz. Eh?

-Now I can see what you mean.

-Gee whiz.

-It is really, really swollen.

I mean, I can't believe it's not broken, can you?

-No, it's not broken.

-Yeah.

-But it could look like it's broken...

-Yeah.

-..but it's not.

-The nurse said, you know, put it up in the air and

obviously it would have been difficult in your tent

-to kind of put it this high, wouldn't it?

-Yeah, yeah, it would be.

-Maybe...

-Yeah, that would be good.

-A bit underneath.

I'll put it underneath and then I can rest my foot on that.

I'm actually half glad I've got the bad foot now

cos it meant Per could have a night's sleep in a hotel.

WILLIE CHUCKLES

-I feel like a human being again.

-Good man.

-Thank you very much.

-Good man.

How Per's done this for seven years in a tent,

just amazes me.

Oh...Jesus Christ!

LAUGHTER

OK, wake me up...in the morning, yeah.

-Do your things.

-Oh, bless you.

-Oh, it's really nice.

It's a real feeling, really. A bit like floating

in the water or something like that.

It's fantastic just the feeling that everything is clean and soft

and even the smell, it does something to you

and it's going to motivate me even more

to get away from the situation I'm in.

-Let's spend some time watching telly.

-Yeah, that's a good idea.

I'm going home.

SHE LAUGHS

Oh, God...

Full of aches and pains...

but I'm happy...

SHE EXHALES

SHE LAUGHS

-Hello, young man.

-You all right?

-Yeah, very good.

-Very good.

-Rodney's made you the bed.

-Yeah.

-Great bed.

-Yeah.

You met John Bird.

That conversation with him

seemed to change something within you a little bit.

I do suffer with depression but I know

that my depression is not anywhere near as bad as it was

and so now I feel like I can move on, you know.

I've got to do it in order to be a better person for my daughter

and that's what's egging me on more because you know,

-I have messed up as a father...

-Yeah.

-Not all her life

but definitely in the recent years but, you know...

-You want to put that right.

-I do want to put that right, yeah, definitely.

-Definitely, definitely.

-I know you can.

-My father loved his drink and the problem with my father...

-Uh-huh...

-is he became violent when he'd had a drink.

-Oh...

And that is something that I found very hard...

My dad was, like I say, a very big drinker and so much so...

He even brought a lady into the house...

-Locked my mother in the cellar...

-Whoa...

..so he could have the lady in the room. This is just when he's drunk.

-Oh...

-And that left a mental scar.

When he had his first stroke - he lost his voice

and he would cry. Now, whether he was crying because

the stroke had made him do that or he'd realised over the years

-what he'd done to the family...

-And what did that do to you? I can see

you get emotional...

WILLIE STAMMERS

Easy...

Easy...

Breathe. Breathe.

You are in the right place to breathe.

That was a big thing...

I haven't been emotional till this last five days, you know...

-OK.

-I go around tickety-boo, everybody thinks...

-everything's fine, it's not.

-Yeah.

I understand that.

-So, are you nearly there?

-Yeah, here we go, I can see Jamal.

Oh, God....

I am indeed...

-Omar, is it?

-Jamal.

-Jamal, sorry, nice to meet you, yeah.

Nice to meet you, Jamal, pleasure.

Jatinder has come to meet with Jamal, the boss

of a coffee business operating in partnership

with The Big Issue, which offers work to homeless job-seekers.

Homelessness can happen to anybody at any time in their life.

For us, what's happened in the past doesn't really matter,

it's all about who that person is now.

We try and understand that person's individual capabilities

and then give them the opportunity to work as a barista

and take the next step forward.

-LAUGHTER

-I think the milk needed a bit more bubbles.

-Yeah!

I'm going to need some practice.

Obviously, we need to have a bit of a trial and

just make sure he's the right person but I think Jatinder really is...

-He seems to be in the right place.

-Seems to be in the right place

and you get a good feeling and that's what you're looking for.

-Yeah.

-Jatinder will undergo training and a week's trial.

If he's successful, he'll manage his own coffee cart

-and be paid the living wage.

-Cheers for this opportunity, Jamal, seriously.

It's down to you, it's not anything else.

I won't be letting you down, I ain't going to let myself down,

so I won't be letting you down.

Erm, so... This is where I say goodbye to you.

Oh, you going, are you?! Well...

Cheers for being my guest.

HE CHUCKLES

Thank you. It has been an experience. I'll see you later,

-thank you.

-Bye, J.

-See ya.

He's got the confidence, he's got the personality,

he's got it all going down. He'll do well, I know he will.

-Don't ever lose contact.

-I won't.

-I'm dying for you to get a place.

I know, thank you...

It's been smashing...

Take care of yourself...

You look after yourself, as well, yeah.

Don't be upset. It's life. We have to...make the most of what

you've got and get on with it, you know, it's all you can do.

It's that or give up.

-Well, this is St Pancras, my friend.

-Yeah, the big station.

-And you've got to go back to...

-The big end.

-The big end.

It's been an absolute pleasure. Absolute pleasure.

I think, without my wife, Jill...I would have probably given

up on more than one occasion but, you know, Per's made

me realise that you've got to be strong.

He's finished drinking. Am I going to have a bet any more?

I hope not.

-You know, I really wish you luck, yeah?

-Thanks.

-And I will never, ever forget you.

-Thanks.

-All right, mate.

-Cheers, mate, thanks.

-All right...

If I was to hope for one thing for James -

it would be that he's reconciled with his daughter.

If he's in a position where he can see his daughter

and the people around his daughter are happy for him to see her,

that would be brilliant. Hopefully for her, definitely for him

and it will also mean that he's got to a place that

is giving him half a chance.

Hiya!

-Hi!

-Hello!

-I missed you!

-Did you?!

Why shouldn't you cry?

-You need a shave.

-I need a shower.

-How are you, mate, are you all right?

-Oh, hello.

-Hello.

Oh...

Oh, dear...

It's really good to see you, lovely.

Well done, we're really proud of you. Really proud of you.

It was an important experience to have for me

and for them because there's stuff to tell them and teach them and...

BABY GURGLES

..yeah. Yeah. And I'm lucky cos they were here waiting for me.

I had something to come back to.

One of the most humbling things that I've learnt out there is that

how close I was to being in that situation.

You really need to appreciate how much your family love you

and we are around for you...

It's so easy to take all that for granted

-and disregard it because we're always here and...

-Yeah.

You know, you can't just keep carrying on what you were doing.

-Have you got any answers to it?

-I wish I had some answers,

I was... There aren't any simple answers.

It's going to be down to human kindness, volunteers,

commerce - who want to get involved who can really help

on an individual basis.

-One cappuccino, sir?

-Yes, please.

-Ready to rock and roll.

-Nice.

So far, things are going really, really good.

This one opportunity has opened so many doors for me.

Get your cappuccinos...

I'm a lot more independent, you know, it is an amazing project.

You know what I mean, I'm proud to be part of it.

Sport Relief money is at work tonight all across the UK.

It's supporting the homeless, not just to survive

but to get off the streets. Giving people like these

a chance to rebuild their lives.

You can make a real difference to people who have lost their homes.

To make a donation...