:00:07. > :00:11.This programme contains strong language.
:00:11. > :00:19.Britain is in the grip of a housing crisis, of a sort not seen before,
:00:19. > :00:23.where even the most unexpected people are loseing their homes. An
:00:23. > :00:27.investment banker now sleeps rough in Croydon. I used to come here
:00:27. > :00:32.with my mum when she was still alive. I used to play tennis on
:00:32. > :00:38.those tennis courts not expecting this. A small business hit trouble
:00:38. > :00:46.and now the bank is taking the family home. It's something that's
:00:46. > :00:50.taken years and years and years to build up and it's just gone.
:00:50. > :00:53.grandmother who's worked all her life, then she got cancer h, to
:00:53. > :01:02.quit her job and now the bank is taking her home too. I never
:01:02. > :01:06.thought I'd get to 52 and be homeless. Sorry. With more people
:01:06. > :01:10.becoming homeless and fewer homes being built, tens of thousands of
:01:10. > :01:15.families are trapped in temporary accommodation, often living in
:01:15. > :01:22.squalid conditions. When we go to sleep at night, we scratch and
:01:22. > :01:25.scratch and scratch and in the morning we wake up and big dots are
:01:25. > :01:29.over us, we've been bitten. Every two-and-a-half minutes in Britain
:01:29. > :01:34.today, someone is threatened with loseing their home. They've got in
:01:34. > :01:44.the door and taken owl our stuff out. Our five-year-old is crying
:01:44. > :02:01.
:02:01. > :02:07.her eyes out. Get out until we're I grew up on a council estate up
:02:07. > :02:15.north. Lee grew up in a flat. Both lovely families, can't complain,
:02:15. > :02:21.but to have this, it's been absolutely lovely. To see what
:02:21. > :02:26.we've done, what we've built up by working hard, it's quite surreal
:02:26. > :02:32.actually, when you think from what we started. But, yeah, definitely a
:02:32. > :02:38.dream that became reality for a while. Lee and Sharon bought their
:02:38. > :02:43.dream home in Redbridge ten years ago for just after �500,000 with
:02:43. > :02:47.100% mortgage and monthly payments of �2,000. The profits from Lee's
:02:47. > :02:54.engineering business easily covered it. The business was doing well. We
:02:54. > :02:59.was able to afford the mortgage to get a bigger house. It allowed us
:02:59. > :03:05.to do what we've done for the last ten years or so. Everything was
:03:05. > :03:09.going fine, from, basically since we moved in. When his main clients
:03:09. > :03:14.stopped paying last year, Lee's engineering business collapsed.
:03:14. > :03:19.From almost �1 million a year turnover to nothing. Since then
:03:19. > :03:24.Lee's been unemployed and trying to find work. You feel like sometimes
:03:24. > :03:27."why am I bothering doing this?" You have to because I'm still
:03:27. > :03:32.getting the calls from the mortgage company. It kicks you back into
:03:32. > :03:36.action. You have to find something because without it, you have the
:03:37. > :03:40.threat of loseing your family home. Lee hoped he could agree with a
:03:40. > :03:46.plan with the Bank of Scotland to save the house. He cut back on
:03:46. > :03:49.spending to pay for it. We had two cars. We sold one of the cars. That
:03:49. > :03:53.was to lower costs a bit. To be perfectly honest with you, we
:03:53. > :04:00.didn't get a lot of money for the car, but that paid for Christmas.
:04:00. > :04:04.Stuff like that happens. The sort of stuff you do when you're younger.
:04:04. > :04:08.You look back and laugh about it. But when you're my age, with two
:04:08. > :04:14.kids, a family and your house around you, it's not fun. It really
:04:14. > :04:24.isn't fun. The bank p Scotland rejected the proposed payment plan
:04:24. > :04:25.
:04:25. > :04:34.and took them to court to repossess the house. Some days I just want to
:04:34. > :04:41.walk away and not look back. At 3am, when you're awake and you're
:04:41. > :04:51.thinking, oh, my God, what do we do? Where do we go? How do we get
:04:51. > :05:01.
:05:01. > :05:06.It came with no envelope just in the porch. It's quite upsetting
:05:06. > :05:13.really to think that's all they can do, can't knock, can't hand it to
:05:13. > :05:20.us. It made me feel quite sick actually. That's it now. It is,
:05:20. > :05:30.it's real, it's happening. What I do not want is the girls to be here
:05:30. > :05:40.when they come knocking on that Monday morning. Erm... That can't
:05:40. > :05:49.
:05:49. > :05:53.happen. I think it's just so unfair. Sorry. Lee and Sharon paid their
:05:53. > :06:03.mortgage for more than nine years, but in six weeks, the family will
:06:03. > :06:06.
:06:06. > :06:12.Almost 150,000 homes have been repossessed since the recession
:06:12. > :06:16.began in 2009. Dagenham in Essex is Britain's repossession capital.
:06:16. > :06:26.Here lenders have started proceedings on one in every 119
:06:26. > :06:29.
:06:29. > :06:35.homes. Patricia Taylor bought her council house with her husband in
:06:35. > :06:38.1997. Originally worth �54,000, her home is now valued at �180,000. She
:06:38. > :06:48.lives alone, but looks after her grandchildren while their parents
:06:48. > :06:51.
:06:51. > :06:54.are at work. Look at that tongue! It's black. Three years ago,
:06:54. > :07:00.Patricia's husband left her and she fell behind on the mortgage. Then
:07:00. > :07:07.last year, she became ill and soon the arrears grew to �9,000.
:07:07. > :07:12.marriage broke down unexpectedly, really, and then I got cancer. So I
:07:12. > :07:20.wasn't working. So I couldn't pay the mortgage. I did try. It wasn't
:07:20. > :07:27.because I didn't try. I don't know anybody in a position to give me
:07:27. > :07:32.the money to pay it or lend the money, so when there's billions of
:07:32. > :07:42.pounds owed everywhere in the world my �9,000 is a bit insignificant.
:07:42. > :07:46.They want their house back, so that's it. For more than a year
:07:46. > :07:50.Patricia has been having regular treatment for her breast cancer.
:07:50. > :07:55.It's been about a year and two months we've been here every month
:07:55. > :08:02.for at least three times. A lot of times. I don't mind coming. They're
:08:02. > :08:07.keeping me alive. Patricia told Barclays she was undergoing
:08:07. > :08:10.treatment for cancer and offered to pay the �37 a week interest out of
:08:10. > :08:20.her benefits. The bank took her to court and sought possession of her
:08:20. > :08:21.
:08:21. > :08:28.home. Ready? Ready. It makes it a bit stressful. It doesn't do you
:08:28. > :08:32.any favours if you get depressed and too far down. I don't think it
:08:32. > :08:36.can -- it is conducive to getting better from this. I have had some
:08:36. > :08:41.really bad days. Normally take things in my stride, like, just
:08:41. > :08:51.breast cancer makes things a bit chaotic. It would be more helpful
:08:51. > :09:07.
:09:07. > :09:12.if I wasn't having me house I get to that stage and I think oh,
:09:12. > :09:22.could go on the floor. I must try to keep upright. It's really weird.
:09:22. > :09:25.
:09:25. > :09:35.It affects me all of a sudden. I will snugle up with my old settee.
:09:35. > :09:56.
:09:56. > :09:59.Here we go. The eviction will take place on August 15 at 9am. You
:09:59. > :10:09.should arrange to leave the property with your belongings
:10:09. > :10:19.
:10:19. > :10:29.before this date and time. Well, That's it. The end of an era.
:10:29. > :10:37.
:10:37. > :10:41.Barclays can have their little Since the recession started in 2009,
:10:41. > :10:46.there has been a large increase in the number of people who find
:10:46. > :10:50.themselves in financial trouble and at risk of becoming homeless. Over
:10:50. > :10:53.50,000 households are currently living in temporary accommodation.
:10:53. > :10:59.Councils in towns across the country are overwhelmed. And
:10:59. > :11:03.nowhere more so than in London and the south-east. Croydon Council now
:11:03. > :11:13.has more than 2,000 households in temporary accommodation, an
:11:13. > :11:23.increase of 34% of last year. -- on last year. After two years out of
:11:23. > :11:24.
:11:24. > :11:28.work and on jobseeker's allowance, Nick Bull managed to get a job.
:11:28. > :11:34.3.25am. Now he works as a bus driver to support a family of six,
:11:34. > :11:40.often driving all night. It's very important, because I was unemployed
:11:40. > :11:45.for so long. Getting a job is, it's made me feel a lot better. This is
:11:45. > :11:49.the main thing, just keeping your job really. There's not many jobs
:11:49. > :11:52.out there. The last few years have been tough for Nick and his family.
:11:52. > :11:56.They built up substantial rent arrears on their Council house in.
:11:56. > :12:02.March this year they were evicted. The family were put into emergency
:12:02. > :12:10.accommodation, all of six of them in a one-bedroom flat. I don't know
:12:10. > :12:16.why they put us in this flat. They knew that we had, like, six people,
:12:16. > :12:20.you know, six because... Seven people. They put us in a one-
:12:20. > :12:24.bedroom flat when they could have put us in a two-bedroom flat in the
:12:24. > :12:28.corner. Housing regulations require a family of this size to have at
:12:28. > :12:33.least three rooms suitable for sleeping. Putting six of them in
:12:33. > :12:43.such a small flat amounts to unlawful overcrowding. Well my mum
:12:43. > :12:48.keeps breaking down, so I think it is... What does that mean "breaking
:12:48. > :12:53.down "? She's crying. When we go to sleep at night, like, we feel like
:12:53. > :12:59.all bumpy stuff coming onto our skin. We like scratch and scratch
:12:59. > :13:07.and scratch and in the morning, we wake up and there's all big dots
:13:07. > :13:11.all over us. We've been bitten. Croydon Council has spent six
:13:11. > :13:15.months investigating Nick and Rachel's case. Deciding whether by
:13:15. > :13:18.building up arrears the family made themselves intentionally homeless.
:13:18. > :13:28.As they wait for the council's decision the children have not been
:13:28. > :13:38.to school. So bored. All I do is play my Xbox and eat. What about
:13:38. > :13:46.
:13:46. > :13:49.school? No school. Why not? Because The hostel has no washing machine,
:13:49. > :13:53.so while Rachel looks after the children, Nick takes the washing
:13:53. > :14:03.for all six of them to the launderette. It's an extra �30 a
:14:03. > :14:06.
:14:06. > :14:10.week. This launderette gets further away every time. The rent on that
:14:10. > :14:14.place, just for that flat, which has nothing in it, they're saying
:14:14. > :14:22.it's meant to be furnished, it's a broken wardrobe, it's rubbish. It's
:14:22. > :14:27.like �230 a week they charge for it. You could get a two-bedroom flat in
:14:28. > :14:32.Croydon, fully furnished for that price, with everything in it. I do
:14:32. > :14:42.some days just want to go urgh. Let's go and live in a tent on the
:14:42. > :14:47.
:14:47. > :14:52.field. Buff you can't do. That You kids have to say goodbye to
:14:52. > :15:01.daddy. He's off to work. Mummy, I've got David Beckham in my team.
:15:01. > :15:06.Have you? Wow. When do you finish? About 1. 10am. By the time I get
:15:06. > :15:16.the two night buses home, that's going to be 2.30am. With a bit of
:15:16. > :15:17.
:15:18. > :15:22.Be heatwave, you kids. The family got into arrears on the
:15:22. > :15:28.old council house when Nick was unemployed. They missed rent
:15:28. > :15:31.payments and on occasion failed to provide the paperwork required to
:15:31. > :15:34.maintain benefit. The council is investigating the case that goes
:15:34. > :15:40.back three years. Every day I hope to get a letter
:15:40. > :15:45.from the council. We never get one. Whiles we were in the house,
:15:45. > :15:54.everything was falling into place. This is like we have been put to
:15:54. > :16:04.one side and forgotten about, basically.
:16:04. > :16:10.
:16:10. > :16:13.This recession is affecting people mostly untouched by previous
:16:13. > :16:19.economic downturns. When Kevin Browne worked in the
:16:19. > :16:21.City, he lived in a flat in Kensington, one of the most
:16:21. > :16:26.expensive neighbourhoods in the world.
:16:27. > :16:31.The first floor. The one with the balcony.
:16:31. > :16:37.Nobody really thinks anything good happening to them is ever really
:16:37. > :16:42.going to end, you know? There were various paths in life that we take.
:16:42. > :16:52.It does not always turn out as you expect. Which, I guess, is the
:16:52. > :17:02.
:17:02. > :17:07.underlying theme of this whole saga. Kevin moved to America and ran his
:17:07. > :17:12.own Wall Street firm until the crash in 2008. His company went
:17:12. > :17:16.bust and his marriage fell apart. The crash comes and the deals dry
:17:16. > :17:21.up, but the expenses don't. So then you put in your own money and you
:17:21. > :17:26.are hoping that things will turn around, even though in your heart
:17:26. > :17:30.you cannot see a sign that they will. He lost his home. He returned
:17:30. > :17:35.to England two days ago on a flight paid for by a charity. Now he is
:17:35. > :17:40.sleeping in a park in Croydon, the town where he grew up.
:17:40. > :17:44.This morning I woke up. I thought, where am I? It then all
:17:44. > :17:50.comes back. I used to come here with my mum when she was still
:17:50. > :17:53.alive. I used to play tennis on the tennis courts. My friends were not
:17:53. > :17:57.expecting this. He's been spending the night
:17:57. > :18:02.sleeping on the concrete floor of an abandoned building.
:18:02. > :18:09.It is reasonably clean it is dry, it is covered, but it is not
:18:09. > :18:18.something to be recommending. You start off thinking you can get
:18:18. > :18:24.through this, but I probably can't. You know, how did it get to the
:18:24. > :18:29.point where you are doing this, any way? To get off the street, Kevin's
:18:29. > :18:34.best hope is to see if Croydon council can get him into a local
:18:34. > :18:40.hostel, but after a half an hour meeting, he has been told that they
:18:40. > :18:43.can't help as he is a single man. That the council has a shortage of
:18:43. > :18:48.temporary accommodation and must prioritise families and those
:18:49. > :18:54.deemed vulnerable. They told Kevin to register at the jobseeker centre.
:18:54. > :18:58.The advice was good luck and have a nice day. So I have to go now to
:18:58. > :19:03.jobseeker's and try to get them to sort something out for me on
:19:03. > :19:09.housing. Housing can't do anything on housing, that is a bit weird,
:19:09. > :19:15.really! Jobseeker's tell Kevin it will take a few weeks to register
:19:15. > :19:21.as a resident in Croydon. REPORTER: Where will you spend the
:19:22. > :19:28.night? I will go back to the park. She couldn't seem to understand in
:19:28. > :19:35.the job soakers place, when I said I'm at Park Hill. I am actually at
:19:35. > :19:40.Park Hill. It is not an address in Park Hill rise or Park Hill road it
:19:40. > :19:46.took her a while to understand that. Since arriving in Britain, Kevin's
:19:46. > :19:53.income has been a one-off crisis lone from the jobseeker centre.
:19:53. > :19:58.I have basically just over �4. I still have �10 that I had before,
:19:58. > :20:08.which I have in my back pocket. So that is �14.
:20:08. > :20:11.
:20:11. > :20:17.Life, or my life goes in phases. This is not a good phase.
:20:17. > :20:21.Then at 9.30pm, Kevin walks across town to a charity-run soup kitchen.
:20:21. > :20:26.Set up in front of the council housing offices.
:20:26. > :20:34.There are a few nutters. But people are generally polite.
:20:34. > :20:39.But if you are wanting to set up your guest list for an ideal dinner
:20:39. > :20:49.party, this wouldn't be the first place you would come to, basically.
:20:49. > :20:50.
:20:50. > :21:00.You know! It seems to be about 30 people are here, I guess.
:21:00. > :21:00.
:21:00. > :21:08.That is less than last knight. I didn't get a cup earlier, sorry
:21:08. > :21:14.about that. A straw, mate? Very nice, thank you.
:21:14. > :21:23.Thank you very much. So minestrone soup and a corned
:21:23. > :21:33.beef sandwich. I'll just go and see if there is
:21:33. > :21:45.
:21:45. > :21:55.anyone here I have spoken to before... Rough sleeping in England
:21:55. > :22:00.
:22:00. > :22:04.increased 23% last year. -- increased by 23% last year.
:22:04. > :22:11.Lee and Sharon have lived in their family home in Redbridge for ten
:22:11. > :22:15.years. They now have a week before they are due to be evicted.
:22:15. > :22:18.The younger daughter, Hannah, is ten. She has lived here all of her
:22:18. > :22:23.life. I was just a bit scared about what
:22:24. > :22:33.was going to happen after moving, but then my parents said we were
:22:34. > :22:34.
:22:34. > :22:38.not moving because the family is splitting up or something. Sorry,
:22:39. > :22:43.that we were not moving because the family was splitting up, but that
:22:43. > :22:47.we would be together. That calmed me down a lot.
:22:47. > :22:53.15-year-old Eve is in the middle of her geese.
:22:53. > :22:58.It does make me feel angry. I have lost my home. That is not helping.
:22:58. > :23:04.Hannah has her exams. Mum has work. So, yeah it is a lot of things to
:23:04. > :23:08.cope with. Hi, sweetie With eviction day
:23:08. > :23:13.looming, Lee and Sharon are having trouble finding a new home. The
:23:13. > :23:17.credit rating is ruined. Lee is unemployed and Housing Benefit
:23:17. > :23:21.capped, so making local accommodation unaffordable.
:23:21. > :23:25.We have to be out of here on the 8th of October. Whether we have
:23:25. > :23:30.anywhere to go or not. Maybe the 7.th. I rang to the bank
:23:30. > :23:36.to ask for a chance of extension. I was told no. That we had to be out
:23:36. > :23:40.of the property by 9.30am. Then the locks are changed and you have to
:23:41. > :23:50.apply to the court. It is getting very close now.
:23:51. > :23:52.
:23:52. > :23:59.I am starting to get a bit nervous. Only a bit?! It is just a tad
:23:59. > :24:09.stressful! I just worry how much more we can ask the girls to take
:24:09. > :24:14.
:24:14. > :24:18.on board without iting are affecting them.
:24:18. > :24:23.Without it really affecting them. This is something that has taken
:24:23. > :24:33.years and years to build up and it has just gone. I just want it to be
:24:33. > :24:48.
:24:48. > :24:54.over now. Nick and Rachel are finally moving
:24:54. > :25:00.out, but not because the council found them a new house. The hostel
:25:00. > :25:05.is evicting them after their daughter broke a glass panel in the
:25:05. > :25:11.building. The panel was cracked. I wanted to
:25:11. > :25:16.pay for the glass, but they were like, no, they want us out.
:25:16. > :25:19.Oh, dear. Don't worry. With nowhere else to go, Nick now
:25:19. > :25:27.has to go to the council to see if they will keep the family off the
:25:27. > :25:32.street. We have literally got now... An
:25:32. > :25:38.hour to get everything packed up and out of this flat. Nick is down
:25:38. > :25:42.at the council right now seeing if they can sort us out again, but I
:25:42. > :25:52.don't know what will happen. I really don't.
:25:52. > :25:55.
:25:55. > :26:02.I have so much to pack up now and just go. It, Annie give us those
:26:02. > :26:10.bags, please. REPORTER: Where do you think you
:26:10. > :26:16.will end up tonight? In the street. We ain't got no house. They
:26:16. > :26:21.wouldn't put us in the street. We are a family. I'll be happy if they
:26:21. > :26:31.give us another flat. No. No. Then we have somewhere to
:26:31. > :26:36.
:26:36. > :26:40.live. Then we can have a normal house.
:26:40. > :26:45.It is now 11.00am. It is eviction time. The family still has not
:26:45. > :26:48.heard from Nick, whether the council has found them anywhere
:26:48. > :26:58.else to go. Rachel calls him to find out.
:26:58. > :26:58.
:26:59. > :27:08.So what is going to happen, then? We have another place to go to?
:27:09. > :27:30.
:27:30. > :27:35.It's 11.30am, the hostel security has not asked them to leave m Nick
:27:35. > :27:41.has to go back to the coup to sign for the new accommodation. They
:27:41. > :27:46.take Liam and Amy with them. We will come back and go.
:27:46. > :27:56.Tanya stays behind with Rihanna, the youngest.
:27:56. > :27:56.
:27:56. > :28:06.Don't walk away from me! How dare you behave like that! I didn't mean
:28:06. > :28:31.
:28:31. > :28:34.to! Won't be long! Ten minutes after they arrive at the housing
:28:34. > :28:39.office, Nick and Rachel have to rush back to the host e. Security
:28:39. > :28:43.has turned up to evict them. I got a phone call from Tanya. They
:28:43. > :28:49.are banging on the door. They have gotten in the door. They have taken
:28:49. > :28:53.the stuff out. Our five-year-old, Rihanna is crying her eyes out.
:28:54. > :29:01.can't believe that they do this to my baby, you know.
:29:01. > :29:11.Hey! Hello? It is OK. We are coming down in a cab.
:29:11. > :29:32.
:29:32. > :29:42.Let's see if they carry on when Move out of the way. Move out of
:29:42. > :29:44.
:29:44. > :29:48.the way. Get out. Come in screaming in front of my face, in front of
:29:48. > :29:53.the kids. We've been down the council sorting accommodation out.
:29:53. > :30:01.Out please, we'll get our stuff out. Get out. Get out until we're out.
:30:01. > :30:07.How dare you. Rachel. Let's get our stuff out and get out of here.
:30:07. > :30:11.a week for here. You should see the one we're going into. It's like a
:30:11. > :30:21.palace. Get the stuff and go. are you shouting in my daughter's
:30:21. > :30:23.
:30:23. > :30:30.face as well? Fucking freaks. Move out of my way before I lose my
:30:30. > :30:40.temper. We've just got back from the council. I've just got back
:30:40. > :30:44.
:30:44. > :30:51.Rachel have you got the key, love? They want the key then they're
:30:51. > :30:58.going to... Cake it off the key ring. I'm going to throw it at them.
:30:58. > :31:05.Rachel. Key then we can relax and take our time. That's what they
:31:05. > :31:13.want. There's your key you tramps. Now I've got to pick it up. Amy,
:31:13. > :31:22.wait a minute. What's that? All right. How the
:31:22. > :31:32.hell are we going to get that out? They can clean up, can't they? I
:31:32. > :31:33.
:31:33. > :31:36.can't believe how they treat people. Nick, Rachel and the children are
:31:36. > :31:41.moving to another hostel. Buff they don't know how long they'll be
:31:41. > :31:46.there and they are no closer to having a permanent place to live.
:31:46. > :31:52.Mummy, are we going then? Yeah, we're moving out of here, love, at
:31:52. > :32:02.last. Are we going in that car? I'll come back on the bus and get
:32:02. > :32:10.
:32:10. > :32:20.See you in a little while. Thank you. See you in a little while.
:32:20. > :32:38.
:32:38. > :32:43.It's the day before Patricia's eviction. Health and safety.
:32:43. > :32:48.has nowhere to live once her house has been repossessed. Friends and
:32:48. > :32:53.family are helping her move her belongings into storage. Dagenham
:32:53. > :32:59.Council will place Patricia in temporary accommodation. But they
:32:59. > :33:03.won't tell her where until she's actually homeless. Have you found
:33:03. > :33:08.anything out? No, I have to go down there on Wednesday. What if you
:33:08. > :33:12.ain't got nowhere? They will put me in temporary accommodation. They
:33:12. > :33:16.will definitely do that? Left it late, though, to put you there
:33:16. > :33:23.somewhere. Right at the last knockings. Jew know where I am if
:33:23. > :33:30.you need a lift or anything. We can help you move. We've got both cars,
:33:30. > :33:38.to put your bits in. It's sad though. I reckon there'll be tears
:33:38. > :33:41.before midnight. Don't make me cry. What comes around Tish, goes around.
:33:41. > :33:50.I will miss you. You're a nice neighbour. You always came round
:33:50. > :33:53.and had a drink. Yeah. Give us a knock. I will. Bye.
:33:53. > :34:03.Patricia could end up being put in temporary accommodation, miles from
:34:03. > :34:08.
:34:08. > :34:18.friends and family. I don't know what's happening next. Where am I
:34:18. > :34:20.
:34:20. > :34:30.going to be? Just don't know. Don't know. I shouldn't be sleeping on
:34:30. > :34:31.
:34:31. > :34:36.other people's sofas and things. I should be here in my home. Which is
:34:36. > :34:40.not my home any more. Barclays say they did everything they could to
:34:40. > :34:44.assist Patricia and evicting someone is always the last resort.
:34:44. > :34:54.After 15 years of living in her home, Patricia will have to hand
:34:54. > :35:23.
:35:23. > :35:33.the keys over the to bailiff at 9am The TV's gone. The TV gone. Yeah?
:35:33. > :35:34.
:35:34. > :35:38.Hello? I spoke to you on the phone. You OK? No, not really. Did you get
:35:38. > :35:45.one of them in the post? That's the one I've got. Keep that safe. Where
:35:45. > :35:53.are you going to now? To a friend's and then the council. I was going
:35:53. > :36:00.to say, have you been? I'm going at 1 pm. At John Smith House. There
:36:00. > :36:10.are the keys. I wish you luck. Thank you. Bye. Bye. We're all
:36:10. > :36:40.
:36:40. > :36:42.Oh, well. That's it then, isn't it, Barclays effectively now owns
:36:42. > :36:52.Patricia's home. They change the locks immediately and the house is
:36:52. > :36:56.
:36:56. > :37:06.put up for sale. 52, homeless, hairless. Right, that's it. Say
:37:06. > :37:12.
:37:12. > :37:17.Nanny, why are you crying? Do you want to have that? Shall I take
:37:17. > :37:27.that with you. When I'm here again, you can bring it back. Thank you,
:37:27. > :37:39.
:37:39. > :37:48.that's nice. See you later. Love Kevin has been sleeping in the park
:37:48. > :37:51.for three weeks. It's gradually taking a toll. This is not like
:37:51. > :37:57.normal existence. Everything is taking an awful long time to sort
:37:57. > :38:02.out. The council still hasn't housed Kevin. He tries to gets help
:38:02. > :38:08.from a charity, which might be able to get him into a hostel. Yeah I
:38:08. > :38:12.hope so. My name's Kevin. I'm actually in Croydon at the moment.
:38:12. > :38:16.I'm pretty much homeless and the Croydon Council have not been, I
:38:16. > :38:24.wouldn't say unhelpful, but they haven't been necessarily quick. I'm
:38:24. > :38:34.starting to lose the will to live slightly. What am I what? Kau
:38:34. > :38:36.
:38:36. > :38:38.caution, English, whatever. -- caucasion. 5'10". It's Park Hill.
:38:38. > :38:45.It's across the street from the Croydon park hotel, when I'm
:38:45. > :38:50.unfortunately not staying. They're going to send, bizarre really,
:38:50. > :39:00.they're going to send somebody up to the park to find me. They turn
:39:00. > :39:04.up with flash lights and they shout out "Kevin" auntil you answer. --
:39:04. > :39:09.until you answer. I tried to explain how big the park was. If
:39:09. > :39:13.they can find it, you know. That would be impressive.
:39:13. > :39:23.Kevin rushes to the nightly food drop. He hasn't eaten all day. But
:39:23. > :39:41.
:39:41. > :39:51.I would imagine that when he got there the pup board was bare. --
:39:51. > :40:03.
:40:03. > :40:13.At 6am the next morning the charity workers find Kevin sleeping in the
:40:13. > :40:13.
:40:13. > :40:17.park. They're the first people who have indicated an abuilt and
:40:17. > :40:25.willingness to help me in my situation. That is obviously a good
:40:25. > :40:31.thing. The outreach team takes Kevin to a holding centre for
:40:31. > :40:36.homeless people in west London. It's called the Hub. Kevin will
:40:36. > :40:40.sleep on the floor of a hall with 25 other men. It's part of the no-
:40:40. > :40:50.second night out scheme, part fundling by -- funded by the Mayor
:40:50. > :41:07.
:41:07. > :41:17.of London to keep people off the It's a mad house. It's drug
:41:17. > :41:21.
:41:21. > :41:24.infested. With all the parafer Naila that goes along with that.
:41:24. > :41:34.Less stressful than actually being in the park. Extraordinary that
:41:34. > :41:45.
:41:45. > :41:50.On Kevin's second night in the hub another resident threatened to slit
:41:50. > :41:56.his throat for snoring. It's scary, yeah. There's a lot of talk about,
:41:56. > :42:02.you know, disemboweling people and all sorts of nasty stuff. One just
:42:02. > :42:08.hopes that it's all pub talk, as you English people say. The
:42:08. > :42:11.opposite of, you know, someone singing you to bed, basically, or a
:42:11. > :42:19.late-night story. A late-night disembowelment isn't quite as
:42:19. > :42:22.attractive. Kevin spends another week in the
:42:23. > :42:26.hub before the manager calls him into a meeting. He has been
:42:26. > :42:31.recognised as a resident in the UK and he is now entitled to Housing
:42:31. > :42:36.Benefit. You have an appointment this
:42:36. > :42:40.morning to view a flat. Right. case has really progressed. That's
:42:40. > :42:45.good. Excellent. I'm glad that's good news for you. The time that
:42:45. > :42:49.you've been here, have you felt safe? Not really. Really? I guess
:42:49. > :42:56.when people are only here for a few days, there's a limit to what you
:42:56. > :43:01.can do any way, but there seemed too many people who are too drug
:43:01. > :43:11.dependent. A lot of thieving going on. They've got issues with drugs
:43:11. > :43:25.
:43:25. > :43:30.and that's what's going to come Rachel, Nick and the four kids have
:43:30. > :43:36.moved into a new hostel. They still have only two rooms, but each has
:43:36. > :43:45.its own entrance and a toilet. need to take a leak. Wait. I need
:43:45. > :43:51.to take a leak. Go in the other bedroom. Move. Shut the door please,
:43:51. > :43:57.mate. He's going to do it right there with people watching. There's
:43:57. > :44:00.a garden for the kids to play in. But they have to share the kitchen
:44:00. > :44:04.and washing machine with 15 other people.
:44:04. > :44:09.Because the council still hasn't come to a decision on their housing
:44:09. > :44:19.status, they're still in limbo. A family of six in these two rooms is
:44:19. > :44:21.
:44:21. > :44:25.still unlawful overcrowding. It's been five months now. Five months.
:44:25. > :44:30.Thinking day by day, week by week, whether you're going to be there.
:44:30. > :44:36.Luckily I had the day off work, and we were out the same day. We don't
:44:36. > :44:43.know if it's going to be like that here. Or if there's going fob more
:44:43. > :44:49.accommodation. Kind of confused. I don't know if, what place we're
:44:49. > :44:55.going to stay in or we're not going to stay in. Can't wait till we get
:44:55. > :44:59.a house, dad. I know. It's like we're never going to stop moving.
:44:59. > :45:02.Croydon Council says it does not take decisions to evict people
:45:02. > :45:06.likely, particularly where children are involved. But local authorities
:45:06. > :45:09.must be able to take action against tenants otherwise there would be a
:45:09. > :45:13.complete break down of the social housing system. The family was
:45:13. > :45:18.given a number of opportunities to stop the eviction process and they
:45:18. > :45:28.failed to comply with several court orders to pay the repbtd they owed.
:45:28. > :45:30.
:45:30. > :45:34.Seven months after they were first evicted. Nick has a letter from the
:45:34. > :45:39.council asking him to a meeting. They have decided that the family
:45:39. > :45:44.did make themselves intentionally homeless.
:45:44. > :45:49.They have left us dangling on that piece of string all that time to
:45:49. > :45:55.say they are not rehousing us. So I don't know what will happen now.
:45:55. > :45:59.REPORTER: Where will you go? don't know. I am trying to sort it
:45:59. > :46:05.out today. That is why I have the meeting with the council.
:46:05. > :46:09.REPORTER: Are you worried you will have nowhere to go? It does cross
:46:09. > :46:14.my mind, but we will get somewhere, but it does cross your mind.
:46:14. > :46:24.The letter says that the council will provide Nick and his family
:46:24. > :46:26.
:46:26. > :46:32.assistance in finding somewhere else to live.
:46:32. > :46:36.REPORTER: How did it go? Just advice on how to get your own
:46:36. > :46:42.accommodation and that. General information. That is it.
:46:42. > :46:47.All of this, help with deposits, but she is saying that we will not
:46:47. > :46:52.get help with the deposits as we can't go in the scheme that they
:46:52. > :46:59.have got. REPORTER: How long do you have?
:46:59. > :47:09.weeks today. That's it. Two weeks. Not a long time.
:47:09. > :47:21.
:47:21. > :47:24.After her home was repossessed, Dagnall council has found a place
:47:24. > :47:31.for Patricia Taylor. This is the moment of truth. I'm
:47:31. > :47:35.just a bit shocked, really. This is where I've got to go.
:47:35. > :47:44.Patricia is taken to temporary accommodation for homeless people
:47:44. > :47:49.with a shared kitchen and bathroom. She tells the agent she does not
:47:49. > :47:52.feel safe there and does not want to move in. She goes back to her
:47:52. > :47:57.friend Wendy's house to call the council.
:47:57. > :48:03.I can't believe it. It stinks. I feel like I have it on me. I was
:48:03. > :48:09.crying when I was in there. I don't think that this day can get
:48:09. > :48:15.much worse. It is scary. Very scary. I thought, oh, my God, where are
:48:15. > :48:19.they taking me? The council asked for Patricia to sign for the
:48:19. > :48:25.accommodation before she had had seen it. It may be too late to turn
:48:25. > :48:34.it down. I would like to get into contact with John Smith House. I
:48:34. > :48:43.will leave a message. Thank you.
:48:43. > :48:53.Voicemail. This is a joke. It is. She hears nothing from the
:48:53. > :48:56.council that day, so decides to stay at her friend, Wendy 's, on a
:48:57. > :49:01.blow-up mattress. They don't seem to take your circumstances into
:49:01. > :49:07.account. I'm just a statistic. One person is doing this, another one
:49:07. > :49:12.is doing that. I am like, oh, my God, does anyone know what is going
:49:12. > :49:22.on? I don't know. I have no idea. I sign things that I didn't even
:49:22. > :49:23.
:49:23. > :49:29.know to look at. I just signed them. I didn't read it or anything.
:49:29. > :49:36.That is what got me in this state in the first place.
:49:36. > :49:39.The council calls the next day to say that if Patricia refuses the
:49:39. > :49:47.temporary accommodation, she is making herself intentionally
:49:47. > :49:51.homeless and they would no longer be required to house her.
:49:51. > :50:01.Patricia decides to go back to the one room temporary accommodation
:50:01. > :50:03.
:50:03. > :50:11.with a charity worker who has offered to help her to move in.
:50:11. > :50:15.It just stinks. Let me open a window. Let me get some air in here.
:50:15. > :50:25.It is the smell. Hopefully that will go if we air it for a few
:50:25. > :50:29.hours. Hopefully this is temporary. Once the smell of the, whatever
:50:29. > :50:39.that smell is... I don't know what that smell is.
:50:39. > :50:44.
:50:44. > :50:50.I don't know, either. It is still a bit depressing.
:50:50. > :50:54.After four more nights in the Hub and another week in a homeless
:50:54. > :51:00.shelter, Kevin completed the journey from a park in Croydon, to
:51:00. > :51:06.a shared flat in Streatham. This is the kitchen. The tables. You can
:51:06. > :51:12.sit down and do some ruminating. I have to move more stuff in. There
:51:12. > :51:17.is quite a nice, comfy bed. All in all, an improvement and it is safe.
:51:17. > :51:22.Safe is very important, really. In life there are times when you
:51:22. > :51:26.just need help, you know. Not everyone wants help. Some people
:51:26. > :51:33.reject it. Some people will abuse it. Some
:51:33. > :51:39.will not use it, but some people, if you give them help, will be
:51:39. > :51:42.constructive with that assistance. I hit rock bottom and I'll do what
:51:42. > :51:48.I can. I will do what I can with help
:51:48. > :51:58.wherever it comes from, really. I will make sure that never happens
:51:58. > :52:02.
:52:02. > :52:07.again. It's the day before Lee and
:52:07. > :52:13.Sharon's eviction. The bailiff is due at 9.30am. They still have not
:52:13. > :52:19.found a flat to rent. So they are moving their belongings into
:52:19. > :52:24.storage. With nowhere else to go, they will stay with Sharon's sister,
:52:24. > :52:28.her husband and two children. We will miss this house.
:52:28. > :52:32.Ivanisevic and Hannah are going to their aunt's a day early, so that
:52:32. > :52:42.they are not at home when the bailiff arrives.
:52:42. > :52:52.What was me? That is you with the curly hair. That is Eve up there.
:52:52. > :52:57.
:52:57. > :53:02.Girls, are you going or what? Yeah... See you later.
:53:02. > :53:12.Bye. Give us a shout if you need
:53:12. > :53:47.
:53:47. > :53:56.anything. She's left her drawings up there.
:53:56. > :54:00.One empty house. Need help with the kitchen or shall
:54:01. > :54:06.I get this stuff in the car? I'll start loading.
:54:06. > :54:11.I am starting to shake. Come on.
:54:11. > :54:21.Sort out the kitchen now. The bank told Lee and Sharon that
:54:21. > :54:23.
:54:23. > :54:32.any of their belongings left behind would be locked in.
:54:32. > :54:37.Morning. Bailiff from the court. Right.
:54:37. > :54:44.You know you have seven days to come back to get the stuff you
:54:44. > :54:47.can't manage today? I was told if I was not out of here by.toam, that
:54:47. > :54:57.is it. Whoever told you that is wrong. You
:54:57. > :55:11.
:55:11. > :55:18.have seven days. It is up to you. Mate, we are done.
:55:18. > :55:28.Can I just ask you to leaf the keys, then, please? The locks will be
:55:28. > :55:34.
:55:34. > :55:42.changed. Have you got somewhere to go?
:55:42. > :55:48.sister's. Thank you very much.
:55:48. > :55:53.I feel a bit numb, actually. I wouldn't say it is over for us,
:55:53. > :55:57.but, our own home is over for a while.
:55:57. > :56:02.I think it is probably too close to handing the keys over to have a
:56:02. > :56:07.proper reaction to it yet. You feel like all you want to do is jump in
:56:07. > :56:17.the car and drive away. No doubt, there will be a few tears later on,
:56:17. > :56:17.
:56:17. > :57:32.Apology for the loss of subtitles for 75 seconds
:57:32. > :57:42.I will think. I haven't been up here since I left.
:57:42. > :57:46.
:57:46. > :57:54.It's a bit... Depressing. A bit too sad. There it is. Just
:57:54. > :58:02.sitting there forlorn. Nobody is in Not a lot of noise coming out of
:58:02. > :58:07.there. Not like normal. That's all I needed, just a few
:58:07. > :58:14.months, until me treatment had finished, until I could get back on
:58:14. > :58:20.my feet, get back to normality. It is not very nice, is it? Look, they