In the bustling streets of central London, two mates, Billy and Jay, have set up a cozy little tent with some cardboard and sleeping bags to keep the chilly November night at bay. They met on the streets and decided to team up for food and shelter. “It’s not a mansion, but it’s a place where you can feel at home, where you’re dry,” said 21-year-old Billy, who hails from Manchester and has been sleeping rough for two months after leaving the army due to an injury.
The UK’s interior minister, Suella Braverman, has suggested limiting the use of tents by homeless people, which has sparked criticism from charities, London Mayor Sadiq Khan, and even some lawmakers in the Conservative Party. “We can’t have our streets filled with rows of tents occupied by people, many of them from abroad, living on the streets as if it’s a lifestyle choice,” Braverman said.
For Billy and Jay, their tent is a lifeline—especially after they had to scrape together money to buy a new one when their previous tents were set on fire, leaving them with almost no possessions. “It’s disgusting. They’re more focused on hiding the problem than actually solving it,” said Jay. “No one would choose to be in this position … It makes me furious just thinking about it.”
“I would absolutely love for them to spend a week in our shoes, just to see what it’s like,” he added.
Before the 2019 election, the Conservatives pledged to end rough sleeping by 2024. “We’re at our wits’ end here, and we need to see measures put in place to reduce this,” said Jasmine Basran, head of policy and campaigns at homelessness charity Crisis.
Data from the Combined Homelessness and Information Network (CHAIN) revealed that over 4,000 people were seen sleeping rough in London between July and September, a 12% increase from the same period last year.
“It’s soul-crushing,” said Jay, describing the experience of sleeping rough, which he’s been enduring for over two years. “You don’t even want to reach out to your family or friends. You don’t want them to see you in the state you’re in … you can’t sleep properly, you don’t eat properly. It’s awful.”
Reporting by Jeevan Ravindran; Editing by Nick Macfie
+ There are no comments
Add yours