Today I met three males all living within close proximity of each other along the streets.
One of these men were called Stephen , age 30.
Stephen explained to me he had been living on and off the streets for 5 years ,caused by a drinking problem he developed from a difficult past, with life changing experiences he did not wish to share with me ( understandably.) He explained to me that every day was a regret to him , as from his drinking problem he had to live on the streets , yet he shared a loving hug with a friend who had recently come out of rehab and congratulated him and shared his success with me on no longer being an alcoholic.
Stephen told me how he missed his family , but his mum had had enough of Stephen coming in and out of needing her for shelter. I understand that a drinking problem may seem almost stereotypical to the people I have interviewed but once speaking to these people you begin to understand how and why they rely on drinking as its cheap and can sometimes be the only thing to support them mentally as they wish to forget everything else, such as Stephens upsetting past.
I asked Stephen how long he though he would stay living on the streets for , and to my shock , he said until he went back to jail. But again once delving deeper , Stephen explained that he tried to get himself into jail for shelter , ‘stability’ and regular food. And that if he could have anything right now ( whilst we were sat in the rain ) it would be , to be in jail.
2 males who Stephen and I both knew nothing of , came over and began asking me questions and Stephen quickly became aggravated that they would not leave , and after they did so , he explained that often people come to him and others living on the street , looking for trouble , and he got these type of people looking for this type of reaction every day. It was clear Stephen quickly became quieter and almost seemed ashamed of his anger towards these people but also saddened as he spoke of its regularity.
Stephen could be classified as your stereotypical homeless man , but once realising why he was the way he was , my sympathy was major , realising the hassle and embarrassment he experiences from living on the streets with friends and strangers passing him by, got him down severely despite trying to laugh it off.
At first seeming intimidating , Stephen was polite and understandably was having a difficult time. It was clear to see he was sick of living on the streets and how he had developed a very hostile attitude towards anyone that showed him threat, but more than welcoming to anyone who showed compassion.