According to figures from charity The Wallich the number of people sleeping rough in Cardiff increased by more than 60% in two years
Lying on damp cardboard, huddling under a thin blanket, sheltering in a cold doorway – this video shows what it’s like to sleep on the streets.
According to homelessness charity The Wallich there was an increase of more than 60% in the number of men and women sleeping rough in Cardiff between 2013 and 2015.
“There’s no way of sleeping – not when you’re wet,” said one man, who has been helped by the charity’s Rough Sleepers Intervention Team.
“You’ve got to move all the time to stop your body from aching – it’s not good on my joints.”
The video, filmed in January, shows rough sleepers in Cardiff curled up in wet and noisy shop doorways next to piles of rubbish.
Many of them are using damp cardboard as a mattress and a carrier bag of possessions as a pillow while huddled under threadbare blankets.
'A lot of people just ignore you'
Describing what it’s like to sleep in the cold and rain another man said: “I had to go to sleep in the end because I couldn’t keep myself awake any longer.
“I would wake up with someone giving me a kick.”
According to the charity rough sleepers are 50 times more likely to die from violent assault and 35 times more likely to take their own lives.
Their research also shows that one in three people sleeping on the streets spends every day alone.
“That was the main thing for me on the streets – the boredom and the loneliness,” recalled another man who received support from the team.
“Because you live on the streets a lot of people just ignore you.”
The Rough Sleepers Intervention Team goes out every day to serve bacon rolls, tea and coffee to people on the streets as well as handing out warm clothes.
“It’s really about trying to engage people to let them know about services,” said one of the team members. “It’s easier for people to open up over a bacon butty and a cup of coffee.
“A lot of people are sleeping in shop doorways so we get them up and out early to make sure one’s calling the police and nobody’s getting asbos.”
Figures from The Wallich show there were 21 men and women sleeping rough on the streets of Cardiff last month, compared to 10 in February 2015.
Trench foot 'a daily reality'
Communications and relationships manager Amy Lee said the charity was “extremely concerned” that the year-on-year figure had increased.
“Sleeping rough can be extremely dangerous at any time of the year,” she said.
“Undoubtedly the cold is dangerous but the rain is as much of an issue in Wales as the cold. The struggle to keep dry and First World War diseases such as trench foot are a daily reality.”
During the winter of 2013-14 the charity saw the average number of people sleeping rough in Cardiff each night fall to six. Recently the figure peaked at 28 in October 2015.
Ms Lee said: “These worrying trends are a result of many factors including a squeeze on housing benefit, lack of affordable housing, and cuts to homelessness services.”
The Wallich is campaigning to extend the rights of homeless people in Wales and is calling on all candidates in the National Assembly election in May to pledge to end homelessness.
A spokesman for the Welsh Government said: “As several independent experts have acknowledged Wales is leading the way on tackling homelessness.
“We have more progressive legislation than anywhere in the UK.”
He said the Housing (Wales) Act 2014 will ensure that people who are homeless or at risk of homelessness receive help at an earlier stage than in the past.
The Welsh Government has provided local authorities with an extra £5.6m in funding this financial year to help them meet their new duties under the legislation.
The spokesman urged anyone facing homelessness to contact their local authority at the earliest opportunity.
He also urged members of the public to use the Welsh Government-funded Street Link service to log the location of rough sleepers, allowing them to receive support from local services.
For more information and support visit www.thewallich.com and www.streetlink.org.uk
Average number of rough sleepers supported by The Wallich’s Rough Sleepers Intervention Team in Cardiff each night
February 2016 – 21
January 2016 – 19
December 2015 – 22
November 2015 – 27
October 2015 – 28
September 2015 – 23
August 2015 – 27
July 2015 – 23
June 2015 – 22
May 2015 – 22
April 2015 – 21
March 2015 – 14
February 2015 – 10
January 2015 – 8
see-http://www.walesonline.co.uk/news/local-news/powerful-film-shows-what-its-10979779
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