Bad sleepers in Cardiff shouldn’t be there, says Suella Braverman

As night falls, Richard O’Brien chooses one of three places to spend the night: at the entrance to Burger King; curled up next to the electrical cabinet in front; or situated opposite Poundland on the corner. On Thursday night, a 56-year-old man and three of his homeless friends found shelter at a fast food restaurant on St. Louis. Cardiff the city center, trapped at the entrance as the storm drenched the capital.

His sleeping bag got “completely wet,” he told me when we spoke the following Friday morning. He pointed out that it was drying on the electrical panel. “I understand, I understand.” [the sleeping bag] from other people, he recalled. – Cardboard, enough blankets, sleeping bag, if I can manage it, this is my house.

I met Richard whilst walking through Cardiff city center with volunteers from Helping Our Homeless Wales. The not-for-profit homelessness charity, based in Builth Wells, runs weekly walks on the streets of Cardiff to provide food, clothing and essential items to rough sleepers. In the last six months alone, the number of people fed by the charity in the capital has almost tripled, from 30 to around 80.

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Along with many other charities across the UK, Help Our Homeless Wales strongly condemned Home Secretary Suella Braverman’s comments on social media last weekend. He said that while Brits “will always support those who are truly homeless… we cannot allow our streets to be invaded by rows of tents occupied by people, many of them foreigners, who live on the streets for a living”. “

He continued: “There are options for people who don’t want to sleep and the government is working with local authorities to strengthen comprehensive support, including treatment for those suffering from drug and alcohol dependency.”

The minister is also interested in cracking down on the use of tents by rough sleepers in England and Wales, calling for a ban on tents in urban areas except in backyards or on private land, and proposing a new civil offense for institutions of charity to prevent them. distribute free tents to the homeless, according to the Financial Times. If the plans are approved, charities could be fined if the stores cause a “nuisance”.

Sarah Mason, founder of Help Our Homeless Wales, said Braverman’s comments left her “speechless”. “[Homelessness is] It is absolutely not a way of life. It’s not a way of life. There are so many reasons why someone might become homeless… We had a [a] a young man who had to leave his job because his wife had terminal cancer… his mental health was all over the place and he ended up on the street.

“We have a cost of living crisis, private rents are probably the highest they have ever been, evictions continue and increase, we have no idea where we will be in a year with mortgages because rates have gone up… As charities and as people, we live with the mistakes of our government for decades.

“It’s an ‘inconvenience’ when there is no housing for these people…it’s surprising that there is no homelessness during COVID. They were all found somewhere. But we can’t do this every day. Why not?” Like many charities, Helping Our Homeless Wales does not provide tents to the homeless, mainly for their safety, although Sarah admitted they could “potentially save lives”.

Instead, they make sleeping pods that are heat-insulating and fire-resistant. One charity volunteer, who did not want to be named, explained: “That’s how out of touch [Suella Braverman] It is. None of the charities I know give out tents. And the reason they don’t give out tents is because the local authorities have alerted all the charities.

“Most homeless people don’t go into tents because it makes them more vulnerable. They don’t see who is coming to them… They set fire to our tents, we urinated on the tents, we had people with knives cutting the tents, we had a council that came to get the tent from all the owners for someone and take it away from them, which is destructive to the people.”

Frances Beecher, chief executive of Llamau, Wales’ leading charity for homeless young people and women, which helps more than 10,000 people a year, accused Braverman of deliberate provocation. “It’s incredible that we have a Home Secretary who deliberately targets people who have no voice and no choice,” he said.

“I don’t think she would believe for a second that someone living in a tent is a ‘lifestyle choice.’ But what it does is cause a sensation, create publicity and play in favor of the populists. “This is nothing more than a political ploy by someone who truly doesn’t care about the consequences of her words…she belongs in prison.”

He added: “Over the years, Llamau has probably worked with over 100,000 people over the last 20 to 25 years. No one made a “lifestyle choice.” People become homeless for many, many reasons. It is usually related to family breakdown.

“There are veterans who gave their lives for this country and suffer from post-traumatic stress disorder; Due to problems that arose while serving in our Armed Forces, family relationships were broken… There are homeless young people who are expelled from their homes. houses. Sometimes families separate and there is no way to stay. Sometimes a new couple can’t handle a young man. “These are people from society who have been let down by politicians like Suella Braverman.”

Although Llamau doesn’t give out tents either, Frances says: “I have nothing but support for the charities that do.” [tents] as a last resort for people who have nowhere to go. And the only ‘nuisance’ is Braverman, and he is a nuisance to the audience.”

Asked to respond to the charities’ comments, a Home Office spokesperson said: “We are determined to end rough sleeping and keep people off the streets. That’s why last year we published our strategy to surpass the unprecedented £2 billion.

“No one should be prosecuted simply for not having somewhere to live, which is why we are committed to repealing the obsolete Vagrancy Act, which was passed in 1824. This will help vulnerable people get the most support possible. and at the same time put an end to anti-social, intimidating or criminal behavior.”

In the 30 years Richard lived homeless, he never used a tent. “I wouldn’t sleep in a tent even if you gave it to me… For starters, it’s dangerous: anyone can go up and get a match or a lighter while they’re inside. It’s happened before, not to me, but knowing others with me, it’s happened twice.”

But he does not agree with the ban. “How can you say that? If people don’t have tents, why do you want everyone to sleep on the sidewalk, without a tent, without a sleeping bag, without a blanket? I’ll tell him, get out. Come here, try it for yourself and see if she can handle it.

Before becoming homeless, Richard was married with four children and lived in Bristol. “But it got worse, and the truth is that it’s my fault more than anything else, because I was in and out of prison, and she [my ex-wife] He couldn’t break it, so he went to the next man. That’s it, the game is over,” he recalled.

At first he was homeless on the streets of Bristol and then in London. “I was in London for 12 years, homeless on the streets of London. Then again, it’s part of my life,” he said, shrugging his shoulders. After London he moved to Cardiff where he has lived for the last 16 years. For decades, he stayed in shelters “here and there in between… four weeks here, two weeks there.” The last time he was in one was four months ago.

He said: “I wouldn’t agree with that. I’m not saying people don’t have seats; some people do, and whether or not they decide to stay on the sidewalk is up to them. But the point is that there are people here who haven’t gotten anywhere and can’t get anywhere, so they have no choice, they have to be on this sidewalk.”

She added that Braverman’s comments were “harmful” to homeless people who already face prejudice “at every turn.” “[People think] We’re alcoholics or drug addicts or something. But this is a dangerous place. And when you’re homeless, you don’t know what’s going to happen to you, night after night, day after day. One moment you can be nice to someone, and someone can be nice to you, and all of a sudden, bang, you get hit. “That’s life on the street.”

Richard’s story is similar to that of 63-year-old Matthew Cotun. He is a familiar face in Cardiff and spends his time playing drums on the streets of the city center. He was born in London and his life was marked by a lack of shelter for around ten years: in London, Brighton and Cardiff.

He arrived in Cardiff after being released from prison. “I served my sentence and then had to move from the area where I lived to Cardiff to serve my parole,” he said. “With prison life and this and that, you’re always in the dorms. And if there are no spaces in the dormitories, you sleep on the street, especially in parking lots or at the entrances of houses.”

Matthew said he no longer considers himself categorically homeless and has lived in a shelter in the capital for almost a year. “[I’m] In the meantime… you’ll be back on the street if you don’t behave, or you can move into your own independent apartment. So this is an attack from the street, from the entrances. “I’m on the list, maybe for an apartment, maybe somewhere to go from there.”

Asked what he thought of the Home Secretary’s comments, he said: “Hell happens… Anyone, even [people like] Home Secretary: You may still be homeless. Anyone can lose their job at any time and experience difficulties: maybe a marriage, someone died, maybe an illness. Illness is not a lifestyle choice.

“Some people choose to be homeless, but there are those who don’t want to be homeless, but end up in that situation because of what happened. And then they need to get out of it to move on and get their lives back.”

He added that there were “pros and cons” to using tents as homeless shelters, noting based on his own experience on the streets that police would discourage homeless people from using them. “First they want to know who sleeps there. Secondly, some people sell drugs. [tents] and do other things.” But he doesn’t believe in a total ban on them. “If people can use [tents] It’s smart to stay safe, why not?”

You can donate to help our homeless in Wales here and Llamau here.