Homeless man sleeping inside a clothes bin lays bare UK’s homelessness crisis
A homeless man in Birmingham has found a smart way to make rough sleeping more bearable by creating a home for himself in a clothes bank.
52-year-old Nigel realised the clothes bank near a church car park in the Erdington area of the city was unlocked about five weeks ago, and he’s made himself comfortable ever since.
He found himself on the streets after being placed in a house of multiple occupancy (HMO) with drink and drug users – and as a recovering heroin addict he left in an attempt to stay clean.
In an interview with the Birmz is Grime blog, Nigel gave a ‘tour’ of his new home including the ‘library’ and ‘kitchen’ and called the clothes bank the ‘comfiest bed I’ve ever slept in’.
But Nigel hopes to find a permanent home in Coventry and eventually set up his own homelessness charity, so he can support others who have struggled as he has.
He said: ‘I’ve been living in the clothes bin for four or five weeks. I realised it was open. It’s warm inside and its waterproof.
‘It’s more comfortable than any bed I’ve ever had. There’s my library, there’s my beer shelf.
‘Nobody has put clothes in while I’ve been inside. If they did, I think I’d say “thank you” and they will be like “hang on, the bin’s talking to me”.
‘I’m totally off the heroin but a few beers help me sleep at night.
‘I’m waiting on Coventry Council to rehome a bloke and then I might get a place somewhere hopefully.
‘I’ll have a little drink here – but I’ve been clean of drugs since Christmas Eve. Before that is was crack and heroin. It made me feel numb.
‘But I love it here, I love Erdington, I have always loved Erdington. The people are nice. I’ll probably get about £10 a day but that’s enough.
‘If someone else comes up and says I’ve been begging here two or three years, I’ll just say give me 20 minutes and I’ll move. I’ve not had no real problems.’
How to get help if you're homeless in the UK
If you’re homeless or are facing homelessness in the next few weeks, your local council must help you.
The time frame for facing homelessness may vary by country – in England and Scotland it’s eight weeks, but in Northern Ireland it’s 28 days.
Your local council will then assess what kind of help they can give you depending on your need, if you’re eligible, and what caused you to become homeless.
Reasons why someone might become homeless include:
- Experiencing domestic abuse, threats or violence
- Your family or friends have told you to leave
- You’re lodger and you landlord wants you to leave
- Your landlord has handed you an eviction notice
- Your home is in very bad condition and not safe to live in
- Your mortgage lender is repossessing your home
- Your relationship has broken down
- You can’t afford to stay in your home
Most councils require you to have a local connection to their area in order to help you – for example somewhere you’ve lived recently, have family who live there, or have worked there.
However if you’ve served in the armed forces within the last five years, you don’t need a local connection to the council area you’re applying to.
People who are sofa surfing, or staying temporarily with friends or family, are already classed as being homeless.
Examples of people who would be in priority need for housing include:
- You or someone you live with is pregnant
- ‘Dependent children’ live with you (under 16s or under 19s if they’re studying full-time)
- You’re 16 or 17
- You’re under 21 and were in care between the ages of 16 and 18
- You’re assessed by the council as vulnerable, for example as a result of old age, disability or domestic abuse
- You’re homeless after a flood, fire or other disaster
Councils are not allowed to simply turn you away from receiving support.
If they won’t try to help you find a home, they must give you a letter which explains why they won’t help. You can ask for a review of that decision and could get free legal advice.
To seek help from your local council, click here, and for advice from housing charity Shelter, click here.
Nigel grew up in London before his family moved to Surrey when he was 12. He left the family home when he was 16 because he says his dad physically abused him.
He worked as a mechanic and a plasterer throughout his 20s but started doing class A drugs aged 31, which is where it ‘all went downhill’.
He said most of his friends had died due to alcohol or drug abuse, the youngest of whom was just 31.
‘I’m trying to get into a home in Coventry and then I want to set up a charity to help the homeless and needy. I have three trustees already in line,’ Nigel explained.
‘I want to help drug addicts, alcoholics and the homeless. I first wanted to do it 30 years ago when I was homeless and I’ve been thinking about it ever since.
‘But thinking about something and doing something is two different things though.’
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