Homeless man forced to sleep in shopping mall doorway at Christmas

A man sits freezing cold in a shopping centre as people snap up presents – but he says the only gift he wants is a bed for the night.

Paul Straffon, 47, has been left to seeking warmth at Wimbledon Quarter by day. As Christmas shoppers file past him with bags full of festive goodies, it’s hard to summon the energy to offer seasons greetings.

But when the mall closes, he has to get into his sleeping bag on the cold, hard pavement outside.

Paul was born a Londoner with a family home not far from the shopping centre, but is now destitute and homeless – like thousands of others.

When temperatures plunge below zero, he has some respite with the right to a bed for the night under pledges from the Mayor of London. But the rest of the time, it can be days on end seeking warmth.

The irony of his existence right next to shoppers filling their baskets with Christmas cheer is not lost on Paul as he sits in Wimbledon.

‘It’s difficult to have any festive cheer’

He told Metro: ‘It’s very hard to keep my spirits up. I’m surrounded by people with bags full of shopping and laughing and joking while I am freezing and without a roof, struggling on.

‘It’s not their fault and people have been very kind but it’s difficult to take. During the day I sit in the centre and the manager has been very kind to me but at night I am on the street not knowing when I may have a bed again.

‘It’s difficult to have any festive cheer. All I want for Christmas is a a bed to sleep in and a roof over my head but that seems too much to ask.’

Paul ended up back in his home city after being evicted from a flat in Devon as he found it hard to make ends meet.

He has all his possessions in a few suitcases – a stark contrast to the shopping bags with designer logos on show at the mall.

The shopping centre is in the south west London borough of Merton, where Paul has been into the council offices to ask for help.

However, beyond a few days when the temperatures have dipped below zero, no accommodation has been offered.

Paul said: ‘I had a bed for a few nights and I am thankful for that but it’s not the answer. This is a crisis.

‘I was brought up close to here and can’t imagine being able to afford the rents. There’s nothing affordable.’

‘The government should be able to provide shelter for people’

When temperatures drop below zero in London, the Severe Weather Emergency Protocol is triggered and teams from Streetlink organise accommodation for rough sleepers.

But when temperatures rise again, they are sent back to fend for themselves even though it may still be very cold.

Councils are struggling with the financial burden as more people come to them amid the ongoing cost of living crisis.

On the need for change, Paul added: ‘I know it’s difficult times but the government should be able to provide shelter for people. I don’t know how long I can go on in this situation.

‘People have been kind in the shopping centre, giving me hot drinks and things and I am grateful.

‘But at night it’s back out on the wet, cold street, it’s a miserable existence.’

There have been an estimated 13,000 people sleeping rough on the streets of London in 2024/5. In the same period, more than 180,000 people have been in temporary accommodation.

‘More than 382,000 people are without a safe place to call home’

Shelter, a homelessness charity, provides advice to people with housing trouble and said more than one million people a year come to them for help, often through online means and their emergency helpline.

The charity’s chief executive, Sarah Elliott, said: ‘It’s unthinkable that as winter sets in, more than 382,000 people are without a safe place to call home. Thousands of people are bracing themselves for their next freezing night on the street, while over 84,000 families are facing up to the grim reality of spending Christmas in damaging temporary accommodation.  

‘Every day at Shelter we hear from parents who are terrified of waiting out another winter in appalling temporary accommodation. Cut off from family and friends in a bleak emergency B&B that’s miles away, they watch as their children’s breath hangs in the air and mould climbs the walls.

‘We urge the government to help the families who are homeless right now by ending the freeze on housing benefit. This would immediately lift thousands of children out of temporary accommodation and into a home.’

‘The public can join us in this fight’

New measures have been announced to tackle homelessness in London recently, including £1million in funding for plans, Sadiq Khan’s office said.

As part of his aim to end sleeping rough by 2030, the plan for floating hubs aims for targeted, intensive intervention to stop someone’s situation becoming long-term.

Beyond policy change, Sarah added: ‘While we campaign for change, our frontline services will continue providing direct support to those facing homelessness this winter and beyond.

‘The public can join us in this fight by donating to our urgent appeal today.’

A Merton Council spokesperson said: ‘We know how hard it is for anyone experiencing homelessness, particularly in colder weather, and we aim to offer support as quickly and compassionately as we can.

‘Our outreach partners and neighbourhood teams work proactively across the borough every day to identify and support rough sleepers, making sure they know help is available and encouraging them to engage with us in whatever way feels most comfortable for them.’

‘When concerns were first raised about the individual, our housing and outreach staff made contact with them on 20 November and ensured they had somewhere safe to stay. They were invited to come to the Civic Centre for a statutory homelessness assessment, which they attended at a later date. At this stage, they chose to pause this process while he sought further advice. Our support remains open to them, and our outreach team will continue to look for them so we can offer help.’

Get in touch with our news team by emailing us at webnews@metro.co.uk.

For more stories like this, check our news page.