I met Connor in Clapham Junction. Despite his disability he is on the streets.
Hi folks, we are here with Connor who’s been on the streets of London for how long? Nearly 10 years. Nearly 10 years. Yeah. All right. What triggered your homelessness? Uh my mom my mom got sick and passed away and then the council came and kicked me out and that that was 10 years ago. Your mom about that about 10 years ago my mom passing away and then about 8 months after 9 months after the council came and kicked me out. But you you you I’ve seen you you’ve got some kind of disability. I had a stroke when I was 8 years old and they council didn’t help you. The council didn’t help you. The council the cancer in South London and across London generally is not very good or terrible. And they didn’t help you? No. Are you getting any kind of like like benefits or anything? Uh not yet. Not yet. Cuz I ain’t got an address or ID. I can’t I can’t claim it at the moment. Until I got ID, I can’t claim it. All right, Connor. Well, so that’s terrible story that you said you’ve been 10 years when you lost your mom. Yeah. And had a stroke. Yeah. And you’re smoking butts like that. Well, I’ve got no money, so I can’t go and buy cigarettes. So, I got to pick up. How old are you now? 31. 31. So, you spend most of your life on the streets? Only 10 years. Only 10 years. Oh, there’s only one pool. the cigarettes. Everybody wants cigarettes. All right. So, how where are you getting the money from? I have to beg and ask. You beg and ask. And people are people people are generous in South London. Not really. Nowhere really. There’s no one carrying money really. Let’s be real. Yeah, I know. This is This is This is it. Nobody’s carrying money. So So you’re not you’re not able to get any money from people? Uh not really. Whoa. Maybe maybe £15 for the whole day. That’s it. Begging. Yeah. Yeah. Conor, where do you Where do you live? This walkway, that walkway, this doorway, that doorway, wherever. Where? Wherever is dryways? You’re sleeping on doorways? Underneath uh roofs, wherever is dry. My gosh, man. You Why don’t you use a hostel? I mean, you have to have referrals and you have to have uh paperwork from the council and you have to have this interview, that interview, and it’s just I’m I’m x amount of time on the waiting list for emergency temporary accommodation and I I reckon I’ll wait at least 2 years before I even get emergency accommodation. So, you’re not even trying? I am trying. Of course, I’m trying. But until until they give me the go-ahhead to go and Yeah. I I won’t. All right, Connor. Gosh, man. I mean, have you got any problems with like substance abuse? No, no, only cigarettes. Only cigarettes? Yeah, literally. I don’t drink. I don’t smoke drugs. I don’t do nothing. I just literally smoked. And what do you do the whole days? Try and get money for shelters, but no one gives me money. People just rather buy me food because they think that I’m I’m a junkie or an alcoholic, which I’m not, obviously. As you can as you can see, there’s no there’s no cans here. So, yeah. All right. Well, Connor, tell us more about yourself. You know, like what’s your hobbies? And my hobbies? I ain’t really got any hobbies. You don’t have any hobbies? I used to play table tennis when I was younger before I was homeless. But yeah, table tennis was something you used to do. Yeah. But obviously because of being homeless, I ain’t really I know it sounds like I ain’t really got the time because I’d rather make money to go to a hostel and get food then play table tennis. All right. So the stroke. So before this you had the stroke you were 8 years old and you were you were you I was a normal child. You were a normal child and what triggered the uh a blood clot. I got a blood clot in my heart and it went to my brain. I’m sorry to hear that, man. You know what I mean? Being disabled and and and homeless, I mean, what else can happen to you, you know? My gosh, mate. It’s not good, mate. It’s not good. It’s not good. But yeah, mate. So, you you originally from South London here from Yeah. From Batter Sea. From Batter Sea. Yeah. That’s not Yeah, that’s just next door. I just walk from Buttercy. So you’re from Buttercy. So do you have any family around? No, my dad lives in Essex and my two sisters uh live in the country somewhere. I don’t know where. You’ve got two sisters. Yeah. And yeah, older than me. I’m the youngest. Do you keep in touch with them? Not really. I ain’t got a phone. So
you you don’t keep in touch with them? I can’t. I ain’t got no I ain’t got no way of contacting them. You have no contact for you whatsoever. Have you ever thought about getting a mobile phone number? Of course, but I I need money for that and you won’t do it. You won’t you don’t have the money. Well, I don’t have the money. It’s not the case if I don’t do it. I can’t do it.
I’m not able to. Well, I’m barely able to get money for shelters most days. I don’t make money for shelters. I don’t make money for food. I don’t make money for clothes. I don’t make money for shower. But come on, we are living in the UK. Yes, but listen, you’re thinking it’s easy being homeless and it’s not, bro. It’s not. It’s the hardest thing when people when people are laughing at you and are verbally abusing you because you’re sitting there asking them for help for a hostel and saying, “Go have a shower. Go get a job, you [ __ ] mate. It’s not easy. It’s not easy. I’m looking you dead in the house.” I know, but the country would help you. You know, the country don’t help themselves. So, how are they meant to help a homeless person? They there’s it’s like a host you never tried, brother. You have to have referrals from the council. You have to have this interview, that interview. As I’ve said before, it’s really not easy. It’s not easy. And people that generally walk past that have money, they don’t want to give it to us. They don’t want to because they can barely survive themselves. So, how they meant to help a homeless person when they can barely survive themselves? So, you say there is no like a social system in the UK to help a homeless person? There is, but they mate, they stopped sending outreach workers. They’ve stopped helping us cuz few cuz cuz other homeless people, not me and my mate, just other homeless people have have refused help. So, they’ve stopped sending out outreach workers and and outreach workers. So, they there’s no one coming out and helps us. Well, there are What about the street workers? Do they come and see you? Not really. Once a month on Tw once a month, once every other month. Even the street workers, they don’t come over. No, bro. No, they really don’t. Righty, mate. Don’t know what to say. I mean, I hear all sorts of stories, but I know there’s help here. You know, you should you should go to counsel and then tell your story. I’ve been to the council. I’ve told them my story. I’ve told them this. I’ve told them that. I’ve told them told them everything you’ve asked me. Everything I’ve told you, I’ve told them 10 times over. And they don’t care. They don’t want to care cuz the less effort they have to put in, the easier their life. So they don’t care. They don’t They just go, “Come back tomorrow. Come back tomorrow. Come back next week. Come back tomorrow.” And they let you just go on the streets and stay on the streets. Yeah. They don’t care.
It’s hard to believe in that, but uh if that’s what you say, you know, I’ve never been in that situation. Thanks God. So, I I don’t know what what it is like, but uh mate, it’s scary, bro. It’s scary not knowing where I’m going to sleep. That’s warm. Well, and if somebody’s watching this vlog, well, this video and and would like to help you, how can we help you? I mean, I’m going to leave you some money when I go, but uh how can other people help you? Uh if other people have got cash donations, then that would be nice. Or clothes or Have you got a phone number? You don’t? Unfortunately, not. Uh yeah. So basically it’s Clapham Junction. Yes. South London Junction Station and that’s where you are and that’s where you can get hold of you and help you. Just look around. Just look around for me. And your name was Connor. Connor. Yeah. Look for Connor around here. You quite Yeah. You you you got the disability. You long hair. So it’s quite easy to to spot you. There’s a there’s another guy called Thomas that looks like me, but I’m not Thomas. I get mistaken for Thomas a lot, but I’m not Tom. Okay. Yeah, Thomas is here as well. Where are you, Connor? Because I I’ve seen you here, but you’re not begging, are you? Yeah, I beg. You do beg, right? Have to. You have to. Where about do you usually stay? Wherever. Wherever. Right. But usually around the Clapham Junction or you you go to other places as well. Yeah. All right, my friend. Um, all right. Just tell me about yourself a little bit. What kind of music do you like? Everything. Everything. Name it. I listen to it. From dance hall music, R&B, rap, reggae, everything. Name it. I listen to it. Okay. Right. Dance hall like black music. Yeah. You like that? Yeah. All right. All right. And are there any good places to go out in Clubam Junction? Mate, what? Being homeless? Nowhere. No, you don’t go out. I can’t go out, bro. I’m homeless. As soon as I go to your door, No, you can’t come in. It’s not It’s not a normal life, bro. It’s not a normal life. People think it’s easy being homeless, but it’s not. When what? When the people that are watching this, they can go to their door and lock their door and knock and knock the world out. I can’t. The world’s my bed. The outside’s my bed. So, yeah. light corner. Uh, is there anything else you would like to the not really bothered to be honest? Thank you. All right. Well, I wish you, you know, all the best. Hopefully you find some accommodation soon. Hopefully, somebody will help you. You know, somebody will see you around there cuz you’ve got a tragic story. Had a you had a stroke when you were 8 years old. You lost your mom when you were 10 years old. You lost a flat. And were you were you homeless from the age of 10? 20 10 years ago. Oh, were I 20? What did you do before between the Were you in school? You’re in school and it was it like a boarding school or where did you stay? It was a normal school. I I stayed with my parents. Mhm. My dad me and my dad had fallen out when my mom passed away. So, yeah. All right. Okay. All right. Thanks for for for for for the for the talk you know and uh well I hope I won’t see you on in this state here but all the best my friend take care Wow.
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