folks we are here with Kamal who’s been on the Streets of London for how long about 10 no to be real I came here about 20 years I’ve I had a flat in on the a of dogs and I lost it um through someone passing away the person that passed away was very dear friend of mine called Tracy an MOA she had a

terminal illness she was a university English teacher she was highly educated and every day I learned something and that was a 12E Journey before was that your partner it was not a partner it was P purely plutonic yeah it was that soul friend soulmates M the little actions of the person shouts out loud to me you know and she was a true friend I I knew what cocaine was but I never knew well I knew what heroin was but I never come across it I wasn’t around and S people until I came to London and it all started off in the West End and then we she got a flap because she was raped by a man and a woman in B daylight yeah and um it was a high profile case they put her in a safe house and I asked her where she’d like to live in England and she said London cuz her daughter Holly used to live here so she got flat in in um Lee South London right anyway to make money we’d have to go the West end with big history and she just had gift to the gab she’s only about 4′ 8 yeah petique very like you know Highly Educated very clever is a privilege and she used to go in the pub and come out the other end with well over £50 and then before you knew it we was not going back to the flat so we lost that flat then we got another flat I was there for about seven years it’s the best years that pardon was it the same the same woman with you yeah I was there for about seven years it was on the a dogs mud shoot and um yeah I was settled you know and happiness is a state of mind and that’s what I search for happiness real true and true people to be around which is very hard um I consider myself to be very lazy because I have no ID and I have to sort all of that out but it’s like over and over and over again you know you get it all it’s good and then you go to prison and you come out and you’ve lost it all I’m in that situ I’m just lazy yeah I believe that people have got choices and they don’t really have to be honest I you know all right but let’s go back to your to the beginning like you were born in the UK right that’s correct and uh you said you your father took you to my father at age of three no four told my mother that we was going to the fun fair um in Portsmouth and um I was asleep next thing I knew I woke up and I was like in a trolley like a airport trol with luggage and n and I asked for my mother and um they said m you won’t see your mother for a while yeah and at that age I believe kids need their mother you need foundation and I cried for her and she was not there and then um it was a culture shop where did he take to take youan Oman right Sal of Oman and um it’s third world country where you go toilet in the hole and you rinse yourself but on the other hand you got fresh food yeah you got Salam alums everywhere you go everyone’s humble to a different place of life and I’m stuck in London at the moment but that is my journey I’m trying to retrieve my dog uh and I’ve got a boat that I’m trying to um live in yeah right while I wait for my ID and then I’m going to buy a flight and I’m going to Brave be brave you got running and stop hiding I punish myself I don’t know why just I’m just punishing myself it’s not easy out here it’s hard yeah I’ll work all day long if I can get a job but I have no home and all that no phone nothing when you do get phones other people steal your phones it’s dangerous as well yeah but I’m a soldier I survived anyway after being in the Middle East for 3 years mom we came back here I think on a holiday we was in a hotel and uh the manager turned off the gas so my dad reported the fall right and the manager came out dressed in a boiler sup with some lollipops in his pocket he wait for my father to go out the the front room and he asked us our names and my sister chamia said camia and come on and gave us a lollipop then the police came we went to ground court and he was told you’d never be allowed to come back to this country his passport was confiscated he fored our passport but yeah your father’s passport was conf confiscated and he was fired from his country all right he put in prison I think for 3 months and then deported back to our mom where is he now he he might be dead he’s in own mom and um I’m reaching out for my family cuz we all need family and I’m not being big him my dad’s a she and um a seik a shake a shake yeah when he sits down people stand behind him yeah I’m not too out together with my culture but I lived in Oman for 3 years 3 years alhamdulillah that but my um my life is like a jigel puzzle and there’s one piece missing and that one piece I’m looking for is that country Oman yes it’s there yeah all right Kamal tell me about uh you said you you you had some substance abuse period yeah how was that I mean what substances was it when you come to London and your homeless yeah I don’t know what it is you start smoking crack and heroing and you can’t get away from it because you’re in that area with all the cilities that you need to be rehoused is there and these people are there and The Temptations you know what I mean but um I stopped I smoke a little bit weird now but weed is still the Gateway it’s escapism I suppose I forget my problems for a little while you know and it’s not living man not living at all it’s hard where are you sleeping anywhere really anywhere anywhere are you you on the streets or you’ve got like a shelter I’m on the streets man on the streets while here I’m on the streets yeah all right yeah all right Kamal what’s your plans for the future are you on the list are is there any kind of Charities helping you at the moment I’m I’m engaging with the Del Center which is at um Wentworth Street right um but again you go there today they’re closed go there tomorrow they’re closed yeah you know I see I see it’s not easy it’s not easy you need a good keyworker someone that cares you know to come out reach out and take you they say to sleep here for 3 days or whatever until they called Outreach people they have to come out and when they see you they go away they come back again they do that three times and and then you get a hosle but um here’s the thing you get police uh um officers um Enforcement Officers walking about and they move you on all right yeah they don’t let you sleeping like in the station or and you tell them look Outreach has told me to stay here for 3 days and I I’ll be put in a hotel or something they’re like you can’t stay here on your SP you have to move and you move you get me mhm all right all right Kamal and uh I mean if there’s somebody watching this may be your family in om man yeah please get in contact with me I’m in London yeah and uh where is the best place to find you have you got a phone number no um no I when just come out of prison a week ago I got a phone but it’s called the Del Center yeah 82 Wentworth Street the Del center right and they can get hold of you there so tell them Kamal maharam also known as Michael goon I’d love to see my family again I really would and I love you all right and have you got a phone number at the moment my phone yeah have you you can tell the number and people will be able to get hold of you yeah I can’t get up the battery’s dead good idea I’m being lazy like I said

yeah yeah so we’re going to get a phone number if somebody’s out there willing to help you willing to help Cal let uh contact it’ll be the Dow Center in London it will be the Dow center right post code is E17 SAA I’ll say it one more time London yeah Wentworth Street East London yeah brick Ling Wentworth Street 82 Wentworth Street all right and the post code is E17 SAA E17 SAA please contact me look I’m walking around with foreign money I can’t even change do that’s 5 it’s not it’s it’s not Canadian money oh Canadian money right yeah I see I loads of that and is there anything else you would like to add to the interview yes I’m currently trying to get my dog back yeah the British transport police took my dog his name is Rocco and um he’s a beautiful white American Bulldog I love them to bits and this is the paperwork here of my situation at the moment that one trying to get my dog back yeah where who is keeping your dog the the British transport police no they took the dog and they’ve handed the dog over to dots D TS yeah and just one par look I am absolutely certain that Roco would have died if he had not been taken to the dots charity Network R sta started you know what I mean that Rocco could are they making some some problems for you to get the dog bug yes they are he was taken in and Mr lambini simply doesn’t have the capacity to understand du to the dog can even walk up a flight Rocco couldn’t climb a small flight of stairs the day before he was taken so this guy that was meant to look after my dog when I was in prison I see put my dog on the internet Rocco he’s a beautiful white dog stuffy like looking

um yeah right and um sorry to hear that come on I want you I want your help people cuz I’m going to campaign to get him back cuz with him I feel strong yeah I feel that I can um I’ll do things responsible things sorry for that yeah cuz he’s my boy well M anyway I said the wentw street that do see I can’t even think through I got nothing there a good dancer here this guy look at that yeah yeah stilling your show

woo yeah but you get people like this out on the streets you meet a lot of funny people interesting people as well how long you’ve been on the street I’ve been about 20 years man years on and off on and off and what actually I I know you you went to prison can you tell us why did you go there what happened I got accused of an a half Point robbery right that was I done eight and a half I was right this is my situation I was in a no I was in um Cod Street yeah it’s a hostel down Brooklyn I was there and um someone invited us out to smoke and we went and smoke and we spent money and it’s the P money that the government give these people yeah and I believe they’re trying to kill the homeless people by giving them the temptation of having all that money cuz they know it’s going to go into a drug dealer’s pocket why would you do that MH maybe I’m nut for saying that but that’s what I believe yeah I I ain’t currently getting P the moment I ain’t get no money through the um benefits because again I have to go to the bank and get my DET look this is nuts right is that good yeah yeah yeah nice one Kamal is there anything else you would like to add no it’s been a pleasure talking to you I feel a little bit better I’m happy that I that someone out there who cares and wants to do something about it welome keep up the good work thank you very much all the best for you hopefully you get your dog back get back yourself a place to stay yeah M and uh get off the whatever you’re using if you’re using anything yeah all right thank

you