Inside the hidden world of ROUGH sleeping
MORE people are sleeping rough than at any other time since the Second World War. There’s a homelessness crisis and it’s getting worse.
To highlight the epidemic, former soldier Ed Stafford has decided to spend 60 winter days and nights on the streets, with no money or shelter, filming himself for a first-hand view.
Spending time in Manchester, London and Glasgow, he meets people on the streets, finding out how they
ended up there and learning how they survive.
It’s a big risk to his physical and mental health as he says goodbye to his wife and young child to enter a dangerous world in the grip of booze and drugs.
Ed, a seasoned explorer, says: “Homelessness is massively on the rise and it’s something that shocks me but also it’s something that I don’t understand.”
With just a few clothes, a sleeping bag and a camera, Ed starts in Manchester, a city where rough sleeping has increased sevenfold since 2010.
As Ed looks for a place to bed down for his first night, he’s nervous. He says: “I’ve heard stories of homeless people being urinated on, set on fire in their sleeping bags, stabbed.” The streets are also a place where not everyone is what they seem, with begging an artform – some skilful beggars make more than the average wage.
During his time, Ed meets those caught in the grip of addiction, has an encounter with the police and also faces the indignity of rummaging through bins for food. A shocking insight into a hidden world.