Homeless gathered in a car park for help
“People lose the will to better their lives. The heroin and crack takes your soul and it is the daily struggle over and over.
“In the last two months I’ve sat back and thought, ‘I’m 32 years old, I’ve got no kids and I’ve done nothing with my life’.
“I’m at the point now where it is do or die. I know I can fix it and I will.”
Karl Williams
Karl is originally from Abertillery and says he is now the only person currently sleeping on the streets of Risca.
The 51-year-old said he has to keep his distance from most other homeless people for fear he may be the target of theft and bullying.
A footballing injury about 18 years ago led to complications which resulted in Karl having his left leg amputated below the knee.
His left shoulder is also permanently out of place, meaning he can’t raise his arm.
He said his disabilities mean he is often unable to defend himself and has suffered domestic abuse in the past.
Karl said he tried to settle in Newport, but travelled up to Risca when the bullying got too much for him.
He tends to sleep in shop doorways and is treated well by people in the town. Karl takes the bus to Newport so he can get himself fed.
“I’ve given up. I’ve tried killing myself three times,” he said. “Life doesn’t mean anything to me. Hopefully I won’t be here for Christmas.”
Leighton Cutler
Leighton is aged 34 and has been homeless for the past two months.
After his mother was forced to move, things began to spin out of Leighton’s control, but fortunately he managed to quickly find space in a hostel.
“I lost some family,” Leighton said. “My mother had a four-bedroom house but had to give it up.
“She went to a one-bedroom bungalow so I had to move on.”
Although Leighton has had a difficult few months, he counts himself among the fortunate ones.
“I’m looking around me and seeing people who have it a lot worse than me,” he said. “I can remember I was in a tent, in a sleeping bag not so long ago. It is bad. When I was on the streets I was too scared to come out of my tent a lot of the time.
“I was walking around with scruffy clothes, I couldn’t get a shower, so I couldn’t socialise with people.”
Leighton is hopeful that next year he can get back on his feet.
He said he wants to get his own place sorted so he can see his children more regularly.
The volunteers
Hayley Thomas began visiting a car park in Newport in February with her next-door neighbour to hand out small amounts of food.
The 44-year-old quickly grew her work into a vibrant network of volunteers; some handing out hot and cold food several times a week, some fundraising, and others collecting donations from the public.
She called her group the Helping Caring Team (HCT) Homeless Project, but they are not a registered charity or official organisation.
“A lot of people turn up in the car park for food for themselves, or for children, or for dogs and it is all the same story,” Hayley said.
“Universal Credit makes it difficult for people to budget, a lot of people haven’t got the support for their mental health that they need.
“They cannot cope with it and then everything spirals very quickly. They find themselves literally saying, ‘We have no food’. The thing we found was the street homeless did need us, but a lot of them would go into hostels and they still needed us.
“I don’t want to be writing people off when they get to the hostel or the hotel. I have seen what that is like.
“They still need us for the social aspect and they still don’t have the facilities to feed themselves.”
Hayley is mother to five children with autism.
Her daughter is also partially sighted and one of her sons suffered with heart failure.
Her experience fighting for support for her children made her realise how many could fall through the gaps.
“A friend said these are our children,” said Hayley. “The guys that didn’t get that support in school, didn’t get that help. I know how to deal with them. If they tell me to f*** off, it is them saying ‘ I’m having a bad day’. I want to help them so they don’t feel alone.”
Hayley, who is known as “the headmistress” by everyone in the car park, said she is proud of the community she has gathered.
“We are a team,” she said.
“It is not about us, it is about the guys. We want to make a difference together.
“We don’t take on people unless they share that attitude. All of our people really care and that to me is what makes the difference.”
To find out more about the HCT Homeless Project, join their Facebook group: facebook.com/ groups/HCThelpingcaringteam/