大象传媒 Scotland - 大象传媒 Scotland - From being attacked by strangers to long lonely walks listening to The Smiths 鈥� the varied and personal stories of homelessness

From being attacked by strangers to long lonely walks listening to The Smiths 鈥� the varied and personal stories of homelessness

19 December 2017

While , their experience lasted only one night.

What if you’re homeless night after night? turned the microphone over to homeless people to record their own testimony of the dangers they face in the doorways, hostels and back alleys.

I know very good bins. I know very good bins — but I can’t tell you. That’s my secret!

Bins are a vital source of food for some homeless people

I feel like a seagull sometimes!

Not literally, but in the way that they always disappear immediately when there is some kind of danger or something.

So if they see the food, they’re immediately close to it – as I am! – that’s animals, you know?

Animals have good instincts.

Every animal knows if it’s in danger, or if someone is hurting him.

That’s me now: animal.

Half animal, half human being.

I’ve been sexually assaulted; I’ve been attacked physically; I’ve been peed on.

Just treat us like a human, that鈥檚 all we鈥檙e asking for. That鈥檚 all I鈥檝e ever asked for.

Margaret

I’ve had people coming out of McDonald’s being nice and handing me food, and then people coming out of McDonald’s and literally throwing cheeseburgers at my face.

Taking it out the packet – saying ‘here, have that’ – and actually throwing it at my face.

It’s completely and utterly humiliating, cos you’ve got to sit there and you’ve got to take it.

You’re made to feel like you are the dirt on somebody’s shoe.

A lot of people think homelessness is just somebody sitting on the floor, in a cardboard box, asking you for change — and it’s not.

Walking around Dundee, Liam has noticed a rise in homelessness

That’s just some of the cases. There’s like my case, where people are in supported accommodation / a hostel.

When I wanna get out the house, I’ll just start going on a wee walk, put my earphones in...

Normally I’ll just head in any direction, just hope for the best, where I end up — but if I’m in a really bad place, there’s a stony beach that’s not too far from where I stay.

It’s time to reflect by myself. I’m not there for a massive amount of time, it’s just the music I get to listen to. That’s what I want.

I listen to a lot of The Smiths, I love The Smiths. A lot of their music and their songs, to me it feels like a story. And it’s a story about... it actually sounds like it’s written about me.

The soundtrack to their lives: in doorways, hostels, back alleys, and in a variety of temporary and often dangerous locations and situations

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