My days as a young homeless person

I remember when I was a young homeless person. I remember
my first homeless day, being stuck in Victoria. I still had some money in my
bank account and decided to withdraw all of it! I used it to treat myself to a
hotel room for the night. By coincidence, I found myself having a drink in a
bar, close to that very same hotel, the other night.

After my hotel stay, I was stuck on the streets at night.
The weather wasn’t too bad then, but it was still quite cold. I undertook work
in kitchens in St James park, opposite where I used to work before going on the
streets. It was a cash-in–hand job, no questions asked.

Homelessness became a vicious circle. By this I mean that
I was receiving my £80 wages on the Friday and then going straight to the
Wetherspoon pub in Victoria station. The money was frittered away by the
following Tuesday, with me on the streets throughout, then back to work again
on Wednesday. At this stage, I wished I’d kept my bank account open and put a
few quid in it.

This went on for a few months, until I was caught
consuming a can of wine in the kitchen locker room. I was given the choice of
four days notice or my earnings in-hand. I chose the latter.

For all I know, there may be young homeless people going
through the same thing. For example, around about carnival time, I saw a young
woman huddled inside a huge duvet, under the flyover. I felt very sorry for
her. I’m trying to think what advice I could give people in similar
circumstances, such as why not apply for a nice flat? It’s not as hard as you
think. Of course, it is up to the person in this position as to what path to
take. One can only offer advice.

Look at me now! I’m back on the rails, I have a place to
live and a bit of a life!

The End.