I was born in a small town in south Yorkshire. The town has a troubled history and its fair share of socioeconomic challenges. I lived in the town until my late teens when my overbearing mother threw me out of the family home. My crime was being boisterous. Living on the streets not knowing where your next meal would come from was hard. Living off other people's handouts was worse. It was degrading and soul-destroying. 

So in my late teens I decided to up sticks and move from my roots in the north to the south of England for a fresh start. Living on the streets is hard no matter where it is. It is a hard life and takes its toll on you. You feel cold, frightened, ashamed and a failure to society. Even though some of the homeless population have had successful careers and a family life, it can only take one bad decision for your life to fall apart and spiral out of control, reaching breaking point or rock bottom.   

When you are living on the streets people often walk past you with either pity in their eyes or hold a negative judgemental opinion as to why you are homeless in the first place. Many do not see the person as human, only one of life's failures. Just another statistic. 

My break from a homeless existence came when I was walking past an Army Careers Recruitment Office. Before I knew it I was enlisted into the British Army. Some months later I arrived at my regiment, shy and introverted. Regimental life was great, it was a family that I never had growing up. 

Before I knew it I was posted to Cyprus as a United Nations Peace Keeper. When I put on the blue beret for the first time I felt so proud. Cyprus was hot and took some getting used to. Initially, the 5:30am physical training was tough, but after some time I enjoyed running through the Cypriot streets close to the buffer zone. All was going well in Cyprus with the UN until one cold night, whilst on routine foot patrol, a Greek soldier mistook me for a Turkish soldier and nearly blew my brains out. 

That experience affected me, not at the time, but later on in life where I became a ticking emotional time bomb waiting to explode. One night whilst I was on Christmas leave, that emotional time bomb went off with devastating consequences. Before I knew it I was in the criminal justice system and out of the Army. The Army was my life.

In the UK, the number of ex-Service personnel in prison is estimated to be 3.6%, as of June 2022, but I think that figure might be higher. Ex-Service members now find themselves in an inadequate, under-resourced criminal justice system, feeling isolated and on their own.
Research has highlighted that veterans are more prone than their civilian counterparts to face challenges such as Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) as a result of their military experiences. The Royal British Legion estimates there are around 6,000 homeless veterans in the UK. A notable number of veterans will turn to drugs and/or alcohol as a means of coping with the trauma or difficulties of reintegrating back into a chaotic society. 

The whole experience of being locked away in prison, isolated from family and friends, and the absence of sufficient support, means many veterans find it hard to reintegrate back into society once they are released. They are often thrust into economic hardship and, just like anybody else, the experience presents a considerable risk to their mental health.

Whilst in prison, veterans simply do not get the help they so desperately need, this is due to the prison system being under-resourced and the poor training of the prison healthcare staff when it comes to veterans' mental health. 

Being a military veteran in the criminal justice system presents intricate challenges that will demand immediate attention from government policymakers, various agencies and military charities, finally enabling me to get back on track to leading a somewhat normal life. 

Veterans support

If you are ex-forces and experiencing homelessness, please see the List in the centre pages of the magazine for information on a range of helpful services, including ones specifically for homeless veterans.

• Visit www.gov.uk/guidance/getting-homelessness-support-as-a-veteran to find available support across the UK for veterans experiencing homelessness. The site has details on Op Fortitude, the government-sponsored referral pathway helping veterans find suitable accommodation.

FOTJA toolkit

Friends of the Joiners Arms has launched a toolkit through the JOIN project on how to make spaces more LGBTIQA+ friendly. You can download the toolkit on this page: www.friendsjoinersarms.com/join-toolkit

Friends of the Joiners Arms (FOTJA) is a campaign group aiming to open an LGBTIQA+ community-owned bar in east London. It’s not exactly the first place you’d expect to launch a project tackling social exclusions faced by people who are homeless. But the FOTJA ethos is one of radical inclusion – following in the footsteps of queer community activists throughout history.

Over the past year, FOTJA’s JOIN Project has collected the voices and experiences of over 100 LGBTIQA+ people who are homeless. Many are hidden homeless – moving between temporary accommodation, or relying on friends, lovers, public transport or informal work for a place to sleep. Many are people seeking asylum or with insecure immigration status, highlighting similar exclusions faced by different groups of LGBTIQA+ people.

The JOIN Project’s new Community Toolkit and podcast series brings these exclusions to light, focusing on the barriers to work, housing and community its contributors have faced. It also offers individuals and organisations concrete guidance, frameworks and strategies to help pull those barriers down. As the Toolkit introduction explains: “Expecting people to fit into structures that were never designed to meet their needs, experiences, or talents will not end exclusion. We must do more than open a few doors, for a few people, to access an exclusive club. This Toolkit can help us jam open the doors – and welcome everybody inside.” Topics covered include ‘safer spaces’ policies, accessible recruitment practices, trauma-informed safeguarding, creating sober spaces, and structures for flexible and rewarding volunteer programmes.

Homelessness is a painfully common reality for LGBTIQA+ people. According to Stonewall, one in five people from the community will experience homelessness at some point in their lives. A study by Micro Rainbow found that was true for twice as many LGBTIQA+ people seeking asylum or with refugee status – despite their being eligible for government housing support. The London Queer Housing Coalition estimates there to be 33,000 LGBTIQA+ homeless people living in the capital right now.

For queer and trans people of any age and any background, family rejection and abuse is a common root cause of homelessness – with fresh discrimination and harassment often encountered within state, local authority or charity services. Generation Rent research shows that LGBTIQA+ people find it far harder to secure private rental accommodation and are far more likely to live in unsafe, damp or mouldy homes. Homophobic and transphobic discrimination is made worse when combined with racism, ableism, or landlords’ refusal to accept housing benefits – all illegal under the Equalities Act 2010, but very hard to prove. Because of these exclusions, LGBTIQA+ homeless people often don’t know what benefits and supports they are entitled to, don’t feel that they deserve them, or don’t believe they’ll find support when exercising their rights.

Those rights are under threat. Hate crimes and verbal attacks on LGBTIQA+ people and migrants are on the rise – including from high profile commentators and politicians. In summer 2024, rioting mobs tried to burn down a hotel housing people seeking asylum – parroting myths about people seeking safety living in “luxury” at others’ expense. As JOIN contributors attest, the conditions of Home Office accommodation are bleak – “like a prison” in the words of Carolina. Others living in hotels reported homophobic officers, lack of privacy, inedible food and isolation. With no right to work and meagre funds, residents feel trapped, far from affirming community spaces.

Those spaces are also under threat: between 2006-2022, three in five London LGBTIQA+ venues closed. Most that remain are for-profit businesses catering to wealthier sections of the community – often inaccessible, unaffordable and/or unsafe for those who don’t fit that bill. When a queer or trans-led venue closes, it means one less place for people to feel safe – and one less route into affirming and rewarding employment, training or volunteering opportunities for people widely excluded elsewhere.

The JOIN Project Toolkit provides part of that education. It is available to download for free in English and Arabic, with a Spanish translation on the way. For any organisation seeking to build more inclusive, affirming structures – be they for people who are homeless, migrants, LGBTIQA+, or facing other exclusions – it is an invaluable resource.

Empty homes

Westminster Council wants to seize control of homes left empty for longer than six months, in order to repurpose them for temporary accommodation. In March, the Evening Standard reported the council believes it will spend £140m on temporary accommodation for people experiencing homelessness. An estimated 11,000 properties in the borough are sitting empty. Town hall research has shown two properties in the borough, both owned by individuals based in Qatar, have not been lived in for 20 years. The council is calling for a change in the law to allow local authorities to take control of private properties when they are empty for longer than six months.

The first homes at Allia’s Chelmsford site. © Allia Future Homes
Turning point: The first homes of a £3m supported housing project for homeless people in Chelmsford were built in February. CHESS Homeless, in partnership with Allia Future Homes, is delivering 24 housing units, designed to be stayed in for an average 18-month stay before residents move on to permanent housing. The project is built on a former motel site and access to supportive services will be available to residents. CHESS Homeless believes the site could help up to 1,000 homeless people into secure, permanent housing over the project’s lifetime.

In other news

• Lambeth Council in London made 160 households homeless using Section 21 no-fault evictions, in order to make room for other households currently in temporary accommodation, according to an issue of Private Eye in February.
• The 2025 London Planning Committee Report has outlined the London boroughs doing their best to alleviate the housing crisis and highlighted those found wanting. Leading the way, Ealing approved 5,391 new homes in 2024, an impressive 158% of its annual target. Meanwhile, Left Foot Forward found Westminster had approved just 39 homes and Wandsworth only 181 (while rejecting 440).
• Regions in England fear they may lose millions in homeless prevention funding under new government plans. The Evening Standard reported in March that a new formula for distributing the homeless prevention could leave councils outside of London worse off, while London boroughs receive an average 10% increase to their grant. Among the councils worse off, Hastings faces cuts worth £750,000 thanks to the new formula.

An artwork from the One Roof festival show in January © the Pavement
Arts event: The annual One Roof festival took place in late January at the Old Diorama Arts Centre (ODAC) in London, with the Pavement glad to attend the closing exhibition: a collection of works produced during the festival’s duration. One Roof festival ran a full two-week programme, including workshops organised and facilitated by the Museum of Homelessness, Feedback Theatre and the poet Surfing Sofas. Following the success of the festival, ODAC has launched a full term of events taking place every Friday.
For more information visit: olddiorama.com/oneroof

Funding dilemma

Glasgow City Council’s integration joint board (IJB), the body directing health and social care services, has slammed the government’s lack of funding that has seen the IJB in a £42.5m deficit. The IJB claims the council’s commitment to following a government edict to handle asylum claims speedily has led to more people presenting to the council as homeless. However, according to an IJB report “no additional funding has been provided from the UK Government to support these households”. STV News says a supported living service for the elderly in the city will be stopped in an attempt to save cash. A grim picture of UK life in 2025: potentially life-saving funding for one group of vulnerable people, choose wisely.

The entrance to the soup kitchen at the American International Church. © the Pavement
Soup’s up: A correspondent for the Pavement recently visited the American International Church in central London. Here are Sugianto’s thoughts from his trip: “The soup kitchen is at the back of the church. Be prepared for a long queue. The meal is somewhat okay but it is better to get it than nothing.” Check out the List in the centre pages of the magazine for the church soup kitchen’s opening times and details on other local services.

Talking talk

Prime Minister Keir Starmer blasted the SNP’s record on homelessness in Scotland in a Prime Minister’s Questions (PMQs) session in late March. According to the Daily Record, Starmer labelled the SNP homelessness record “shameful” in response to a question from Edinburgh East and Musselburgh MP Chris Murray. Murray had asked, “Does the Prime Minister agree with me that there should be no homeless children?” In his response, Starmer reiterated his government’s pledge to “invest £1bn to tackle homelessness, abolish no-fault evictions and build 1.5m new homes.” (Psst, somebody should show him our news item on the previous page detailing Lambeth Council, which is Labour-run, using no-fault evictions to make 160 households homeless). He later challenged the SNP to improve its record, saying “they [the SNP] have the power, the money and now it's time they started delivering.”

George Orwell’s Diaries © the Pavement
The Orwell Foundation’s annual Prize for Reporting Homelessness closed for applications on 31 March. The prize was first awarded in 2023, to celebrate reporting that “shares personal experiences of homelessness in an impactful way and helps to change the national conversation about the issue,” according to The Orwell Foundation’s website. For more information about The Orwell Prize for Reporting Homelessness and how to enter for future awards, visit www.orwellfoundation.com/the-orwell-prizes/about/about-the-prizes/reporting-homelessness

Needs must

A new local homeless strategy has been proposed by West Lothian Council’s Housing Needs manager, Sarah Kelly. Kelly informed West Lothian Council’s Executive at a meeting in march that there has been a 5% increase per year in demand for housing in West Lothian among people aged 16-24. Demand has far outstripped supply since rules on local connection were changed in 2022, allowing people to apply as homeless to any council in Scotland from anywhere in the UK. The new homeless strategy has three priorities, according to Yahoo news: “Ensuring prevention is the first response to reduce homelessness where it is possible and safe to do so; increasing opportunities and improving access to housing supply; and ensuring people who become homeless are supported to achieve long term sustainable outcomes.”

Old copies of the Pavement used to block out light for a ‘darkroom’. © Street Storage
A new entry showcasing the Pavement’s versatility, courtesy of Caroline from Street Storage. The London-based charity converted a room at one of its locations into a temporary darkroom for one of its photography-keen guests, with the help of some spare Pavement mags. Readers will recall last issue featuring a photo of the Pavement being used to balance a table at a day centre. Let us know how the mag has helped you out in a jam: email editor@thepavement.org.uk