Homeless in Hull for 48 Cold Hours
Description:
In December 2010 photographer Jerome Whittingham spent 48 hours living rough on the streets of Hull in the company of Jonathan, for whom the city's streets are currently home.
On this page Jerome offers his images as a snapshot of street homelessness in Hull. He also reflects upon his experience, and looks at how needs can be met.
It is a constant struggle to keep warm and dry.
What, then, is it like to be sleeping rough in Hull?
I left home with only loose change (about £5) in my pocket, only the warm clothes I was wearing, a sleeping bag and plastic sheet. I left behind my mobile phone, payment cards, and even handed my house keys to a friend so I knew I couldn’t sneak home. The only item that might separate me from those that sleep on the streets was my camera.
My 48-hour experience of homelessness coincided with snow and night time temperatures of -6 and -12 degrees Celsius. Surprisingly once bedded down on top of flattened cardboard boxes, inside a sleeping bag, and covered with a plastic sheet - the climate was bearable. I felt at my coldest in the early hours of the morning, and especially on climbing out of my sleeping bag. There is nowhere to go and get warm in the early hours of each day.
Doors shut, shutters down, wandering the streets is all you can do till bedding down.
Days are long, and the colder/wetter you get the longer they feel! The city centre is very noisy at night, people going home from nightclubs, workmen emptying bins and street cleaning, deliveries being made to shops. Sleep is broken, and the day starts early and ends late.
Most people just pass you by during the day without a glance as if you aren't there. Thankfully others stop for a chat, share a joke or just show an interest - knowing that someone cares, even if they're a complete stranger, is heart warming.
Eating out is exactly that, but it's no picnic. I was struck by how generous some people are. Without begging, I ate well though not healthily! A staple diet of warm sausage rolls and pasties offered without judgement by people that passed me by and took pity.
There are a number of soup kitchens and coffee mornings that cater for the homeless and disadvantaged, offering a breakfast and warm drink. There are also some very kind cafe owners and other business people who offer warmth and nourishment.
A pocket radio provides company till exhaustion fells you.
Embarrassment was certainly my biggest worry - what if someone recognised me? I hesitated before I first sat down on that dirty mattress on the street! Many homeless are, I discovered, extremely embarrassed to be in such a predicament. They are ashamed to be reliant upon the goodwill of others. They dislike having to live off state handouts. They are self-conscious about their shabby appearance, and even their smell. What upset me most was to learn that some homeless people are so embarrassed about their condition that they avoid meeting their children, other family or 'former' friends. This does nothing for their self-esteem, leaving them feeling hopeless.
Warm, dry and prepared for a comfortable night – if only.
Life on the street is not always safe, most street homeless people will tell you stories of aggression and abuse towards them, often by kids out to have 'fun' and cause trouble, but also by violent drunks and others. You sleep in fear of attack.
There is also nowhere to securely store your belongings. During my 48-hour experience we had food stolen from us and, more worryingly, sleeping bags and essential bedding. There is a limit to what you can carry with you. You have to hide your possessions wherever you can.
If you have almost nothing, you have almost nothing to lose.
Homelessness and hopelessness, two words with only slightly different spellings, and almost similar in life too. Listening to homeless people's stories, you begin to picture a series of tumbling dominoes. Perhaps bereavement causing depression, then affecting work, then loss of income, debt, finally losing your home. Perhaps domestic violence causing family break up, moving into temporary safe accommodation, then moving back into a parental home but unwelcome. Homelessness leads to hopelessness for many. Just when will the last domino fall? What can you do? Who can help? When will that help come?
Evenso, there were moments of peace. I remember lying awake at 2.30am on the first night, looking up at the stars, knowing that no-one was able to contact me by phone or email. However much I was missing my 2 sons, I had escaped all my usual work and homelife responsibilities. I can understand why people find street homelessness a hard ‘state of mind’ to break, however physically uncomfortable it may become.
A chat breaks the monotony, and may lead to help.
Jerome's experiences with the homeless and disadvantaged of Hull do not stop here. Visit his website, www.48hours.me.uk, for more information.
Type of Resource:
Artwork
Publication Date:
2011
Location:
Hull, UK