Since then, Ruth has remained in Stratford and, sitting by the railway station, is forced to rely on the generosity of Londoners who donate money to her. The Lithuanian has mental health problems and says that the anxiety of sleeping on the street made her think regarding suicide.
Ruth feels very insecure being homeless and has also been attacked and had her money and passport taken from her.
“It’s very dangerous here at night,” she admitted to MyLondon. “I was beaten a few weeks ago. Some guy beat me until I gave him my purse. At first I resisted, but he kept hitting me and I thought it’s not worth it anymore, so let him take her. I mightn’t get up for a while. It made it harder for me to trust people because we were just having a normal conversation when all of a sudden this happened.”
The 29-year-old girl from Lithuania was not helped by her family, which also lives in the United Kingdom. On the first night when she was thrown out into the street, the woman did not have a proper winter coat and faced the chilly weather with only a light jacket.
“Life on the street is like a vicious circle from which you cannot escape. I am constantly cold, tired and sick. The police are moving me from the place, but there is really nowhere to go. If I do something wrong, fine, arrest me, but where the hell am I going? The police should be looking out for people, but many of them seem cold-blooded towards the homeless.”
The London Borough of Newham has the highest number of homeless people in England, according to the latest Shelter report. A shocking indicator – one in 20 residents of the district does not have a permanent home. This data does not only include homeless people who sleep on the streets on a regular basis, as many homeless people sometimes shelter in Travelodge hotel rooms, B&Bs and tiny apartments. The number of homeless people in London has increased by 11% due to skyrocketing rents and the ever-increasing cost of living.
Polly Neate, chief executive of Shelter, described the situation as “out of control” with 167,000 homeless people in London. people.
“While the government takes this emergency seriously, our services will do everything they can to help people save or find safe homes this winter,” she said.
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2024-07-08 21:56:14