Shaun is 19 years-old sleeping rough on the streets of London. After his father died, his mother got depressed. She started to drink more and take sleeping pills. Her depression got worse until she was hospitalized.
Four weeks before this interview, Shaun’s mother died. Two weeks later, the landlord kicked him out because he couldn’t pay the rent.
Shaun’s first night of homelessness, he woke up with his shoes stolen. Shaun said he didn’t know the rules for sleeping rough. He learned to use his shoes as a pillow.
The London Assembly housing committee report estimates that there are 13 times more hidden homeless people in London than those who are sleeping rough. Almost a quarter of a million under-25s homeless youth in London have stayed in an unsafe place because they have nowhere to call home.
