Rough sleeper: The story of a homeless man on the streets of Bolton

It feels like rough sleepers are becoming more commonplace in our town and each will have a different story as to why they ended up in such a difficult situation.

Chief reporter Liam Thorp recounts a chance encounter with one struggling young man who was happy to share his story.

I HAD been working late in the Bolton News office in the town centre one evening recently and had locked up and left at about 9pm, dreaming of food and bed.

As I walked around the corner, I saw a young man sitting in the doorway of the Octagon Theatre, which is based next to our newsroom.

I looked over at him and his hastily put-together sleeping shelter – consisting of a flat-pack cardboard box, an umbrella and a grotty looking sleeping bag.

As I glanced at him, the young man nervously asked me if I wanted him to move, to which I immediately said of course not, but asked if I could join him for a chat.

As with most journalists, this was not a totally philanthropic gesture – I had been planning on writing about homelessness for a while – but I also had an urge to give this young man the time of day and find out more about him.

His told me his name was Connor originally from Oldham, and said he had been homeless since he was 16.

He did not want his photograph appearing in the newspaper, but he said he was happy for me to tell his story.

“Dad got cancer when I was 16, he was due to go in for a big operation and unfortunately he passed away,” he explained.

Not knowing his mother, Connor had spells living with his grandmother and his stepmother before moving into an assisted living scheme – but at 18 he said he “slipped through the net”.

What makes Connor’s story fairly different is that he has a long-term partner and a three-year-old daughter named Olivia who he sees every day.

He met his girlfriend when the pair were at Bolton College together and they remain as close as ever, brought closer perhaps by a shared struggle.

“My girlfriend was also a rough sleeper but thankfully she now lives with my daughter at a women’s hostel in Bolton,” he said. “Having those two in my life is everything to me – I really don’t think I would be here without them.”

There was a constant air of optimism about Connor, no doubt inspired by love for his family, and he seemed genuinely hopeful of a better future.

“We go bidding for properties every Wednesday, you are allowed to bid for three houses each week and you work your way to the top of the list, I have been on the list for 18 months now but so far I have had no luck,” he explained.

“But I am really hopeful that my partner will be able to get a house and then we can move in together, we talk about that every day and just hope it will happen.”

Connor admitted that “the dream” is to get a house before the winter sets in, adding: “Obviously it gets very cold and it’s really harsh for rough sleepers, so the sooner the better.”

He said the hardest part of his day is saying goodbye to his partner and daughter every night at their hostel and preparing for another lonely night on the streets.

“We cry every night,” he said.

“She feels really bad about leaving me, but I tell her I will be all right.”

And with that the 22-year-old heads to the town centre in search of a sleeping spot that is hidden away from the elements – and preferably away from some difficult fellow travellers.

He said: “I don’t like to go near other rough sleepers, a lot of them do drugs and can be really aggressive – the other day one stole my sleeping bag, but that is not me – I’ve got a lot more to think about, like my family, so I don’t do drink or drugs.”

As well as not touching drugs or alcohol, Connor chooses not to beg for money from passers-by.

He said: “I just can’t do it, I don’t know why, I hate asking people for money, I just can’t do it – even if I have nothing, I hate the idea of people feeling sorry for me.”

Connor is helped by receiving some benefits – but he gives most of these to his girlfriend to feed and clothe his daughter.

He adds: “She gives me a few quid back to get something to eat and then we all go to McDonald’s together in the daytime.”

After our impromptu chat I shook Connor’s hand and thanked him for his time as I do after all my interviews, but I don’t usually get the response he gave me.

“Thanks for giving me someone to talk to,” he said, smiling – “I hope I gave you something decent to write about.” He did.

Council response

In response to today’s feature on homelessness, we asked Bolton Council for some information about what work it does to help those who sleep rough in the town.

A council spokesman said: “We work hard with our partners to help not only those who are homeless but also to prevent people becoming homeless in the first place.

“Under the Housing Act 1996, the council has a duty to provide suitable accommodation when the applicant meets certain criteria. During 2015/16, 233 households were identified as being in priority need and unintentionally homeless, for which we were able to secure suitable accommodation.

“Tackling homelessness is more than just helping those in immediate need. We work hard with our partners to prevent people from becoming homeless for a variety of reasons, by helping them to keep their accommodation. In 2015/16 we helped 1145 households from becoming homeless..

“While overall homelessness figures are considerably lower today compared with 10 to 15 years ago, the nature of homelessness has changed markedly during recent years. A higher proportion of those needing assistance are single people with a range of complex issues.

“During 2015/16 nearly 500 single individuals were given support and assistance to enable them to move on to more permanent accommodation. This support includes help with health problems such as drug or alcohol issues, mental health problems, support to prevent re-offending and practical help in particular with money management.

“We have a number of services in place to assist people to remain in their current home. We also try and help people move in a more planned way, avoiding emergency situations, which include providing temporary accommodation where possible. We help tenants to negotiate with private and public sector landlords to deal with rent arrear issues. We also offer court support for both rent and mortgage cases.”