‘I’ve lived in Birmingham all my life, worked for most of it, now I’m homeless and sleep in my car’

17/12/2023

“This is one of the lowest points of my life,” admits a dad-of-three, his voice croaking as though he’s just woken. It’s 10am and for the past three months the ex-bouncer has been living out of his car. Pulling up at service station laybys to avoid any trouble, he beds down on the front seat while his belongings are stuffed in the back.

After a break up with his partner, and struggling to work after gun threats on a club door, the 34-year-old is now pleading with the city council for housing near south Birmingham. Revealing his daily routine, he claims the authority were only offering HMOs in Handsworth or Alum Rock – away from his support network. And with Christmas [1] only a week away, he fears he’ll still be homeless – and have nowhere for his kids to visit, come December 25.

A former doorman at club, the dad says he’s suffering from post traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) after an armed thug pulled a shotgun out on him while working. Struggling to find work again amid issues with his mental health, he says he fears the gunman could ‘come after him’ as he was never caught. “I’ve lived in Birmingham my whole life, worked most of it and, never really asked for anything,” he stresses. “They [the council] are happy to take my money but now, when I need a little bit of help, they’re not there.

The dad-of-three has been sleeping in his car for three months – with the occasional night in a hotel, if he can afford the rate

“When I worked on the doors, a shotgun was pulled out on me.

I stopped working the doors because of all that. I’ve got stress, anxiety and depression. I kept on phoning [the council], because obviously I wouldn’t go to certain places, so my doctor wrote a letter saying I wouldn’t go to unknown places where I wasn’t familiar with because this gunman was never found.

“I’m always worried he’s going to be around places.” Now out of work and relying on Universal Credit [3], he says the GBP280 a month just about stretches to cover his gym membership so he can wash, diesel, car insurance and food, but he admits “it doesn’t go very far.” He’s only saved from the misery of sleeping in the car if he can “afford the odd night at a hotel.” Occasionally, Travelodge offer rooms for just GBP25, he says, but other times the same room can skyrocket to GBP200. Service station laybys then, are the next ‘safest’ bet, he says.

A typical day in the life for the dad-of-three – who beds down in his car amid his homelessness hell

“I try and stay out the way of people, services and things like that where it’s a bit safer to park up.

There’s more people on car journeys stopped for the night sleeping,” he explains. “People leave you alone there. “Obviously if you’re around people, they bang on the window when they’re going past. I once had police turn up and breathalyse me, thinking I was parked up drunk; I wasn’t, I was just trying to get some sleep.

“I normally wake around 11 or 12pm, then just sort of sit around, get something to eat, park up in laybys so people don’t talk to you. I’ve got a gym membership but I wait until no one’s at the gym at night before I go there for a quick shower, then just park up somewhere out the way and go to sleep. “I eat meal deals and takeaway s*** really.

Not every day as some days I don’t feel like eating – it’s also very expensive. I use that ‘Too Good To Go’ app quite a lot.

Brumwish 2023 – buy a gift for a child in need

BrumWish 2023 is Birmingham Live’s festive drive to get thousands of gifts to children and young people across our city – among them the homeless, the vulnerable, kids in care, kids who are poorly or struggling, and kids who have little. There are THREE simple ways to help.

Buy a new gift from the Brumwish Amazon giftlist [4].

In just a click your donation will be whizzing its way to our volunteers at Edgbaston Stadium.
Donate money to the appeal fund [5] hosted by Birmingham Thrive Together – this will help pay for gifts for kids with specialist needs or specific wishes
Buy a gift and, even better, rope in friends, neighbours and workmates to do the same, then drop off your pressies at special gifting days on Friday 8th December and Saturday 9th December at Edgbaston Stadium, 11am – 3pm. Volunteers will be there to greet you and thank you for your support. Please don’t wrap.

Thanks to our partnership with #Toys4Birmingham, every single gift will find a good home in the loving care of a child living in B&Bs or hotels, hostels or refuges, children receiving support from specialist organisations and charities, and families being supported by children’s centres and charities around the city.

Making up the Brumwish and Toys4Birmingham gang are Birmingham Thrive Together, Birmingham Playcare Network, Edgbaston Foundation (part of Edgbaston Stadium and Warwickshire County Cricket Club), Birmingham Forward Steps who first dreamed up #Toys4Birmingham and BirminghamLive/Birmingham Mail. Thank you to Amazon UK and the amazing team at the Sutton Coldfield depot for their support. “I have to keep the car running for the heater, and obviously it costs money and you’re not really supposed to keep the car running while you’re not going anywhere, but you have to do what you have to do to stay warm.

“It [diesel] takes up most my money. Everyone’s got heating costs and stuff like that but mine’s in my car, which costs a lot more than to heat a house.” Most recently, he claims he was offered a room inside a HMO in Handsworth Wood, but he says he won’t be taking the council up on the offer as it’s away from his support network.

“I’ve never even been to Handsworth Wood before. I said I’d tick anywhere, from Solihull [6] to Kings Heath [7] to Frankley, anywhere where I’m comfortable I know my surroundings.” He said he’d also accept a hotel as temporary housing but was told “we don’t house males with mental health in hotels.”

More by Stephanie Balloo

The dad was also recently hospitalised for ten days as he suffered from sepsis in his legs, he says. While in hospital, medics picked up he was struggling to breathe and lent him a machine to help at night – which he obviously can’t plug in.

“It’s costing GBP1,000 for the NHS [8], so they’re spending money on a machine I can’t use. The council said: ‘That’s not reason for needing a house.’ “My legs kept getting swollen, I told the council I was getting ill from my situation, they said: ‘There’s nothing we can do, I’m making myself intentionally homeless.'”

He adds: “I’d just like a room, that has a bathroom so once I’m in there, I haven’t got to leave the room, I can just lock my door. I know I’m never going to get a house or flat, but just a self-contained room with a bathroom. “The council said they haven’t got anywhere and basically, ‘beggars can’t be choosers.'” A spokesman for Birmingham City Council [9] said: “He is someone our Housing Support and Solutions Service are working with to support.

They have been informed of his preferred areas where he would like to be housed. “However, the national housing crisis means availability in those areas is very limited. We acknowledge that he is in a very difficult situation and will be in contact with him again to discuss his current options.”

Mum ‘pulled into headteacher’s office’ as kids in home so mouldy child has been off sick for 50 days [10] Cyclist told ‘don’t do that route again’ after robbers ‘battered him with hammers’ for GBP500 bike [11] ‘Airline left my legs in Germany’ – Passenger demands GBP4k over wheelchair row [12]

Tragedy of ‘bright’ student who died after ‘critical failing’ by Birmingham Children’s Hospital [13]

References

^ Christmas (www.birminghammail.co.uk)
^ ‘Hardworking’ dad died in Birmingham Airport crash while ‘rushing to get to work’ (www.birminghammail.co.uk)
^ Universal Credit (www.birminghammail.co.uk)
^ the Brumwish Amazon giftlist (www.amazon.co.uk)
^ the appeal fund (thrivetogetherbham.org)
^ Solihull (www.birminghammail.co.uk)
^ Kings Heath (www.birminghammail.co.uk)
^ NHS (www.birminghammail.co.uk)
^ Birmingham City Council (www.birminghammail.co.uk)
^ Mum ‘pulled into headteacher’s office’ as kids in home so mouldy child has been off sick for 50 days (www.birminghammail.co.uk)
^ Cyclist told ‘don’t do that route again’ after robbers ‘battered him with hammers’ for GBP500 bike (www.birminghammail.co.uk)
^ ‘Airline left my legs in Germany’ – Passenger demands GBP4k over wheelchair row (www.birminghammail.co.uk)
^ Tragedy of ‘bright’ student who died after ‘critical failing’ by Birmingham Children’s Hospital (www.birminghammail.co.uk)