Now that the Winter has properly kicked in - Sean battles the elements every night to survive the streets and the cold. He has picked up work here and there as an artists, he has persisted in trying to secure permanent work as a tattooist, but the time lapse has dictated that he has now needed to sell some of his equipment just to eat.
I have witnessed his health demise to the point where he currently suffers chronic pain from an aggravated hernia - due to operate, but impossible without a fixed abode. He also suffers epilepsy which becomes exasperated by the cold and lack of sleep. If that wasn't enough, Sean battles to maintain a positive spirit without mood altering medications or illegal drugs.
I have certainly learned a lot from Sean's journey, which has led him firmly to the church step of Bournemouth's St Stephen's step - a stones throw from the community advice centre that denied him any assistance in this mid-Winter. He disclosed that his birth Mother lived in Cardiff and that was enough said; Though he was raised in care and has only spent a total of 5 of his adult years with her when he first left care, she was deemed as his family tie and bound him to seek assistance there - well certainly not here in Bournemouth anyway.
When he explained that he could not return to Cardiff due to terms of his bail where he had a restraining order put on him - banning him from his incestuous brother, not an eyebrow or eye was raised. For the purpose of receiving assistance in Bournemouth - it was irrelevant information. The heroic act of leaving his then fiance, the Mother of his twin boys, in their domestic home, after he caught her in the act with this same brother - has cost Sean dearly ever since. A fight ensued and his brother reported the bodily harm inflicted by Sean - and it was Sean who got banished.
Now he roams the streets of Bournemouth in poor health and without any family or State support. His case is in no way straight forward - and certainly doesn't bare any correlation to the 'Kindness Kills' scenario where the homeless are brandished as problematic and in need of shunning by local do-gooders.
Sean survives on the kindness of his locals - for without that, there is nothing. He uses Street Lights Soup Kitchen's every Saturday - the one that the council recently attempted to close down. He uses the charity of local businesses to donate art supplies and gets some access to Boscombe Art studios. I have purchased him a 24hr local gym membership - just so he can get in out of the cold and get access to washing facilities 24/7 and also supply food parcels and a hot flask. One of St Stephen's church members has spotted him and kindly donated waterproofs.
Sean grazes on the minimal services offered ad-hoc to the transient homeless - The Pink House - is like a day hostel facility; but Sean must report there daily every morning in order to receive washing facilities and packaged army supply type nutrition parcels. A grim life for a British Citizen.
And what of the future? The sum total of Sean's homeless assessment meeting was that unless he finds local employment and can prove a permanent regular employment contract (not zero hours) he has no hope of being assigned 'local tie' status and will therefore receive no assistance in getting off the streets.
On conclusion - the 'good' note was that - should the climate drop below zero, for 3 consecutive nights, they will open some random beds in one of the random day shelters. Hopefully the local street homeless wont freeze trying to find it!
