Heart-wrenching footage reveals the grim reality of Britain’s homelessness crisis as a man is found living – inside a clothes bin.
The bloke, known only as Nigel, has made a home for himself inside a clothing bank near a church car park in Erdington, Birmingham.
The 52-year-old ended up on the streets of the UK’s second city after being housed in a multi-occupancy house with drug addicts in Northampton. London-born Nigel, who is recovering from a 20-year heroin addiction, left the HMO to maintain his sobriety.
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He stumbled upon the unlocked clothes bin about five weeks ago, where he now beds down each night before spending his days begging on the streets. Video footage reveals how Nigel has created a mini home for himself inside the bin – which he describes as the “comfiest bed he has ever slept in”.
(Image: Birmz Is Grime / SWNS)
In addition to bedding and duvets, it even features its own ‘library’ with a selection of books and a ‘beer shelf’. In a chat with the Birmz is Grime blog, Nigel says he’s hoping to secure a permanent place in Coventry but is content in Erdington for now.
Despite having lived as a rough sleeper on and off for most of his life, he also shared his dream of starting his own homelessness charity. Nigel said: “I’ve been living in the clothes bin for four or five weeks. I realised it was open.
“It’s warm inside and it’s waterproof. It’s more comfortable than any bed I’ve ever had.
(Image: Birmz Is Grime / SWNS)
“There’s my library, there’s my beer shelf. Nobody has put clothes in while I’ve been inside.
“If they did, I think I’d say ‘thank you’ and they will be like ‘hang on, the bin’s talking to me’. I’m totally off the smack but a few beers help me kip at night.
“I’m waiting on Coventry Council to rehome a bloke and then I might get a place somewhere hopefully. I’ll have a little drink here – but I’ve been clean of drugs since Christmas Eve.
“Before that, it was crack and heroin. It made me feel numb.”
Discussing where he’s living now, he said: “But I love it here, I love Erdington, I have always loved Erdington. The people are nice.
“I’ll probably get about £10 a day but that’s enough. If someone else comes up and says I’ve been begging here two or three years, I’ll just say give me 20 minutes and I’ll move. I’ve not had no real problems.”
(Image: Birmz Is Grime / SWNS)
Nigel said he started hitting the bottle again around eight weeks ago after he was put in an HMO in Northampton. He told Birmz Is Grime: “They were taking drugs and drinking so I walked out of there.
“So I’ve been between here and Northampton since. I grew up in London and my family moved to Surrey when I was 12.
“I left home at 16 because my dad kept beating me up. I lost my girlfriend and got jobs as a mechanic and plastering and I didn’t start doing class A’s until I was 31 and it all went downhill.
“Most of my mates are dead now from drink and drugs. The youngest one was 31. The others were in their 50s and 60s.”
(Image: Birmz Is Grime / SWNS)
Explaining his next steps, Nigel said: “I’m trying to get into a home in Coventry and then I want to set up a charity to help the homeless and needy.
“I have three trustees already in line. I want to help drug addicts, alcoholics and the homeless.
“I first wanted to do it 30 years ago when I was homeless and I’ve been thinking about it ever since. But thinking about something and doing something are two different things though.”
The video of Nigel discussing his predicament has racked up over 600,000 views in just a day. One viewer remarked: “What a lovely man. I can’t take it in just how he has to live.
“Love and light to him. I hope he finds a safe permanent place to live,” Another chimed in: “Let’s hope a padlock don’t [sic] get put on it whilst he’s in there god bless him and help him.”
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