This is Martin Read’s first film, becoming a filmmaker hasn’t been easy for him because when he was 16 his mother kicked him out of the house and he became homeless. Having spent some time in prison and struggled with mental health issues he is now turning his life around but the issue of homelessness is still something he cares passionately about, so in an attempt to raise awareness he has produced this documentary.
There is nearly a 1,000 more people living on the streets today than there were just 5 years ago, many charitable organisations put this down to the 7 billion pounds in cuts to benefits throughout the United Kingdom. Things like the bedroom tax and sanctions have hit the under 25’s more than anyone, forcing an estimated 100,000 of them to become “hidden homeless”, this means they are unregistered and don’t appear on any official papers. In this film Martin catches up with a few of these individuals in order hear their story.
Why don’t they get a job?
What kind of a stupid ass question is that, have you ever been on skidrow ?
You have to find yourself a place to sleep once that is done you’ll want breakfast and a place to clean yourself then you have to panhandle for some money if you want to eat the rest of the day it ain’t easy man, when I was young I spent five years on the road travelling from one place to the other, I would jump on freight trains, hitchike or walk and I live in Canada and it’s damn cold in the winter time so I would cross the border to the states but not in a legal fashion actually crawling in the fields at night near the railway I had to keep low to avoid the border patrols but I did it.
These guy’s are not street wise they depend to much on the goodwilll of charity’s and they stick to a city they know actually Gary is the one who is willing to travel.
They were many bad day’s for me but also many good one’s and I have learned many lesson’s that I have made mine.
I’ll be sixty years old this month and I remember it all like it was yesterday.
Fair winds & Calm Waters
And you got a job and stopped begging on the streets.
Yes I did
I started working construction while sleeping at a mission waiting on my paycheck and trough the years I became a master carpenter, the point is these youths have there life in front of them some will make it and others won’t, and it ain’t for me or you to judge them.
The left would like nothing better than to make them permanent wards of the state, feeding them, housing them and providing medical care for life.
The right minded people know the way to success for people is not a hand out. The way to success is getting a job and supporting yourself. Just like you did. Moping around in self pity while standing in a hand out line is a failure.
The problem is there is no need to stop moping around. The problem is the left imprisons the homeless and poor with their feel good programs that are designed to make those giving away feel good rather than actually helping their clients.
I partly agree with you
The good doer’s often do it with a perssonal interest and yes the youth should be made more accountable for there life, but many of them are not on skid row by choice, as you know life can be pretty nasty at times, so what are we to do…leave all compassion and empathy behind ?
I don’t think that’s the answer either, education starts in the home many of them are the product of fuck up ones…(Ishould know).
No I won’t cry you a river, neither will I give a sobing story, I think that I’m not mistaken if I say that you have never been in a crisis situation like these kids are…am I right ?
I challenge you to go out at night and roam the streets and see for yourself what’s happening instead of listening to a documentary in your comfort zone.
Are you up to it…I suspect it’s to much to ask
I have had my hard times, and I have gotten myself out of them. And no I didn’t do it with some government handout.
I have employed people in crisis. Sometimes in crisis when they were hired and sometimes people who had things arise. Most who were willing to honestly work, worked out. Some who had been infected by the left’s need to hand out did not.
Finally I can tell you that pretty certainly, I have housed more OPK (Other People’s Kids) than the vast majority of Americans.
From what I have seen, people on the right come out of the woodwork when help is needed, and they give of themselves. And people of the left insist on government programs, giving the monies of the people of others instead of themselves with programs that are very poorly implemented, slow to act and extremely inefficient at what they attempt to do.
Great you help your fellow man and you are your own made man as I am, I paid my dues in full and then some but I don’t brag about it.
But you didn’t answer the question, and that tells me a lot, you see I don’t give a flying fuck about the left or the right, I trust my guts
And as a single father with a son who as OCD I can tell you that I have done evrything in my power to help him since is tender age and had to fight a damn good battle to get where he’s at, soon he will be moving out where he will get all the specialize needs for him to live a ”normsal” life.
So Sir bravo for helping those kids I wish them all well.
Fair Winds & Calm Waters
Sorry there, but I do think for myself.
I notice !