A HOMELESS woman has been living on the streets for more than a year – and she can’t get Universal Credit because she lost her phone.
Zam Webb, 29, currently sleeps in a hostel but has been homeless for a year and four months and has to resort to collecting money on the streets.
She needs money for bus fares, a new phone, laundry, toiletries and food and drink and cannot access her Universal Credit.
Ms Webb lost her job as a chef at a Premier Inn in Dublin “due to health reasons” and ended up in London in March but then “fell into a bad financial situation”.
She lost her apartment and friends helped her out but added it didn’t work out because, as she says, she was “speaking her voice, for standing up for myself” and got kicked out.
Ms Webb told MyLondon: “Since then it’s just kind of gone up and down and up and down.
“I was going through a personal experience that put me in an awkward position to be in public, so I just quit my job because I didn’t know what else to do, and I tried to just see it through with my apartment.
“That didn’t work out, and then I lost a lot of money, I fell back with my rent, and then friends decided to help me because I didn’t see a way out.”
Before getting a roof over her head at a hostel, before April Ms Webb was rough sleeping, which she says had been hard for her.
During the day she had places to go, such as a park but didn’t like falling asleep at night as she was freaked out by seeing mice running around.
Ms Webb told of a time when she got into a fight after one guy approached her and tried to ask her to come home with him.
She described the ordeal as “the dirt” as she had to stand up for myself.
While Ms Webb said she tried to stay away from the worst situations, she said she could understand why some people used drugs, saying that in winter it was really cold.
Ms Webb said that she was glad of a bed at night and could use the shower she added that her room was small and felt “cramped in”.
She is without Universal Credit because she lost her phone “due to unforeseen circumstances” and is now trying to get herself back on her feet.
She’s trying to get her second-hand phone fixed but wasn’t able to pay for it due to her situation with Universal Credit.
Ms Webb said: “It’s just the situation is totally messed up.”
HERE is some useful information if you are homeless or know someone who is experiencing homelessness.
FIRST CONTACT
If you or someone you know is sleeping rough you can use the alert Streelink service to help connect them with outreach services: www.thestreetlink.org.uk/start
FOOD
You can find free food stations via:
The Pavement – for food and soup runs: www.thepavement.org.uk/services
Homeless Link – for day centres: www.homeless.org.uk
The Trussell Trust – for food banks: www.trusselltrust.org/get-help/find-a-foodbank/
Food Cycle – for food services – www.foodcycle.org.uk/free-food-locations/
HOUSING
Councils have a duty to help people who are homeless or facing homelessness. Contact the Housing Options team from the council you have a local connection to and see if they can offer:
Visit: www.gov.uk/find-local-council
During times of severe cold or heat, local councils have special accommodation known as Severe Weather Emergency Protocol (SWEP). Find out more here: www.gov.uk/find-local-council.
For advice, support or legal services related to housing visit www.shelter.co.uk or call 0808 800 4444.
You can also contact Crisis: www.crisis.org.uk/get-help/
For housing advice, call Shelter on 0808 800 4444 or visit: www.shelter.org.uk.
DAY CENTRES
Day centres can help by providing internet access, free or cheap food, shower and laundry facilities, safe storage for belongings, phone charging and clothes, toiletries or sleeping bags.
They can also help with services for benefits or immigration advice; health support; finding work; educational or social activities; hostel, night shelter or outreach referrals.
Centres can be found through Homeless Link: www.homeless.org.uk/
BENEFITS
Normally you can claim Universal Credit if you are sleeping on the streets or staying in a hostel. If you are in a hostel, you can claim Housing Benefit to help with rent. You do not need a fixed address or a bank account.
USEFUL CONTACTS
Crisis – visit: www.crisis.org.uk or call 0300 636 1967.
Shelter – visit: www.shelter.org.uk or call 0808 800 4444.
Centrepoint (for people aged 16-25) – visit: www.centrepoint.org.uk or call 0808 800 0661.
St Mungo’s (Bath, Bournemouth, Brighton, Bristol, Christchurch, Leicester, Oxford, Poole and Reading) – visit: www.mungos.org or call 020 3856 6000.
Depaul UK (for young people) – visit: https://www.depaul.org.uk/ or call 0207 939 1220.
Citizen’s Advice (legal advice) – visit: www.citizensadvice.org.uk or call 0345 404 0506.
The Samaritans (health and wellbeing) – www.samaritans.org/how-we-can-help/contact-samaritan or call 116 123.
She added that she was expecting a call regarding a permanent home in the near future but due to the situation with her phone, she couldn’t be contacted.
In short, she described her situation as being “stuck”.
While she said that many people living on the streets had “lost hope for themselves” she thought if she could get a “small to-do list” done her future would start to look more positive.
Ms Webb is originally from Durban and still has family in South Africa but said she hadn’t seen them “for a very long time”.
As for her hopes for the future, she said she wanted to try something different and work for herself, perhaps as a therapist.
She is also considering studying photography or training to be a fitness instructor.
