Ed Stafford, a British man, became homeless of his own free will for 60 days, that is, two months. He left his comfortable home and family to wander around London, Manchester and Glasgow to make a documentary for Channel 4. The film is called «60 Days on the Streets.»
Stafford went from a trim former military man to a gaunt and untidy middle-aged man.
In the end, Stafford really did live on the street like a real homeless man — he grew a beard, and he carried a sign asking for help and a bunch of rags with him. And Ed swore to himself he would never help a homeless person (at least a British one) with money.
The fact is that the sad faces of homeless people do not always indicate that they need food or hygiene products. While Ed sat on the streets of 3 major British cities, passersby and volunteers actively helped him not only with money, but also with food: a day a homeless person can earn up to 230 euros, and hamburgers, sandwiches and other fast food helped Stafford to put on 5 kilograms.
«I WAS SHOCKED BY THE AMOUNT OF FOOD AVAILABLE. I THOUGHT I WOULD LOSE A LOT OF WEIGHT AND IT WOULD BE HARDER TO PHYSICALLY SURVIVE, BUT THERE WERE ACTUALLY A LOT OF PEOPLE IN ALL THREE CITIES WILLING TO HELP.»
Ed said that in Glasgow he witnessed 2 sleeping homeless people in one night trying to feed 26 volunteers.
«I EVEN MET ONE HOMELESS MAN WHO COMPLAINED ABOUT BEING OVERFED.»
And a homeless man from Manchester managed to beg for 23 euros in half an hour, supposedly for a night shelter. But what he really needed was money for cocaine.
Despite this, Stafford remains convinced that the homeless should be helped because the gap between the rich and the poor «really kills.»
«I USED TO SIT ON THE STEPS AND SEE PEOPLE GOING TO THEATERS AND CAFES. THEY WALKED PAST ME WITHOUT NOTICING, AND CHATTED. AND IT HURT WHEN I REMEMBERED WHAT REAL WARM COMPANIONSHIP IS.»
Stafford is sure that «on a deep level any of them would not have chosen this way of life. All of these people were victims of some kind of violence or held hostage by life’s situations — even if they have now come to terms with it.
After completing the experiment, Stafford decided not to help the homeless personally, but to fight the system. He believes that people in dire straits should receive special support.
