Acid attacks and sleeping pregnant on a roundabout… the dark lives of homeless people uncovered

Описание: HUDDLED in a dirty double bed nestled under a graffiti-strewn flyover, a homeless couple shelter to protect their unborn baby - an empty pram by their side.

The shocking scene in Cardiff sparked a national outcry earlier this month, with Ladislav Boldezersky, 56, and five-months pregnant Nada Venglarova, 43, placed in temporary accommodation soon after.

However, the Czech pair are far from alone in their desperate struggles. In the historical city, there are 37 confirmed rough sleepers, while 858 people so far this year have been forced to contact the council to tell them they have become homeless.

For those who tragically find themselves on the streets, just getting through the day can be a living nightmare, braving arsonists, acid attacks and even murderers.

As one rough sleeper tells us: "Prison’s an upgrade compared to living like this."

When 23-year-old Ben Badman asked permission to camp on the lawn of a homeless charity’s base he thought he was in a safe place.

Instead, he awoke screaming in the middle of the night to find his tent and even the clothes he was wearing on fire. By the time he leapt out of his tent, the cowardly arsonist had already fled into the darkness.

Ben said: “My mum passed away and I fell into a spiral of drug abuse, got involved with county lines and did time in prison.

“I’ve been in so many dangerous situations via homelessness, it’s not safe on the streets, you never know what could happen. It’s bad - it’s beyond bad.

“I had my tent set on fire while I was inside once. I’ve got no idea who did it or why, there was no one around by the time I got out.

“I’ve had three knife attacks in Cardiff. Once a guy watched me getting a five-pound drop, which is when someone gives you £5 in a cup, and a guy walking past tried stabbing me for it. A teenager walking past saw my money and tried to rob me.

“I said ‘bro, you’re not getting my last fiver, you can do everything you want, you’re not getting it.’ He gave me a cut under my eye and that was it. It’s rife."

Behind the stark statistics for homelessness lie a number of troubling and tragic stories, ranging from fleeing domestic abuse to leaving prison.

For many, the cost-of-living crisis has made it impossible to keep their homes due to soaring rents, mortgage arrears and the sudden loss of accommodation due to eviction notices being served.

While some 2,000 households are in temporary accommodation, a small number find themselves left with nowhere but the streets to sleep.

Ben tells us: “Getting robbed is a big danger, by other homeless or anyone. I’ve been robbed by a working guy. He kicked over my pot, and picked up all the change and said, ‘you’re not homeless, this is mine now’.

“I’ve had a couple of attempts of water being thrown on me, but you have to defend yourself against everything.

“I wake up every day and think, ‘Oh I’m alive’.

“It’s not that I want to be on the streets, but I’ve been out here so long I cannot now live in four walls that’s not a jail cell.”

Violence towards the rough sleepers is a regular occurrence, according those The Sun spoke to on a blustery day in the historical Cathedral city.

One woman, 39-year-old Victoria Leanne, shared her own tale of horror at the hands of a lowlife man in his forties.

“It’s really hard being on the streets," she says. "I’ve been here 18 months, since my mother passed away from pancreatic cancer. We lived in Cornelly and after she died the council boarded up her house.

“I’ve been told I must be on the streets for two years before I can be classed as a Cardiff citizen and can stay in sheltered accommodation, like the homeless place The Hugget Centre, so I have six months left.

Read more: https://www.thesun.co.uk/news/2925398...

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