A man has revealed how he is living inside a tiny clothes bin – as heartbreaking footage lays bare Britain’s homelessness crisis.
Despite living in dire conditions, the homeless man told how the the clothing bank, which is located near a church car park in the Erdington area of Birmingham, is the ‘comfiest bed I’ve ever slept in’.
The 52-year-old, known only as Nigel, found himself on the streets of Birmingham after being put up in a multiple occupancy house with drug addicts in Northampton.
Nigel, originally from London, said he is recovering from a 20-year heroin addiction and walked out of the HMO in a bid to stay clean.
He then discovered the unlocked clothes bin around five weeks ago where he now sleeps each night before begging on the streets by day.
While giving a tour of his new home, Nigel said that no one has thrown clothes in the bin while he’s been inside – but if they did, he would say ‘thank you’.
Homeless man Nigel has been living in a clothes bank in the Erdington area of Birmingham
Nigel discovered the unlocked clothes bin around five weeks ago where he now sleeps each night
Footage shows how Nigel has set up a mini home for himself inside the bin.
As well as bedding and duvets, it even has his own ‘library’ with a selection of books as well as a ‘beer shelf’.
In an interview with the Birmz is Grime blog, Nigel says he’s hoping to find a permanent place to stay in Coventry but is happy in Erdington in the meantime.
And despite living as a rough-sleeper on and off most of his life, he also told of his ambition of setting up 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 its waterproof.
‘It’s more comfortable than any bed I’ve ever had. 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 heroin but a few beers help me sleep at night.
Nigel says he’s hoping to find a permanent place to stay in Coventry but is happy in Erdington in the meantime
Nigel has decorated the inside of the clothing bank by installing shelves to place his books on
‘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 is was crack and heroin. It made me feel numb.
‘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.’
Nigel said he started boozing again around eight weeks ago after he was put in a HMO in Northampton.
He said: ‘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.
The heartbreaking footage lays bare Britain’s homelessness crisis. Pictured: Nigel outside the clothing bin
This is the inside of the clothing bank where Nigel is staying. He says no one has dropped clothes on him
Along with the ‘library’, Nigel also has a shelf to put drinks on
‘Most of my mates are dead now from drink and drugs. The youngest one was 31. The others were in their 50s and 60s.
‘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 is two different things though.’
The footage of Nigel talking about his plight has been viewed more than 600,000 times in just 24 hours.
One person commented: ‘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 added: ‘Let’s hope a padlock don’t get put on it whilst he’s in there. God bless him and help him.’
A third put: ‘Illegal immigrants being put up in hotels and this poor bloke has to live in a bin. This country.’
