Derek is homeless in Cardiff, Wales in the United Kingdom. At the time of this interview, Derek was sleeping rough for about a year and a half. This is his second time experiencing homelessness. Derek says he got married and that saved him. He was off the streets for nine years!
Derek is not ashamed to say that he was addicted to heroin and alcohol. He has now been sober seven months and he has not used opioids in over nine years!
After his first experience with homelessness, Derek went back to college and became a registered nurse. He is currently working with homeless agencies in Cardiff to get rehoused. Derek plans to get back to work.
Derek lives in a tent. Recently, Tory councillor Kathryn Kelloway tweet that people should tear down the tents in Cardiff people are sleeping in. Her ignorance of homelessness is common and it's why educating the public and politicians is so very important.
Sadly, one of the news stories about Kathryn Kelloway tweet features Andy, who when I left Cardiff was sleeping inside at a hostel (homeless shelter) but is now back outside sleeping rough. Here is Andy's original video and here is the news story
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Documentary on Mark Horvath of Invisible People Using YouTube and Social Media to End Homelessness
Housing First
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Since its launch in November 2008, Invisible People has leveraged the power of video and the massive reach of social media to share the compelling, gritty, and unfiltered stories of homeless people from Los Angeles to Washington, D.C. The vlog (video blog) gets up close and personal with veterans, mothers, children, layoff victims and others who have been forced onto the streets by a variety of circumstances. Each week, they’re on InvisiblePeople.tv, and high traffic sites such as YouTube, Twitter and Facebook, proving to a global audience that while they may often be ignored, they are far from invisible.
Invisible People goes beyond the rhetoric, statistics, political debates, and limitations of social services to examine poverty in America via a medium that audiences of all ages can understand, and can’t ignore. The vlog puts into context one of our nation’s most troubling and prevalent issues through personal stories captured by the lens of Mark Horvath – its founder – and brings into focus the pain, hardship and hopelessness that millions face each day. One story at a time, videos posted on InvisiblePeople.tv shatter the stereotypes of America’s homeless, force shifts in perception and deliver a call to action that is being answered by national brands, nonprofit organizations and everyday citizens now committed to opening their eyes and their hearts to those too often forgotten.
Invisible People is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization dedicated to changing the way we think about people experiencing homelessness.
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