TED

People without homes may live in their cars, in empty abandoned buildings, in shelters or with friends or relatives in crowded houses, and sometimes on the street. All over the world there are people who find themselves without a place to live, often for just a week or two but sometimes for many months or years.

Last year Ted was one of those homeless people. Ted worked in a small restaurant - he washed the dishes and cleaned the kitchen.  Ted lived in a small one-bedroom house but he had to pay a lot of rent and one day his landlord told him that he wanted even more money every month. Ted tried to keep paying his rent on time but he didn’t have enough money to pay for his house and to buy food. Ted looked for a new place to live but there were no cheap houses. When Ted couldn’t pay the rent anymore, his landlord kicked him out. 

Ted lived on the streets for six months. Every night he dreamed about sleeping in a real bed but then he met Sam.  Sam worked for a homeless charity called Streetwise and he asked Ted to come to the homeless shelter with him. Ted stopped sleeping outside and he stayed at the shelter. After a month, Ted learned to cook and he started to work in the kitchen helping the chef. Now Ted lives in a flat above the shelter.

Organisations, like the charity that Sam works for, try to help homeless people meet their daily needs.

Young people can help, by collecting clothing for example. Why not contact an organisation in your local area and find out how you can give your support?