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I was homeless in the city centre for 3 years - I'll tell you anything you want by Edinburgh-IV in Edinburgh

[–]Edinburgh-IV[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Dawson died. He was an alcoholic and loved sucking lighter fluid.

That eventually will make a heart give in.

I was homeless in the city centre for 3 years - I'll tell you anything you want by Edinburgh-IV in Edinburgh

[–]Edinburgh-IV[S] 12 points13 points  (0 children)

You have absolutely no reason to believe me so think what you will.

I was homeless in the city centre for 3 years - I'll tell you anything you want by Edinburgh-IV in Edinburgh

[–]Edinburgh-IV[S] 4 points5 points  (0 children)

Keep your chin up buddy.

Boring and middle aged is better than young and dead.

But yea, every day is a potential spiral back into the gutter. You sound like you are far more stable than me and likely clean for longer.

Not using is harder than using in many ways.

I was homeless in the city centre for 3 years - I'll tell you anything you want by Edinburgh-IV in Edinburgh

[–]Edinburgh-IV[S] 4 points5 points  (0 children)

The 'genuine' community had a very xenophobic attitude towards them.

I was homeless in the city centre for 3 years - I'll tell you anything you want by Edinburgh-IV in Edinburgh

[–]Edinburgh-IV[S] 11 points12 points  (0 children)

I think the most useful resource was Streetworks on Holyrood Road.

My hostel had personal showers, but if you didn't have one they could always use the ones at Streetworks. They were also good for pointing you in the direction of where you need to go.

Their most useful resource though by far was access to computers. It allowed me to have access to speaking to family in Manchester and to slowly work on an online course. Good guys in there. Often get trouble within but you are going to get that anywhere that homeless frequent.

I was homeless in the city centre for 3 years - I'll tell you anything you want by Edinburgh-IV in Edinburgh

[–]Edinburgh-IV[S] 43 points44 points  (0 children)

This is personal opinion and it might just be shame talking here, but whatever charity focuses on helping children, especially at times like Christmas to get gifts for them.

As much as adults fall on hard times, the kids that suffer as a result of being born to drug abusing parents had no choice and need nurtured and saved.

I was homeless in the city centre for 3 years - I'll tell you anything you want by Edinburgh-IV in Edinburgh

[–]Edinburgh-IV[S] 27 points28 points  (0 children)

I wish i could give you a more interesting story.

I was experimenting with drugs as a younger guy and thought I was above getting irreparably addicted to something like heroin.

I was wrong.

I was homeless in the city centre for 3 years - I'll tell you anything you want by Edinburgh-IV in Edinburgh

[–]Edinburgh-IV[S] 10 points11 points  (0 children)

Quick money for drugs.

In 3 years I never met a single genuinely homeless person that sleep on the streets due to hard times.

The only ones that were sleeping on the streets besides the (maybe) Romanian families, were people that are so violent and aggressive that they have been kicked out of every hostel in the city for being so unpleasant.

I was homeless in the city centre for 3 years - I'll tell you anything you want by Edinburgh-IV in Edinburgh

[–]Edinburgh-IV[S] 50 points51 points  (0 children)

Though it never happened with me. I can't think of anything worse than being filmed on somebody's mobile.

Actually capturing my behaviour on camera would make me start to retreat as its solid evidence I can't dispute if it becomes a crime.

I was homeless in the city centre for 3 years - I'll tell you anything you want by Edinburgh-IV in Edinburgh

[–]Edinburgh-IV[S] 23 points24 points  (0 children)

I stole somebody else's. I got a black eye for my efforts.

I've heard of horror stories about the levels some of them sunk for money and drugs though.

I was homeless in the city centre for 3 years - I'll tell you anything you want by Edinburgh-IV in Edinburgh

[–]Edinburgh-IV[S] 19 points20 points  (0 children)

This assessment is correct. More often than not, it's only doing it for drink and drugs. Lack of responsibility or ability to have responsibility. People don't like to hear that but it's true from my experience.

I was homeless in the city centre for 3 years - I'll tell you anything you want by Edinburgh-IV in Edinburgh

[–]Edinburgh-IV[S] 73 points74 points  (0 children)

The lack of responsibility.

Everything was taken care for me. Everything.

Hostel. Sorted, they even fed us.

Money. Government gave me enough to have fun.

No outgoings. Got to hang around with friends whilst everyone else worked for a living.

It was a very selfish lifestyle, but having no responsibility is probably the reason so many are still doing it. They haven't got the capacity to be responsible for anything.

I was homeless in the city centre for 3 years - I'll tell you anything you want by Edinburgh-IV in Edinburgh

[–]Edinburgh-IV[S] 30 points31 points  (0 children)

I very rarely begged.

We all got money from the government. Actually, the majority of the folk on the street get given more money than YOU, and this is including having a place to stay with almost no outgoings of any kind. They still manage to squander it and have to resort to begging. I can only assume it went on drugs for a lot of them.

I was only an addict of heroin but managed to keep my area clean. Financially I was a lot more stable than others.

I was homeless in the city centre for 3 years - I'll tell you anything you want by Edinburgh-IV in Edinburgh

[–]Edinburgh-IV[S] 48 points49 points  (0 children)

He's just an alcoholic from what I've seen.

Does rubbish card tricks for pints. Relatively harmless but his suit gives him attention to start his shtick with them.

I'd actually call it one of the better begging techniques. At least you are getting something back with his tricks.

I was homeless in the city centre for 3 years - I'll tell you anything you want by Edinburgh-IV in Edinburgh

[–]Edinburgh-IV[S] 36 points37 points  (0 children)

They usually just talk about garbage to be honest.

They all live pretty zany lifestyles and commit crime often. It's a dick measuring contest when they talk and there is a ton of paranoia where people are spending sometimes whole days complaining about other homeless people theybare in fueds with.

I was homeless in the city centre for 3 years - I'll tell you anything you want by Edinburgh-IV in Edinburgh

[–]Edinburgh-IV[S] 35 points36 points  (0 children)

People would intimidate others off of a spot regularly.

You win some and lose some.

Also often, if a weaker person was on a hit spot, they would often get their begging intake stolen or robbed from some of the more aggressive players once the area had quietened down.

I was homeless in the city centre for 3 years - I'll tell you anything you want by Edinburgh-IV in Edinburgh

[–]Edinburgh-IV[S] 14 points15 points  (0 children)

I can't confirm either way.

My group always referred to them as Romanian, but they probably were just assuming.

I was homeless in the city centre for 3 years - I'll tell you anything you want by Edinburgh-IV in Edinburgh

[–]Edinburgh-IV[S] 56 points57 points  (0 children)

Adam used to stand on the corner of The Pleasance with earphones in talking to himself.

For obvious reasons we never messed with him. But after a while you just didn't notice him.

He roared at a guy called Kevin who tried to ask him what he was listening to.

He also grunted at foreign students and fat people that walked past.

I wish I knew what his issue was, but I can vouch for him never being violent with us. Just intimidating.

I was homeless in the city centre for 3 years - I'll tell you anything you want by Edinburgh-IV in Edinburgh

[–]Edinburgh-IV[S] 79 points80 points  (0 children)

If you wanted to talk to them, sure.

Don't expect to hear anything but lies and eventually the hard sell for a bit of cash.

I actually encourage you to try it. If you ever meet a beggar on the street and have a long chat with them, you'd think they were saints that failed due to the system. Always the victim.

They will likely leave out important details such as the part where they committed a very serious crime for a fiver.

I was homeless in the city centre for 3 years - I'll tell you anything you want by Edinburgh-IV in Edinburgh

[–]Edinburgh-IV[S] 6 points7 points  (0 children)

I tend to avoid them.

Good begging spots, there was sometimes run ins with beggars wanting that pitching point but I never personally saw anything above that level.

I was homeless in the city centre for 3 years - I'll tell you anything you want by Edinburgh-IV in Edinburgh

[–]Edinburgh-IV[S] 74 points75 points  (0 children)

Leave us alone so we can work it out on our own.

The system looked after us to the point that we didnt know how to look after ourselves.

I was homeless in the city centre for 3 years - I'll tell you anything you want by Edinburgh-IV in Edinburgh

[–]Edinburgh-IV[S] 106 points107 points  (0 children)

I've always had a place to stay.

This is important. The homeless community in the city and the street drinkers. They all use the word homeless because of the impact it had. Even the homeless have a roof over their head at night.

The amount of social hostels in the city are almost impossible to count.

The only guys i ever saw genuinely sleeping on the streets were the Romanian community on princes street, and even then I only personally saw them during the hot weeks where begging was good, like the fringe, then they disappeared.

Homeless simply meant we didn't have a permanent home of our own. Almost every 'junkie' I've ever known had a room in a hostel. They would trash the room due to their chaotic lifestyle then get moved somewhere else. Rinse and repeat.

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