I met Stephan in a tunnel in Croydon. He comes from Italy and now is homeless on the streets of London.
Vlog in text:
all right folks we are here with Stefan and Stefan how long you've been on the streets of of London now is about two years two years and you're actually living on the streets yeah you don't really look like you're living on the streets but wow that's it anyone living in the city that's ever image like you know I try to keep clean yeah as much as I can you know and you said you come from Italy yes how is how how did you end up from from Italy here oh I came here a long time ago all the first time on 1999 and uh I was working in LA you know restaurants and uh uh yeah everything was cool yeah and then you stayed for a few years and then you went back to Italy and then yes I went back there with them you know hey I'm a street breakfast I'm rough I'm ready for it you know yeah he's actually at the bedroom at the moment because he's had a form of a breakdown but yeah I've ended up in in London alcoholism my parents were drinkers themselves West Africa the system's broken I'll pay tax all my life in the UK yeah born in the UK I ran an events company big company [Music] anything [Music] 2013-14 why was that why did you came why did why did I go back yeah because you lost the job in a restaurant no no no it was that that was after it was now that was just recently uh yeah no no I just met a girl and uh are I went back and I stayed I stayed with their with a girlfriend and in the meantime we you know we had two beautiful girls and uh yeah unfortunately the 2021 we we break up and uh uh and I decided to come back here in England was she in Italy was she Italian yes yeah Sicilian from Sicily from Palermo Catania Catania okay yeah apparently very beautiful a lot of history yes absolutely so what brought you was a better economy better man in the UK in the first place no not really no and the long time ago because you know oh I had a niece and nephew here and uh they helped me out to to settle down to settle down in any in London so yeah from then on I just love it you know it's a it's a nice country lots of opportunity but unfortunately lately with with this code and I must say brexit as well it's been hard to find any job and and you know stay out of the street and and it's very hard paying bills and everything after the coffee yes yeah okay yeah what happened on the coffee you were working in a restaurant right yeah because you came back to the UK after yeah yeah why did you no or another job down down in Sicily because I was in Sicily um online because Kobe we we many of us we lost the job and didn't get back I see the job so oh after that uh you know I decided to come back here I have like I said a couple of family members or niece and nephews so you know I prefer to change hair and you came back yeah and that was after you split up with your wife or partner and and you came back to the UK and that was when was that 2021 2021 and and then you started to work in a restaurant right no no no no no no no no no no no no and uh from from that time or struggling and everything not even a job and I don't ask benefit or anything so I had to sleep in the street okay try to survive every day so so what caused your homelessness you said you you were messing with some substances yeah you got into what drugs or what why you were that that that's before that's before I um when when I went back in my country I didn't use them or nothing nothing at all or drinking you know or you know and I had a job I make a family and everything about uh in 2021 everything everything uh break up and collapsed collapsed and you know I was you know I will settle again and find job and but I'm I'm just struggling here as well see what you're missing you know oh in the past I use all you can think you know from from cocaine from heroin from cracked tablets anymore um marijuana everything I don't know luckily now now do you do you would you say that drugs caused your your homelessness that you know no no because this was everything before you had you did before that before and your life was all right you had a wife yeah a good job and uh yeah oh it was perfectly fine everything everything in life from one day to go to the next everything changed and uh I lost I lost the job I lost the flat I lost everything and that's what but the drugs were in the cold Decay no no because at the at the time I wasn't using anything so yeah so just a life life things that sometimes happen and unfortunately it can happen to anyone you know unfortunately but let's let's not lose hope in you know things will get better yeah they must must be better yeah you can't go to any worse can cut can't get any worse than this no no no this is yeah at the bottom you have to go up now yeah there is only one way now hopefully not enough yeah yeah and are you suffering from something you know like you're on the streets you you feel okay yeah yeah well yeah okay and if there is an advice you could give to people what advice would you give them like if they are about to touch trucks all right for for any reason you know because I I start using drugs because my family problems and you know I was suffering inside but if I can suggest to someone let's think into use drugs don't because it's not gonna get any better with the drugs your problem will actually be double or or you know you get more it completely doesn't help it's completely the opposite actually so they just just don't lose the hope and you know things change all the time things that never stay the same so if you are if you are rock bottom there is only one way going going growing up and things will get better or you know is never never lose hope I will say to anyone now how do you find as an Italian living in London and I mean there is good economy in in Italian yeah decent money then why why don't you want to go back there I mean what keeps you here what keeps me here I don't know I mean we pay a lot of money to go for holidays to Sicily yeah yeah yeah yeah I've been I've been living more in this country than than in my country so I I find I find here more more home in this moment in time than uh then in my country also also you know help wise here there is much more than yeah than in my country yes economy is better than anything you make more money and the quality of life oh yeah oh yes more more opportunity you know but you you can do lots of if you're lucky here and if you want so yeah that's what keeps me here and and also I think back home because a lot so I cannot afford that in this time in this time so what's back in home they think the plane ticket to go back oh come on now you use the budget Airlines you can fly like 20 pounds I'm sure you can break that in a couple of hours and I I traveled from for 20 years I never find one fight you know the minimum I find is 120 pound less than minimum the cheapest I ever to find so if you find one for a score for 20 I will buy it straight away yeah talking about this if somebody is watching this and wants to help you is there any phone number for your email address you could uh unfortunately not in this moment I got a lot of phone or anything no you don't have any any phone number no you don't want to do that at the moment maybe next time if I see you around yeah I try to sort out a phone as well and yeah like next time we'll try to give a phone number or something but I'm here all right Stefan and how I mean how do you find life in in the UK so you said this is like your home now and you wouldn't want to go back to to Italy how is the situation back home is that there's plenty of jobs there at the money now oh there is there is not plenty of job but you know there is some some jobs or especially in C Series is not not either you find more more job there is more job more the economic is is much better but I mean Sicily is uh if you if you if you get the job you must keep it for all your life because if you lose the job find something else is is very very difficult so it's a all right stop and you being from Sicily what do you think about these migrants coming and being basically they a lot of them they died on a journey to yeah to they say the Mediterranean is like the biggest graveyard unfortunately yes and and the people and politicians should be ashamed of themselves uh because like not long ago or I think was in Greece this boat was going down and the degrees government didn't help them and many many people and children died you know God make this world make the world free for everyone I think if I want to go somewhere to change my life to get better to have a better life I should be free to choose where I'm going you know is this immigration tough policies is just make worst for everybody and and kill people all right is there a lot of these people coming to see silly yeah yeah there is there is a way it's called This is where there is an American base there is a way where immigrants come with the boats and uh yeah so I I should understand what what they've gone go through you know that's why I believe anyone should be as much as free as possible to to go anywhere else outside their country and to make their the the life better and find work and you're free what do you think about about the brexit yeah um what a stupid thing you know just to understand why why the English government decide to go through with brexit because it's it's just making worse for everyone and the country as well because lots of foreign workers now struggling to come here and and work and England as a countries is found it's got problems finding a personal for from any sector the the uh rest or restaurant sector or the truck drivers or you know you just make it worse for for for well so you have seen the quality of life going down after brexit yeah yes that that's even because we have with Kobe dinner and so or one and the other it make a big blow for for for people that you know I want to survive we want a job and yeah it makes brexit to make tougher for for people coming and coming in here now and so you say that was a bad decision for them I believe so I believe so yes it was a bit the choice yeah but yeah in fact makes it give some problem to myself as well yeah yes because I came back uh just uh when brexit was was done and and uh so it's getting a Visa now is tougher than uh but have you got the settled status or or not yet not yet okay for the pre-settled status yeah you've got that yeah without the other one uh you know I could not even apply for for jobs you can with the pre-settled status with the preset yeah yeah so are you willing are you going to have to take a British citizenship later well and you being from Italy and working in the kitchen can you tell us your favorite Italian food my favorite Italian food yes oh gosh my favorite Italian food are you a chef in the index I I yes or Chef assistant and pizza I make pizza I'm a pizza chef and the weather so my favorite dish you know lasagna lasagna would be lasagna it would be lasagna yes after we become alone which is what canelani is the the roles so pasta with uh with uh ricotta cheese inside and yeah I love Italian food myself or bolognese sausages but believe me Italian food is not only pasta and pizza there is much more because every every time I get a pasta pizza no there is plenty of other things like what tell us you're being said you will know but it's difficult translating the the the names but like the Toronto is like um it's like a cake mixed with meat and eggs and then yeah it's everything and then you've got the zoops as well minestrone yeah but those they are not the best dishes of Italy you know oh there is plenty there is plenty you must be missing Italian and the food no because I can cook myself home it's just the same yeah yeah when I cook it here absolutely all right yeah okay Stefan is there anything else would you like to say to to the audience thank you thank you so or to listen to me if you're going to and if you want an advice like I said before never lose hope never lose hope yes you don't lose hope either no I wish you all the best for you and see you around my friends thank you very much thank you gracias yes thank you cheers Check my vlog on https://bloggervloggerselektazupa.blogspot.com/ Please subscribe to my channels English - https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCc6D5Fnuv-x76ZuBEE1QzqQ Polish https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCONq_xGqSq1IF_MF03QWhrQ Zupa's walks https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCsFDFcYxQfjFbksRp9g5tcA Music https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCqUliL9aCdLJKX7bEqssl_g/videos Silesian Schalger https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCzwrGNpy_d656LCARoqLexA/videos Find me on Facebook https://www.facebook.com/bartosz.strzelec.aka.zupa.tlumacz.dj.life.lover/ Twitter https://twitter.com/Selekta_Zupa Instagram https://www.instagram.com/selekta_zupa/ Tiktok https://www.tiktok.com/@vlogger_zupa #london #croydon #homeless #homelessness #uk #love #paris #newyork #england #fashion #usa #photography #art #dubai #instagood #music #travel 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