A homeless man in Manchester describes the hardships of sleeping rough during a cold spell, while another older man is seen seeking shelter on Deansgate.
Joe David sits in the doorway of the Market Street branch of Greggs . He is holding a cardboard sign. It reads: 'I am grateful for the help and support when I need £15 for a bed. Thank you. God bless.' A woman bends down and drops some spare change into his paper cup. The 52-year-old is originally from Glasgow. He is freezing and exhausted, the reality of life on the streets written across his face.
Issues with alcohol and relationship breakdowns mean he has been sleeping rough on the streets for the past eight years. Joe normally beds down in a sleeping bag in a doorway on the opposite side of the retail hotpot. In the last week, life on Market Street has been even more difficult than usual. More than three inches of rain fell in just 24 hours from New Year's Eve to New Year's Day. Last night (January 2) a Met Office warning for ice came into force. In the early hours of this morning (Friday, January 3) temperatures of minus five degrees were recorded at the weather station closest to Manchester city centre. Joe said he 'dreads it' when the weather turns. 'It's s**t' he told the Manchester Evening News frankly. 'And hard, so hard. It's just horrendous. Unbelievable. Especially with the cold and the rain. The rain is probably worse because you can't get dry. Once you're wet you just can't get dry. At least in the cold you can just wrap up a bit more. 'It's coming to something when you say last night wasn't even that bad, I've had worse. But when its freezing you can't sleep. You just have to keep walking about to keep warm. Then get some money in the day to keep you going. Sometimes you can grab a bit of sleep in the day. But it's hard work. It's just terrible, it shouldn't be allowed to happen in this day and age.' Nearby, on Deansgate is Phil Brown, from Salford. He is 70 years old, and is perched on a step outside a sho
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