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COLLECTION 01.4 // Material Exclusions
“The third part talks about not having access to the physical things that you need so that you can live a good life.
This is the homelessness when you have to sleep outside because you have no choice.
Being homeless can make you sick and it can affect your mind. It can destroy your mind. It can affect your body and it makes your body weak. Your health will be bad if you have to sleep outside.
And what it is like to be forced to sleep outside when it is too hot or too cold and with wind or rain. In the summer and the winter.
It is when you do not have access to a house and a place for yourself. And because you are homeless you do not have access to a bathroom or a shower.
Or maybe you do not have access to hot water — so the water is always cold. In the winter or summer or spring because the water is always cold even if it’s warm outside.
Or you cannot buy your own food. You have to eat what is offered in centers, but there, it is not the food that you would like to eat.
Maybe you do not have access to a kitchen and you would really like to be able to cook the dishes that you enjoy.
It can also be that you need WiFi but you do not have access to WiFi. If you can afford mobile data, then it is ok, but if you cannot afford mobile data, then you need to find somewhere with free WiFi.
Or you need to charge your phone, but you do not have access to electricity.
The WiFi and the battery on your phone is so important because you need to be able to contact your friends and family back home to let them know that you are alive.”
This is the homelessness when you have to sleep outside because you have no choice.
Being homeless can make you sick and it can affect your mind. It can destroy your mind. It can affect your body and it makes your body weak. Your health will be bad if you have to sleep outside.
And what it is like to be forced to sleep outside when it is too hot or too cold and with wind or rain. In the summer and the winter.
It is when you do not have access to a house and a place for yourself. And because you are homeless you do not have access to a bathroom or a shower.
Or maybe you do not have access to hot water — so the water is always cold. In the winter or summer or spring because the water is always cold even if it’s warm outside.
Or you cannot buy your own food. You have to eat what is offered in centers, but there, it is not the food that you would like to eat.
Maybe you do not have access to a kitchen and you would really like to be able to cook the dishes that you enjoy.
Or you would like to use a computer but you do not have access to a computer. You would like to check your email or make a CV or learn a computer program. You are limited in the things that you can do on your smartphone.
You might want to order something online or register for a service, but you cannot because you do not have a legal address. Not having a legal address prevents you from doing many things that you would like to do.
And you need to store your belongings somewhere safe but you do not have access to somewhere where you can keep your belongings.
You might want to order something online or register for a service, but you cannot because you do not have a legal address. Not having a legal address prevents you from doing many things that you would like to do.
And you need to store your belongings somewhere safe but you do not have access to somewhere where you can keep your belongings.
It can also be that you need WiFi but you do not have access to WiFi. If you can afford mobile data, then it is ok, but if you cannot afford mobile data, then you need to find somewhere with free WiFi.
Or you need to charge your phone, but you do not have access to electricity.
The WiFi and the battery on your phone is so important because you need to be able to contact your friends and family back home to let them know that you are alive.”
Edited by F.S. & E.C.
REF. A.I_01.4_AUG19
DATE:
Summer 2019
AUTHOR:
M.S., Age 21, Mandinka, from The Gambia
PLACE RECORDED:
Tiburtina, Rome IT
“The city is an outdoor prison. Where I sleep, the lights stay on all night. The bus drives by until two o’clock. At five o’clock the people start to walk by me on their way to work. I never know if the police will wake me up at five or six in the morning. I am never confident when I go to sleep.”
REF. C.IV_01.4_MAY21
DATE:
Spring 2021
AUTHOR:
J., Age 24, Twi, from Ghana
PLACE RECORDED:
Moguer, Huelva ES
“Another difficult experience is sleeping in the street, which is just so horrible. It makes it so that I can’t keep a good cleaning of myself. At night I will go searching for cartons to comfort my night - to soften the ground and to cut the cold some. It is very hard in Europe but I have to keep living with these difficulties and pains so that I can win a bright future...”
REF. B.II_01.4_AUG21
DATE:
Fall 2021
AUTHOR:
F.S., Age 23, Serer, from Senegal
PLACE RECORDED:
Sant Martí, Barcelona ES
“I was homeless for almost five months, while I had no documents and no job. Sometimes it was difficult to even eat.”
REF. A.I_01.4_AUG19
DATE:
Summer 2019
AUTHOR:
K.G., Age 30, Soninke, from Mali
PLACE RECORDED:
Colosseo, Rome IT
“We are homeless. We have no shelter. To live in this situation, you have to have a strong mind. My friend here has been sleeping without shelter for too long, for five years. It is starting to affect his mind. He does not think clearly anymore.”