Stories from the Streets: ITV Cymru Wales puts homelessness under the spotlight
Homelessness will be put under the spotlight on ITV Cymru Wales this week across news, programmes and digital media.
Under the banner 'Stories From the Streets', ITV Wales is taking an in-depth look at a growing social problem, the causes for it, and possible solutions.
On Monday 11 September at 8pm, our award-winning current affairs programme Wales This Week presented a snapshot of a day and night in the lives of people who are living and sleeping on the streets of Cardiff.
Up to 60 people regularly sleep rough in the capital every day, and presenter Andrea Byrne meets some of them to hear their stories. They explain how they manage to get through each day on the poverty line. Andrea also talks to the charity workers, volunteers and politicians involved in tackling the problem.
Our flagship news programme Wales At Six is also covering the issue with special reports, case studies and interviews each evening from Monday to Thursday (September 11 to 14).
On Monday, Wales At Six featured real life stories of people who are sleeping rough. Tuesday’s programme focused on the hostels for the homeless and Wednesday’s edition looks at the drugs, alcohol and other problems that are among the causes of homelessness. Wales at Six concludes its investigation on Thursday with a look at the various public policy initiatives to combat the problem.
There is also coverage online on our news website and across digital media platforms as we highlight the issue with special social video reports.
“One of the most distressing sights in our cities and towns is that of people sleeping in doorways or subways with no other means of shelter,” said Andrea Byrne.
“It’s a growing problem, as our investigations reveal. To take Cardiff as an example, rough sleeping in the city has doubled over the past three years.
“There are so many issues that can lead to homelessness. Drug or alcohol addiction, family breakdown, unemployment, lack of housing - these are all factors that can lead to people living and sleeping on our streets.”
Andrea added: “It’s a startling fact that thirty-seven per cent of households are one paycheque away from being able to pay their mortgage or rent - and so just one step away from being potentially homeless.”
ITV News Wales Programme and Digital Editor Dafydd Jones said: “We hope this themed week across our news, current affairs and digital media sites will raise awareness of one of the country’s biggest social problems.
“By giving homeless people a platform to tell their own stories, our coverage will put a human face on the statistics while we’ll also be looking at potential solutions from a range of experts.”