Begin Again Moments: The Reality of Homelessness
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What is Ronnie's story and how did it begin?
Well, when we were kids, some of the kids in my street went to a little church, a Sunday school. And one day, Miss Williams, the Sunday school teacher, said, next week there's a new boy coming, and you better be kind to him. He doesn't have a mum and dad like you, lives in something called a care home, and we're going to pick him up from the care home and bring him to Sunday school. And when Ronnie arrived, he's a couple of years older than us, and he was unusual. First thing he did was hide Miss Williams' handbag. Second thing he did was put my friend Cecil in a headlock. He was a bit unusual. And then when he was 11, he disappeared. We didn't see him for five years. When I was researching my book, I discovered he'd been sent to a home 200 miles away.
that the report described as disgracefully for subnormal boys. He was there for five years. And eventually that school was closed down because the carers had sexually abused the kids and they were imprisoned. But Ronnie comes back at 16 and occasionally he would drop into a youth club I ran and then you wouldn't see him again. But now it's two days before Christmas and he's on my front door.
How did Rob and Diane's decision impact Ronnie's life?
He's found out where I live. And he's got all his worldly possessions in a black plastic bag.
And how old was he at this point?
29, 30.
Wow, so a fully grown man. Oh, yeah, a fully grown man. And how long was it since you'd seen him?
Oh, probably... Well, I used to see him around the best. You'd see him around, you know? So I'd probably seen him perhaps six months before or a year before. It might have been a little sooner. But you'd see him around and he'd occasionally drop into the youth club where we were. But... But he was always distant and always different. But now he turned up at one of my kids' youth club's homes the night before.
What challenges did Ronnie face after being welcomed into a home?
And the kid's father said, there's a tramp at the door. And the boy came down and told Ronnie to come up to me. And he was there. And in his other hand, he had a frozen chicken. I said, Ronnie, what's with the chicken? He said, somebody gave it to me for Christmas, a frozen chicken. And then I said two words, and I've often thought about doing that. I said, come in. But those two words changed all our lives. And yeah, and he did. Diane made him a meal.
And so it started with a meal?
side with a meal. As the meal was finishing, Diane ushered me into another room. We hadn't been married long. We didn't have kids then.
So how long had you been married?
Oh, four years, three years.
So that's really not a very long time at all. You've got no kids?
No, I've got no kids.
and you invite this man in for dinner, and then she ushers you into the kitchen, and she says, what?
What are we going to do? And I said, what do you mean, what are we going to do? Where's she this Christmas? He's got nowhere to stay. She said, look, I'll clear the guest room out, ask him if he'd like to stay with us tonight. And I went back in, and I think by then we'd moved Ronnie into another room and settled him in front of Coronation Street. And he hated taking his eyes off the Rover's return, because I said, Ronnie, and he turned around eventually, and I said, would you like to stay with us tonight? And Ronnie Lockwood said, fine.
What insights does Rob share about homelessness and childhood trauma?
And he did stay that night and the next night and over Christmas and he never left.
And so when, just, I know that like Ronnie, you'd known him for a very long time and he'd been a bit awkward and he was a bit difficult, but now we know he was neurodivergent and had struggled a bit with communicating with people. So you... you invited him in, but was he like easy to talk to? Was he easy to get on?
No, he was agony, Davina. We were around the dinner table and we were having a meal with him and it was like dragging out syllable after syllable. And so I would say to him, Dan said, where are you sleeping tonight, Ronnie? And he'd say, nowhere tonight. Well, where do you normally sleep? Well, here and there. And it was agony drawing every little thing out and And before he went to bed, Diane said to him, would you like a shower before you go?
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Chapters
8 chapters
1
What is Ronnie's story and how did it begin?
0:00–1:03
2
How did Rob and Diane's decision impact Ronnie's life?
1:03–1:42
3
What challenges did Ronnie face after being welcomed into a home?
1:42–3:11
4
What insights does Rob share about homelessness and childhood trauma?
3:11–5:20
5
How does Simon's experience of homelessness differ from Ronnie's?
5:20–7:36
6
What lessons can we learn from Rob and Simon's experiences?
7:36–9:45
7
Why are relationships essential in addressing homelessness?
9:45–11:15
8
How can small acts of kindness make a difference in someone's life?
11:15–12:24
Speakers
3 identifiedMore from Begin Again with Davina McCall
Begin Again Moments: Hitting Rock Bottom And What Comes Next
Caitlin Moran: “I Thought My Brain Had Broken” Becoming Hopeful After A Life Of Anxiety
Begin Again Moments: What Makes a Successful Marriage?
Gary Lineker: The Private Battles Behind a Public Life
Begin Again Moments: The Secret to Confidence | Susie Moore & Eleanor Mills
Patsy Kensit on Being a Child Star, 90’s Icon & Living With Grief