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this film is based on a true story (that is also a biography ). it follows a struggling homeless man who finds a cat  (Bob). his life brightens.

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A Street Cat Named Bob Official Trailer #1 - Joanne Froggatt, Luke Treadaway Movie HD

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film that is about a homeless man who suffers with mental heath issues . the film has a positive message as the homeless man is helped

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sterotypical image

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15 % of homeless adults are recognised as survivors of domestic violence. 

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15 % of homeless adults are recognised as survivors of domestic violence. 

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more positive or non sterotypical views and positive storys about homeless people

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more positive or non sterotypical views and positive storys about homeless people

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sterotypical or negative views and facts

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sterotypical or negative views and facts

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Investment scheme to provide fund the provision of supported housing

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Investment scheme to provide fund the provision of supported housing

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I wish I was surprised by Shelter's new research, which found that more than half of state school teachers in Britain have worked with children who were homeless or who became homeless in the past three years. But I've been a teacher for 15 years, and I have witnessed the housing emergency playing out in our schools first-hand.
Majority of UK teachers have worked in schools with homeless pupils, finds survey
I was still shocked, however, to learn that 136,000 children are homeless in Britain. That is 136,000 young lives who are at a disadvantage before the school day has even started.

The knock-on effect of living in bad and unstable housing is something that I have seen devastate a child's education time and time again in the schools I have worked at - children who cannot achieve their full potential because they are tired, hungry and stressed. That's why nine in 10 teachers with recent experience of working with homeless and badly housed children report tiredness as a key issue.

I have taught children who were thriving academically when they lived in a stable home. But then the trauma of becoming homeless and living in temporary accommodation left them withdrawn, quiet and unable to follow their lessons. There was a family at my school where all the siblings had no choice but to share a bed. They would come to school exhausted.

And I have worked with children living in hostels or B&Bs with no cooking facilities, who have routinely turned up to school hungry. My staff have handed out food hampers on numerous occasions to the families who need them. We have even collected children from where they are living to take them to school and returned them at the end of the day. When families are moved to temporary accommodation miles away from school, sometimes their parents can no longer afford to get them to us, as the fares for public transport are simply too high.

Unavoidably, these impacts widen the educational gap between homeless children and those in secure housing. Children are incredibly resilient and capable of surprising adults at every turn. But, frankly, our badly housed and homeless children are being set up to fail. And that is not right.

The impact of homelessness on education was an enormous problem across Britain before the chaos of Covid-19. And, of course, these huge interruptions to education have affected all children. But the pandemic is making things even worse for the homeless and badly housed children who were struggling immeasurably before. During the first lockdown, many children didn't have access to wifi in their temporary accommodation or the equipment they needed to keep up with their lessons. Nor did they have the space to play and relax, as all children need to do well.

I know of one family forced to flee their home this year due to domestic abuse, with nothing more than the clothes they were wearing. They had no money, toys or belongings, and no way to access remote learning. This took its toll, with one child showing anger towards his situation, and the other becoming very withdrawn. We provided the children with what they needed, as well as some food - but it shouldn't have to come to this. There must be better support for families to help them find a safe home when the worst happens.

Yet again, I wish I were surprised that almost three-quarters of teachers (73%) thought the education of homeless children and those living in bad housing had been more negatively affected than children in suitable homes. But this feels painfully inevitable to me. The educational gap between children with a secure home and those without is growing as a result of Covid-19 - and some educators fear it may never close. Generations of homeless children are being written off.

A safe and secure home gives a child the stability that they need to thrive. Malcolm X said that "education is the passport to the future". Homeless children and those in bad housing will find their passports left in tatters unless society acts to right this wrong.

So what is the answer? Many teachers I know are doing what they can to protect the education and wellbeing of the homeless children in their classrooms. And they will continue to do so, alongside charities like Shelter. But to give every child a fair chance of doing well at school, every child needs a safe home. Investment in decent, locally available social housing must be the way forward.

* Dani Worthington is the headteacher of a primary school in Batley, West Yorkshire
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In schools, we see the extra harm Covid is doing to Britain's homeless children | Dani Worthington

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I wish I was surprised by Shelter's new research, which found that more than half of state school teachers in Britain have worked with children who were homeless or who became homeless in the past three years. But I've been a teacher for 15 years, and I have witnessed the housing emergency playing out in our schools first-hand.

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A charity video promoting awareness of homelessness

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Matt Smith, from design studio Rhombus, who worked alongside illustrator Claire Shorrock and animator Amie Nowlan in making the film, said it had been "an amazing opportunity to work on a unifying message that will play a part in Bristolian lives this Christmas".

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Bristol homeless: Charity releases video to highlight issue

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Matt Smith, from design studio Rhombus, who worked alongside illustrator Claire Shorrock and animator Amie Nowlan in making the film, said it had been "an amazing opportunity to work on a unifying message that will play a part in Bristolian lives this Christmas".

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A graphic novel created by people affected by homelessness

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A graphic novel created by people affected by homelessness

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"It is easy to look down on homeless people," says former rough sleeper Mitchel. "We're not taught to respect each other in society and if we can have a reason to disregard people, it is like a default to ignore others."

Mitchel slept on the streets of central London for almost three years, and has also spent time in night shelters and hostels. Now he's one of the contributors to what is being described as the world's first graphic novel created by people affected by homelessness, and hopes the book will help change perceptions and encourage empathy.

The Book of Homelessness shares participants' life stories through their own drawings, poetry and photography. It's the brainchild of Marice Cumber, founder of youth homelessness charity Accumulate, which describes itself as "the art school of the homeless".

"I did not want it to be a graphic novel about somebody who is homeless that has been created by someone who is not homeless," she says. "The core of this was that we had people telling their own story in the form they wanted to tell it."

Photography from The Book of Homelessness. Photograph: Accumulate

Participants decided the book should explain the journey to homelessness; individuals' stories include testimonies of rape, sexual abuse, drug misuse and family breakdown.

Accumulate launched a crowdfunding initiative for the book in September last year, and creative workshops with the participants - who were all living in hostels, shelters or temporary accommodation - started in January. Tutors, some of whom had personal experience of homelessness, spent time building trust with the participants and help them to feel confident and supported to tell their stories.

Mitchel found the process of putting together his contribution a bittersweet experience. "Sometimes, looking back at where I had been before things had gone wrong was sad," he says. "But also looking back at where I'd come from - I was shoplifting, in and out of prison, I used to sleep in a tent - it was good to see that I'd moved forward."

And hearing the other participants' stories - including a woman's account of fleeing violence in Africa - was poignant and humbling, Mitchel adds.

"There are so many misconceptions and so many stereotypes about people who are homeless and they wanted to say this is not the truth: there is a different truth here," says Cumber.

Book contributor Amalia, who was homeless after becoming estranged from her family, says working on her story was therapeutic.

"It took me out of the hostel and it got me out of a few mental health difficulties," she says. "I have been able to feel more socially connected to people." She hopes the book will "change the narrative of homelessness".

Accumulate launched in 2013 after Cumber set up an arts festival in her north London neighbourhood, which included a photography workshop in a hostel. Seeing how the workshop built participants' confidence and positivity sowed the seed for the charity, which now works in hostels across the city and has diversified to include workshops on fashion, podcasting and ceramics.

Kicked out by the parents, an illustration from The Book of Homelessness. Illustration: Accumulate

During lockdown, Accumulate continued its work by posting art kits to participants at their hostels and hosting video calls. Hostels are isolating places, says Cumber, and demand for the charity's support soared during lockdown, with kits sent to more than 60 different places.

Accumulate also provides scholarships to talented individuals to study at Ravensbourne University in south London. So far, 20 Accumulate participants - including Mitchel and Amalia - have taken the access course, and eight have gone on to study for degrees at university.

All profits from The Book of Homelessness will shared between its creators and Accumulate. If the entire print run sells out, says Cumber, it will fund another scholarship for next year.

Amalia, who started her course this autumn, describes Accumulate as "a hub of hope" and says having a creative outlet has helped her move on from her past.

"I am finally in a safe space and it is my space," she says. "I'm not in that hostel any more. It has been a battle, though. Just because you live in a hostel or you have experience of homelessness, that doesn't makes you less of a human. It makes you stronger, it enables you to move in a different trajectory towards your dreams."

She has ambitions to publish her own book of poetry and build a career designing websites for black and minority ethnic-run businesses.

And Mitchel says Accumulate has changed his life. "It has given me confidence and positivity," he says. "This book and the other artwork I've done have given me something to be proud of."

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'This is our truth': the world's first graphic novel made by homeless people

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"It is easy to look down on homeless people," says former rough sleeper Mitchel. "We're not taught to respect each other in society and if we can have a reason to disregard people, it is like a default to ignore others."