Response, and Evaluation of Research :

In terms of primary research, I spoke to some people on the streets of Cambridge who were sleeping rough. I found that they displayed similar answers as to the individuals in Jimmy’s Night Shelter; most people wanted company or acknowledgement. One man also described how he felt excluded by society further as shops often kicked him out of their doorways at night, or made him move away from their shops despite him not being on their property. One woman said the worst thing about being on the streets is being lonely, and people often view people on the streets as dangerous or violent; so, avoid contact with them.

I found by gathering the statistics and information from talking to individuals, and gaining secondary research from official statistics; it creates a sense of realism to my content. The use of factual elements to my audio-visual will display the hard-hitting facts to my audience and will show how severe this issue is.  By visiting places like Jimmy’s, it gave me a sense of hope that an issue this severe and affecting thousands around the UK can be improved and eventually solved.

The research I gathered was very reliable in terms of the statistics and data I collected. On the other hand, the information and first-hand accounts I got from visiting the night shelter provided my work with an element of realism.

I observed that homelessness in Cambridge is a growing problem, and after reading these statistics about the UK and Cambridge I realised how severe this issue is. I found that often people viewed homeless people as a statistic on page instead of as people; I wanted to convey this message in my documentary by focusing on the individual’s stories not their identity of being homeless or ex-homeless.