Story of 29-year-old Ruth sleeping on London streets after hubby’s imprisonment

“I’m sleeping on London’s streets because my ex went to prison and I couldn’t afford the rent alone,” this was what Ruth Rugintye, 29, told an East London-based online newspaper, MyLondon.

According to the newspaper, Ruth has been sleeping rough on the streets of East London after her ex-partner went to prison.

She was unable to continue paying the rent by herself, so she was evicted by her landlord three months ago.

Since then, Ruth has remained in Stratford and is forced to rely on the generosity of Londoners offering money as she sits outside the railway station.

Ruth suffers from mental health issues and says the anxiety of sleeping on the streets has made her suicidal.

Ruth feels very unsafe being homeless after she was attacked and robbed of her money and passport. “It’s very dangerous at night.

“A few weeks ago I was beaten up as some guy punched me until I gave him my bag. At first, I said no, but after he kept hitting me I thought it wasn’t worth it anymore so just let him take it. I couldn’t get back up again for a while. This has made it harder for me to trust people as we were just having a normal conversation when this suddenly happened,” she told MyLondon.

Originally from Lithuania, the 29-year-old has had no help from her family which is also living in the UK. The first night she was pushed out onto the street, Ruth didn’t have a proper winter coat as she braced cool temperatures with just a light jacket.

“Living on the street feels like an endless cycle you can’t break out of. I’m constantly, cold, tired and sick. I get moved from my position by the police, but there’s nowhere else to really go. If I do something wrong that’s fine, arrest me – but where on earth will I go? The police are supposed to care for people, but it seems many are cold-hearted towards homeless people.”

The rest of the story continues on MyLondon.