“What does the world sound like from the inside of a sleeping bag? Dogs barking, noisy traffic, heels on pavement. A group of homeless people in Scotland set out to record the ‘soundtrack of their lives’, so the world can hear what they hear, close up. As well as outdoor sounds recorded on street corners and in sleeping bags, we eavesdrop on the noises of hostels, soup kitchens, and night shelters.
We follow the early morning ‘death check’ routine, which involves staff knocking on hostel doors to find out whether any residents have passed away during the night. We scrutinise the sounds of people passing by on foot, bicycle and train, in ambulances, pushing shopping carts. We pause to enjoy the dawn chorus of birdsong.

That’s the first thing, the wee birds will be starting to sing. This is a very comforting sound because you know the daylight is not far away, I’ve made it through another night and I’m still alive.

There’s laughter and hope, kindness and friendship. But this can quickly flip to despair, fear, and tragedy. Perhaps the most certain thing about homelessness is its unpredictability.
Having completed the project, the group has now listened back to the sounds and interviews, reminding them of past experiences, scary moments, amusing encounters, and tangential anecdotes. It has led them to reflect on homelessness: how it feels, and how it’s perceived. And—crucially—it has reinforced their awareness of, and reliance on, their ears.

Even before you go down an alleyway, you’re listening before you’re looking, if there’s anything down there, if there’s already someone in there. When you get down there, you don’t use your eyes that much. You make yourself small and quiet, so you’re not noticed. You’re listening all the time.

Although it was made in Scotland, Skippering could have been recorded in any major city, of course. It just happens to be Glasgow, in the winter, when the Scottish weather can be at its harshest.
The feeling of invisibility is how one of the group’s members who previously slept rough on the streets sums up his experience of homelessness.

You’re seen and not heard. Hoping, sometimes, for somebody just to turn round and give you a smile, just to ask you how you’re doing. Just that slight human contact to feel human again. ‘Cause 90 per cent of the time, you do feel like a ghost with a heartbeat … just floating around.

”
http://www.abc.net.au/radionational/programs/soundproof/the-sound-of-homelessness-skippering/7380174