KUALA LUMPUR, July 13 — After Roslan’s siblings threw him out of the house because he is HIV positive, the former soldier has been sleeping on the streets for the past three years.

He is one of the many “invisible” men and women among us who live on the streets. They have no jobs — or they do very menial jobs — and rely on the kindness of strangers like those manning soup kitchens for their food.

We walk past them every day, but we do not see. Perhaps we choose not to see.

Roslan’s “bed” is underneath a large tree near Kotaraya in the city centre, exposed to the elements and government raids against the homeless.

Roslan started injecting heroin when he was just 15. He was married once.

Although his wife accepted him despite his HIV status, they separated after 16 years of marriage when he returned to his drug habit.

Today, he is drug free but full of regrets.

Here, Roslan talks about what it’s like to be homeless, his struggle with heroin addiction and how difficult it is getting employed as a person living with HIV.

In his own words:

My family can’t accept me because I have HIV.

Seven days after my mother died, my siblings threw me out. “You sort yourself out,” they said. It was my youngest sister who threw me out. It was so painful…my relationship with my siblings ended after my mother died in 2011.

Every Ramadan, I will visit my mother’s grave in Malacca.

I sleep here because I help DBKL sweep up the rubbish. There’s six of us. They give us RM30, so it’s RM5 each… I feel happy when I sweep the place.

I started taking heroin when I was 15. I’ve been in and out of rehab four times. But now, I don’t even want to touch it anymore. I’m full of regrets. I feel regret for my wife, separated after 16 years of marriage. I feel regret for myself. I made a lot of mistakes. I don’t blame my ex-wife.

When I got married in Kedah, I was clean for six years.

Then I met my friends. I started shooting up again. But I can’t blame them. It’s my fault. My faith was not strong enough.

I’m on a methadone programme. I haven’t touched heroin in four years.

I have a daughter in USIM and a son who wants to run a business… I phone my kids. They know I live here, but I don’t ask them to visit me. I won’t allow them to come and see me.

Since 2011, I sleep wherever I’m tired. I’ve been staying at this same spot since 2012.

I didn’t want to do tailoring work anymore because I got frustrated…when I used to work, I’d work for three months, then they’d find out about my HIV status and fire me. I used to work in security companies too. So many companies. I got fed up. Frustrated.

– The Malay Mail