Hear the homeless speak!
David's story
David Tomlinson lost his job and soon after, his flat too, only because he couldn’t pay the rent anymore. He said he wouldn’t want to move into a new flat just yet, as he’d lose it again due to his addiction to alcohol. He’s seeking help and support from OpenRoad and is fighting this battle, but according to him, there isn’t enough mental health support. He says people push him away because there aren’t enough facilities.
William's story
William Johnston had found himself homeless due to a relationship breakdown, and was homeless for 11 years. Initially, he was wondering around looking for jobs where accommodation was provided, but after an injury, he got stuck in London. There, he was sleeping rough for a year and a half.
Here’s his story:
William is now working full-time at Emmaus as a painter, and has helped to rebuild and renovate three of their shops.
Steve's story
Steven John Thomson is 53 years old. He became homeless because he lost his flat due to his drinking problems. Afterwards, he secretly moved down to the cellar where he lived for 6 months. He then joined Colchester Emergency Night Shelter in November 2018. According to the Shelter’s policies, you have to be clean and sober every night in order to get in, so from time to time, he was forced to sleep rough.
Here’s his experience:
Luckily, Steve managed to obtain a flat from the council and is looking forward to moving in there in a couple of weeks.
Bradley's story
Bradley became homeless because of a relationship breakdown. He moved from Hackney, London, to Colchester because this town has better facilities for homeless people. Bradley is sleeping rough in his tent, because he enjoys moving around. But this puts him, and many other homeless people at great risk on a daily basis… from violence.
The worst part is that most of the time, the members of the public are those who are rude and aggressive towards them, because according to him, the homeless community is'very good and they stick together'.
Michael's story
Michael McAndrew decided to escape his abusive father at the age of 18 and has been a ‘hidden homeless’. He had been sofa-surfing for 7 years, constantly moving around. This has massively affected his mental health so he turned to using drugs to escape reality. Because of the drugs, he lost his ‘under the counter’ part-time job and his friends’ and family’s trust.
He told me how he felt:
Michael moved in with Emmaus at the age of 25 and just passed his 1-month probation. He’s given up using drugs and is working for the organization to get back on track.