The house I was renting a room in was being illegally sub-let, so one day out of the blue we had estate agents turn up and tell us the man who had been renting the house out to us was actually supposed to be the tenant and wasn’t supposed to be renting out the rooms.
At the time the relationship with my family was strained because of my past addiction problems. So, I couldn’t go and stay with my family, and I was very much left to try to figure things out.
I was looking for work at that time as earlier that year I had left my job because I had a really horrible abscess in my throat. I had to have surgery on it and recover from that for four or five months. My work paid me the normal sick pay for just over a month, then statutory sick pay, but at that point they weren’t prepared to keep me on and let me go.
At first my abscess was unnoticeable, but after a week I was completely bedridden, I couldn’t swallow properly, my breathing was hard, and I eventually went into A&E because I was getting the shivers, cold sweats and stuff.
A nurse at A&E told me it was such a good job that I went in when I did because my blood had gone septic, which meant if I had left it any longer, I potentially could have died, which is crazy. I just thought I had some sort of throat infection. I used to have tonsilitis loads, so I thought it was that, but it wasn’t until my face was swollen to three times the size that I thought I should probably do something about this.
Evicted from my home
I was very lucky with the timing when I became homeless. When I got evicted from that house, I had just got a universal credit payment, literally days before it happened, so for the first few nights I was able to pay for a hostel.
I got very lucky with that payment because it meant I didn’t have to sleep rough, which was my main concern and the fear that I had the most. It’s scary to be in that situation.
Staying at a hostel was a very eye-opening experience for me because you see how homeless people are dealt with by the government and local councils. The hostel seemed very much a way to corral people into a space, and hope that will do. It’s not a good way of dealing people. There needs to be so much more that happens to help with homelessness. Even just the building of more houses.
You don’t realise until the day that it happens to you, what homeless people go through. There can be an attitude towards homeless people that these people are dirty beggars addicted to drugs who are just looking for another fix. But the case can be that people have been horribly treated and shoved to one side so much that they get given no options – no real help. People who are homeless become an afterthought to the government and local councils, and there is so much more that needs to be done to give people the stability they need.
Homelessness shelter
When I was evicted, I was staying at a homeless shelter in Leeds. It wasn’t a particularly nice place to be. You had to be very careful, and it was only from 8pm until 8am, which meant you had to leave in the morning. It felt like the city council needed a million different things from a million different people, like letters from doctors, but even then, it wouldn’t put you far up on the housing register.
I just didn’t know what to do, I was living my days wandering around Leeds looking for something to do while I waited on news from anyone. Then one day a family member texted me to tell me she found a place called Emmaus Leeds and suggested I apply on the website, so I did.
I filled out the registration and later that day, Emmaus Leeds asked me in for an interview. I went in, had the interview, and an hour later, I got the call to say that I had been accepted and a couple of days later I moved in. Then I moved to Emmaus Bolton.
What I like most about Emmaus
Emmaus is an even balance between having somewhere safe whilst having something to do. Having work to do, and to occupy my time, helps me so much. Having that stability helped me regain that relationship with my family. I was able to work on that, and I am really close with my family again.
At Emmaus Bolton, I am learning different skills in lots of areas. A lot of it is learning to deal with people a bit better. I have never been good with people. I’m a very closed off person generally and I have always struggled socially, so coming to a community like this where everyone is as close as they are, is good for me. Everyone is always talking to each other and making sure everyone is alright and doing well. Everyone always helps each other out. Being in a community with that sort of closeness has helped me so much in opening up and becoming a more sociable person.
Emmaus helps the community in Bolton in many ways, including providing affordable food in the cafe. There’s a lot that happens here that helps people in Bolton as well as people at Emmaus, and it’s nice to be a part of that. Emmaus Bolton gives volunteers a way of giving back to people in the same way we [people supported by Emmaus Bolton] do, and I think it’s really nice to have that kind of community support.
The helping part of what I do here sets Emmaus apart from other charities. I’ve always been the kind of person that likes to help people, and I would like to do more, and I feel like I have these opportunities at Emmaus.
What people do at Emmaus Bolton
I have mostly been helping in the main charity shop at Emmaus Bolton, but I do little bits in the café, and I do PAT testing as well. That’s another example of learning something new at Emmaus, and this has become a new skillset that I can use. It’s nice to have that because it opens up so many options. There are companies that do PAT testing that you can work for.
I have somewhat started thinking about my future. I want to be in a place where I’m comfortable and feel more stable, so I am ready to move on and take that step into fully supporting myself and being fully responsible for myself.
I definitely feel a lot more stable than when I first got to Emmaus. You would have seen a very anxious, closed off and mentally not great person at that time. I’ve suffered from depression, and I also have autism and ADHD.
I only found out about autism and ADHD a few years ago. During a mental health appointment, my doctor nudged me towards taking an assessment. I’m glad I did because it helps with things you thought were abnormal and wrong, you just work it out a bit differently.
How routine at Emmaus Bolton helps
Structure helps a lot, which is why I like being in the shop or why I like doing the electrical testing – because it’s very structured. I have clear goals, and I know what I’m doing, which helps me with the anxiety I have around work.
Emmaus has talked me through what I do. The staff team here understand neurodivergent people. Neurodivergence doesn’t get talked about very much and has been taboo for such a long time, but it’s something that is becoming talked about more and recognised more, and people are more aware of it, which is really nice.
We have been talking about college with my support worker and doing something there. I can be very much a deer in the headlights, but the staff here have given me a gentle push.
If you or someone you know is experiencing homelessness or at risk, you can find out more and apply for a place at Emmaus Bolton on our website.