I’ve been in Emmaus since 2012 and I first moved to Emmaus Colchester and then I started to move around a lot of different Emmaus’. I went to Cambridge and after to Lambeth, then to Greenwich and after that, I went to Hull and now I’m back at Emmaus Norfolk and Waveney. I’ve been living in Emmaus communities basically since I was 18.
I had a bit of a rocky start to my life; I was in foster care when I was 13 until the age of 17 and that was very tough for me. I was with the same family the whole time, and they stopped fostering other kids as they just wanted to look after me. I went back to my Mum and Dad’s house when I was 17, but they split up within a year, and we lost our house. Me and my brother were then homeless.
I was pretty much homeless from 17 and I really struggled to find decent accommodation from the council in Essex. One of my friends who was already living at Emmaus Colchester suggested I joined them, and I did.
I was very nervous at the start, but I settle in quite quickly to new places, so I was okay. I was working in the shops, in the warehouse, and on the vans, and then when I went to Cambridge, I worked in Joan’s Coffee Shop and in retail. I’ve done lots of different work in each Emmaus and I will have a go at anything.
I was worried about living in a community with lots of people, but I am so used to it now and I think that if I lived on my own, I wouldn’t be able to cope with the loneliness. Being in the community is better for me. I don’t feel so alone now. You can always talk to people here; they know what you’re going through, and you can relate to each other.
I have moved around a lot over the years, but I wanted a change of scenery, and each Emmaus was a fresh start. I left Emmaus Hull and East Riding in January, and I went from hostel to hostel, but they weren’t really the place that I wanted to be or put myself in. I wanted to come back to Emmaus, so I applied for Emmaus Norfolk and Waveney. The hostels were horrible, people did lots of drugs and drank, which I just didn’t want to be around. I was trying to keep myself to myself, but that was quite hard because as soon as you open your door in the morning, someone’s there.
When I was in hostels, I had no structure or routine, literally get up around 10 am, 11 am in the morning, and go back to sleep in the afternoon because I had nothing to do. Now I’ve got structure and a bit of routine again, I’m up early in the mornings – ready to go.
I’ve struggled with drinking for a while since I was 16 and while I was in foster care – I was drinking quite heavily. I’ve done a lot of work with Change Grow Live, and that’s got me down to a right low level of alcohol now and I haven’t touched drugs in a year. I thought I was going to fold when I was in the hostels, but I thought nah I can’t, I kept my willpower and said no. I would take myself around towns and get out into nature to get away from the city and other people.
The support team is great here, a good laugh they are as well which really helps. I get on well with all the other companions when I first arrived here, I thought oh no I’ve got to socialise with new people again, but I just fit straight in and they’re all lovely.
It’s also a nice building here and we’re in a nice area and I like that we’re not near a big town or anything. I can see myself staying here – it’s a peaceful community. It’s nice being able to relax in the evening and watch TV. It’s good to have that feeling that you’ve done a hard day’s work and you’re tired.
I didn’t work much before Emmaus, only a few work placements when I was a teenager and Emmaus has been in my life for so long now – the work is something I’m used to and enjoy. I like working here because it’s all on-site, I get quite anxious driving around, so I like being able to work here in the café or in the donation hub. This is my safe space really, being here makes me less anxious.
Now I’m back in East Anglia I can hopefully get back in touch with some of my family and see my nieces and nephews again.
Since my friend first told me about Emmaus, it’s been my whole life. I’d highly recommend Emmaus, it gets you back to normality, you have your routine and structure, and you feel safe. It’s really tough out there at the moment with all the rising prices and costs and Emmaus can help.
Find out about how Emmaus can support you or someone you know here