I got into a bit of debt with a housing association. I had a job, a car, a cat and a motorhome, and bit by bit, I lost it all. I had lived in my flat for 23 years in Bamber Bridge in Preston when they put the rent up by 12 per cent. The council tax went up too for me as a single person. The gas, the electric, everything was rising, so I got behind with my rent. I think in total, I probably owed four months rent and I was paying it off every 12 weeks. On top of my bills, that took my whole wage.
It was horrible. I went to the doctor because of the bill letters I was getting as I was a bit anxious. They had noticed in work that my demeanour had dropped. I wasn’t that happy person, joking around. When the debts started rising, my talking went bad. I went all quiet at work. I was thinking everything over in my head. I thought ‘will I be chucked out’ and that I had to find somewhere. My talking became worse. I couldn’t get my words out. It really got me down.
The plan in my head was that I had got a motorhome, and I could go to work and live off grid as it were. I tried it out in August, but it was so cold. Then I went back to the property to get my mail and opened a letter, and it was the housing association taking me to court and in the next letter there was an eviction order, with hundreds of pounds of court costs. So, I upped sticks and sold my car and I had to give up my cat, Toots.
Homelessness and heart-break
I was in work one day and I said to myself, I had to get out of here, and I just walked out. I couldn’t afford to pay any more rent, that was how bad it got. It all happened on the same day, that’s how crazy it was. Everything was a blur that day. I sold the motorhome to pay the debt off. I went and bought a sleeping bag and bits and bobs. I had the cat, so she was homeless with me. That was horrendous. Mentally, I couldn’t keep a cat round. Her meowing was quite heartbreaking, so I took her to be rehomed at the vets. I kept thinking ‘what have you done John’ but it was the best thing for her and for me as well. Out of all this, even being homeless, the hardest part was giving up my cat. It broke my heart, it did. She had a crazy personality.
I was sleeping behind a shop next to the prison. There wasn’t any shelter, I just had a polythene cover. When I was homeless, I used to walk a lot. I had never heard of any food banks. I used to eat a lot before I became homeless so finding something to eat was hard. I was sent some money, and I banked on that. The longest I went without something to eat was over a week. I didn’t like asking people for anything. I used to go to a supermarket and use the toilets to wash and have a bowl of water and that. I never want to do that again. I was homeless for 42 days.
Regaining confidence at Emmaus
When I first came to Emmaus, I felt relief. I was a bit nervous and when I met the support manager, I couldn’t talk to her. Since I’ve been here, my talking has got better. If you ask the support worker how I was during the interview, I was a gibbering wreck. I was nervous and when you get nervous, words don’t come out.
I remember she made me tuna sandwiches. As hungry as I was, I couldn’t eat them, because of all the nerves. When she went out, an hour later, I ate them. I had just tensed up. I thought to myself when I was in the offices here, what if they don’t want to take me on here? It was overwhelming to have a bed and be somewhere warm. I kept pinching myself.
Emmaus Preston has helped me a lot. I’m eating more and more regularly. I’ve got myself into a routine again. I call it home now. If you’ve any problems, you can talk openly about them with support staff. People at Emmaus care from the point when you move in. You can contribute to the community to help pay the bills and for the roof over your head; what an idea that is. Emmaus is a homeless charity that works. It does work.
At Emmaus Preston my confidence has come back. When I tell people I have a speech impediment, no one has questioned it. I don’t have to prove anything. Given the situation I was in, day-by-day it just gets better, really.
Contributing to the local community
Since I’ve come to Emmaus Preston, I’ve been driving the van, helping do collections and deliveries. Sometimes the traffic has been horrendous and there have been no lights on the motorway, which was a little bit daunting, but I’ve done this with a Satnav and I feel more confident.
I do get a kick out of asking people who donate goods if they would like to agree to gift aid. The process is asking people for their permission to give Emmaus 20p of every pound we sell their donated goods for. It goes onto the system and Emmaus receives the money from the government in tax relief. I’m a master of that. I’ve asked 17 people who have agreed in one week.
It’s that sense of contributing to the local community that’s important to me. When people say what you do. I say I’m a van driver for Emmaus. Everyone whom I have worked with, knows I’m at Emmaus Preston to sustain a roof over my head, which is right. You don’t get anywhere from doing nothing. I’ve always worked: on YTS, in a garage, in pharmaceuticals, cleaning social housing. It’s that sense of contributing that’s important. That’s part of what I’ve done from day one.
Being part of the Emmaus Department Store
I can’t wait until the Emmaus Department Store opens. It will raise a lot of money, and I have been part of making this happen. It’s a very big place. You’ll be shocked how big it is. I thought Emmaus Preston’s Fishergate Store was big, but the Department Store is massive. When I walked in and saw the fashion laid out ready to go, I was very impressed.
Everything raised from what people take off these racks goes to Emmaus and helps this charity support people. If you’re thinking of where to shop, I’d say choose Emmaus. Come to the Emmaus Department Store to open your eyes to a wider world of people who have been homeless and are changing their lives. How many people have you walked past who were homeless and you would have never known they were there? It seems like people are blinded to it, until it happens to you.
If there’s one thing, I’d like people to take away from my story, it’s don’t take everything for granted because in the blink of an eye it could be gone.
If you are worried about homelessness or you are currently homeless, you can learn more about the long-term support available from Emmaus Preston here.