My job involved working all over the country as an electrical contractor. My colleagues and I would rent out a house for the length of the contract and then move to the next place. Life was pretty good, but in 2015 my mum passed away and then very soon afterwards, I found out my dad had died.
“I had £36 left”
I took time off work to try and get my head straight, but I didn’t have any family support around me and started drinking. I spiralled out of control. It just became a cycle of going from hotel to hotel, living out of a bag, and drinking every day. I kept putting off going back to work because I wasn’t strong enough. After a while, I remember going to pay for another week’s stay in a hotel, and my card was declined. I went to the cash machine, and I had £36 left. The hotel staff let me sleep in their reception for a couple of nights. Then the time came. I gathered as much camping kit as possible, found a spot where I felt safe in the woods just outside Bedford, and set up my tent.
Sleeping rough
It was hard but it became a way of life. One night I went back to my camp and all my stuff had gone: the park ranger had cleared it all. Thankfully when I spoke to him the next day, he was sympathetic, having experienced homelessness himself, and just advised me to be less visible in future. That’s how I survived. I used to attend AA meetings to meet other people and help my addiction.
Finding Emmaus Village Carlton
In 2017, after almost two years, my sister heard about Emmaus Village Carlton; she came out and found where I was, and we researched it together. I called them up and they offered me a room.
It felt quite alien at first: I’d always donated to charities, but I’d never been in a situation where a charity was helping me. I’m pleased I’m here though: I haven’t looked back.
Giving back: helping others sleeping rough
To me, the most important thing about my time at Emmaus is solidarity work. I really believe in the Emmaus ethos of serving those who suffer most and I just want to help other people. A few years ago, I was volunteering with Emmaus to serve soup to rough sleepers in Bedford, when a couple of us decided to start walking round with rucksacks full of supplies, to try and offer help to more people. The idea caught on, and we started a new thing called the ‘Rucksack Stomp.’
Every week I now help lead the Rucksack Stomp: a group of volunteers from Emmaus Village Carlton. We offer food, supplies and support to those who are rough sleeping or vulnerably housed, in Northampton and Wellingborough. We’re often meeting people at their lowest point, so we talk to them and find out what they need, and signpost other sources of support too. It’s very exhausting but very rewarding work. For me, it’s a way to pay forward the kindness shown to me. I know how it feels to be without a home; if we can help those who are sleeping rough, even a little bit, then it’s a job well done. It gives me a purpose and means a lot.
We recently helped someone who we met during the Rucksack Stomp, get a room here at Emmaus Village Carlton. He was living on the streets and now he has a home and support. He’s started volunteering with the Rucksack Stomp team too.
The hardest moments come when we lose someone we’ve tried to help. During the pandemic, we knew six people who passed away on the streets due to drug overdoses or dodgy drugs. You don’t often hear about that – about those who end up dying on the streets. Since we started, around 30 people that I’ve got to know, have died, and that’s just so difficult.
Life at Emmaus
One of the things I also enjoy about my life at Emmaus is upcycling old items of furniture or other things that have been donated. I give them new life by creating unique pieces to be sold in the Home Store. My most recent project was converting old cobblers’ equipment into light fittings. Before covid, I used to help run upcycling workshops for members of the public too, which was a good laugh. I’ve also appreciated the chance to learn new skills; I’m trained as a Fire Marshall and a forklift driver. I’ve got retail, office and business qualifications too.
I’m really glad I ended up here. You could fill a book the size of War and Peace with the different circumstances that lead to people becoming homeless, so whilst I’m here I’m doing my best to give back by helping as much as I possibly can.