I joined Emmaus Village Carlton back in March 2014 at the age of 21 as a companion and by December 2015 I was employed as the Reuse and Recycling Manager. In this role I managed the processes for sorting all the donations, recycling, and maximising income of recyclable materials. By 2020 my role had expanded to overseeing site operations too.
Before joining the community as a companion, I was struggling with my mental health and substance misuse. I left home at a really young age, not through any fault of my parents, more making poor decisions as a teenager and mixing with the wrong crowds. I left home at 16, worked part time here and there but these years were spent dictated by my substance misuse and I was staying in hostels or sofa surfing.
I was in and out of the night shelter in Bedford which is where I heard about Emmaus. It took me about a year to pluck up the courage and put in an application.
It was at this point that I realised my life choices meant I had burnt all my bridges; my family weren’t talking to me and my friends, or people who I thought were my friends, were not in a position to support me as they were also suffering with mental health and substance misuse.
Bedford Night Shelter supported me to complete my application and took me to my interview.
Support through recovery
Emmaus was a great support to me through my recovery and ensured I was receiving all the help I needed. I was at one point thinking about transferring to the South Wales community but then the Reuse and Recycle Manager job came up and as they say the rest is history.
Emmaus also supported my aspirations to join the Fire Service, allowing me to complete my initial training course and join as an on-call firefighter in 2017. They then allowed me to provide on-call cover at Harrold Fire Station while working.
Last year I applied to join the Fire Service full-time and was successful. This was a huge achievement for me and has always been something I have wanted to do long-term.
Pic cap: Fulfilling a lifelong dream – Tom pictured in action in his firefighter role
A can-do attitude is the key to success
I came to Emmaus at such a young age, but I think if you’re in the right frame of mind and you make use of the support that’s on offer and take all the opportunities that are given to you, you can turn your situation around for the better.
I was given lots of opportunities during my time at Emmaus, including forklift training and PAT testing which helped me progress from companion to staff. I also completed multiple management courses and gained Health and Safety qualifications which will support my career for life.
I gave Emmaus my all during my time there and I worked hard and I hope as a result I was well respected by my colleagues, companions and volunteers.
Solidarity work
Whether you’re someone who is suffering from addiction or struggling with your own mental health, Emmaus is somewhere you can keep busy and put your energy and time into doing something positive.
I see this with companions like Christian who manages the Rucksack Stomps every week, supporting local people on the streets with vital food, drink and essentials.
When he joined Emmaus I was chair of the solidarity committee and in the process of starting soup runs again and this was something he had a real passion for. He helped me to get this off the ground and is now running this himself. He’s come such a long way and is a huge inspiration and asset to Emmaus.
Fundraising
I still like to get involved in fundraising work as it’s important to me to give back to those who have helped me to get where I am today.
I am regularly involved with fundraising events for the firefighter’s charity and I’ve run a couple of half marathons, 10ks and 12ks for Emmaus. I’m planning to do another one before the end of the year.
Enjoying family life
I met my wife at Emmaus, she used to work for Emmaus UK as a Communications Officer. We now have two children aged 4 and 18 months.
I’m not a religious or spiritual person but I do think that sometimes maybe the decisions we make are all part of a bigger plan for us. I believe there is a huge element of luck in life but that making good choices will usually result in positive outcomes for you and those around you.
For me, joining Emmaus was probably the best decision I ever made.
Advice to people experiencing homelessness
It can be scary to start with but for me I decided that I was going to give Emmaus a try and if it didn’t work, it didn’t work.
Once I got through the first six weeks and I settled in, I realised how much I needed it, and was so grateful I decided to come here and proud that I had turned things around for myself.
Anyone who’s thinking about joining Emmaus my advice would be, do it, you’ve nothing to lose and everything to gain.