I had a heart attack in January and found myself homeless.  Previously, I’ve had everything in my life – wife, kids, grandchildren, house, car – and I ended up here.  I can honestly say that I’ve never been more psychologically healthy than I am now, thanks to Streets2Homes.   Now I have a solid foundation.  If I was still on the street, I’m pretty sure I would be dead by now. 

Being in homeless accommodation is the last place I thought I would be, but thanks to Streets2Homes, they’ve given me a way to rebuild my life.  They’ve given me a foundation. This place stops people feeling isolated. I’ve watched people come and go from here and they always end up much more positive and able to mix in society.

I’m now in a community of people who have all had problems, but there is fantastic support infrastructure here.  The support workers are brilliant.  Streets2Homes makes sure that help is given to those that need it the most.    We are like a little community of people here that look out for each other.  Staff and residents all get on so well.  We can all relate to each other.  It’s nice to be able to share some of the things that we have missed out on in life – like all watching a film together on Netflix, cooking a meal, sitting down to eat together – things that others take for granted. 

I would say, if you are thinking about donating to a charity, you couldn’t find a better place.  The people here really do rely on the charity and goodwill of the community.  The more people help us, then we can get back on our feet – do something good for ourselves, our families and maybe eventually to the community at large. 

If you finance a place like this, you will save lives.  That’s the reality.  There is nothing better you could do with your money than donate to Streets2Homes.

If I didn’t come here, I would be dead on the streets.  Addiction is a mental illness.  It is a negative psychology and makes a repetitive pattern that people cannot break.  There is always negative fallout from being an addict.  Every malevolence that you perpetrate on yourself has a tragic consequence for someone else.  It caused me to split up from my wife and end up on the street.  Two months later I had a heart attack and was taken into hospital.  This was a blessing in disguise as I was able to manage my withdrawal in hospital under close supervision.   I came out of hospital clean and then came to Streets2Homes.  I’m now six months’ clean and able to work on my psychological issues – taking a pause for breath from the stresses of life.  I can incrementally improve day by day, whilst feeling totally supported from Streets2Homes.

I can look at myself, take stock, look at my negative emotions.    Streets2Homes has given me the chance to heal the damage, walk forward and have some atonement for what I’ve done in my life.  I’m so lucky I’ve been given the chance to put down roots.  Unlike other people I’ve seen that don’t have the support and spiral downwards ending up dead.  Whether physically or psychologically dead!