The homeless outreach team found me sleeping outside on a church porch. I’d not been eating or washing properly - and probably looked a sorry state - but the church felt safer than some of the other spots my homelessness forced me into over the years.
From the point the outreach team found me, everything changed for the better. I went to a shelter and eventually a hostel. I stopped using drugs and I’ve now been clean for nearly a year. If I could share one life lesson with my old self it would be this - don’t wait for opportunities to come to you, go out and make the most of the ones you have. From getting off the streets and now with Beam, I feel like taking responsibility whilst searching for the right help is all I’ve needed to start a new life.
I’ve done bricklaying before and (without wanting to sound overconfident!) I’m good at it. I remember on one job, the manager asked me to do the front of the property as he knew how much pride I took in getting a good finish. Since I last worked, they’ve introduced new regulations which means I need this qualification to get into the trade. With your support, I’ll get the NVQ and into full-time employment before finally moving into a place I can call home.