Having a good laugh with my friends and helping others really makes me happy. That's partly why I want to become a support worker. I'm completely taking hold of the chance to be a responsible, respectable and hard working member of society, through putting my experiences to good use. I really want to make something of myself now that my life is in a much more stable place.
I became homeless back in 2014 after a lifetime of drug and alcohol misuse. I lost everything, including my house. The realities of rough sleeping and the general instability that comes from homelessness added to some of the darkest days of my life and I never want to go back there. I've seen and experienced so much; from witnessing people be physically abused, watching people become really unwell and in some instances having people around me pass away. It's a tough world on the street and it leaves a person with lots of physical and emotional scars.
Fortunately I was able to get funding to go to a treatment centre. That's when things got better for me. I received help from people, who have since become friends, and they've continuously supported me. They've given me a place to stay for now, so that I can start to rebuild my life. I've been deeply inspired by others who helped me while I was in treatment. They showed me that I can use my own experiences to help others. I've found that it's something I'm good at! I have a lot of empathy for others and really enjoy learning about different experiences.
Dave and Stephen who are also training to be support workers have both used the Beam service and encouraged me to get referred. I feel incredibly empowered by having the chance to do something different. I've done a lot of internal work and this is giving me the chance to put that work into practice. The knowledge I'll gain through this training will allow me to build skills to improve myself and will be invaluable for my future career. In a couple of years from now I want to be in full time employment working as a drug and alcohol key recovery worker. I'm very excited about the journey I'm taking.