My life started to go wrong when I was fifteen when my father hit me and I was put into a children's home then at seventeen I went into foster care for a few months till I was eighteen then I had to learn how to look after myself in a bed-sit I found it very hard at first because I wasn't very good at looking after my money and was so hungry sometimes all I had to eat is what I had left in my cupboards sometimes I just ate handfuls of sugar to take away the hunger I didn't know if there was anyone who cared or could help me.
I have to moved to lots of different places while I was working then I moved into a friends flat because I couldn't find any where to go quick enough so he offered me to stay with him for a while then I had to leave my job because of an injury I had some years before and it was getting worse because of the sort of work I was doing and my friend let me stay as long as he could because he was getting custody of his daughter so he had to ask me to find somewhere else in a month which I had a lot of difficulty finding somewhere because I tried ringing a lot of private landlords and they wouldn't have people on benefits.
"I didn't know if there was anyone who cared or could help me."
I went to the council to say I was going to be homeless soon I was shitting myself because I had an image of myself sleeping on the streets begging for money just so I could feed myself I was already on the housing list for about a year but I didn't have enough points to get a place of my own
"I got involved making the foundations for the therapy room which I enjoyed"
I felt like the world was just falling down around me and no one else cared it was getting closer to the date I had to move out then the council said I could move to a night shelter for the homeless all my fears where becoming true at least I was lucky enough not to be sleeping rough on the streets I moved into the shelter I felt like I didn't belong there I didn't hardly get any sleep on my first night the staff was quite nice to me which made things a bit easier for me I had to walk the streets from 8.30am till 7pm I just didn't know what to do with myself I stayed there for a week then I asked at the council if there was any hostels in Stevenage because I was studying at the college there so I could find a job that wasn't that physical they told me the same day there was a bed at the Haven I was expecting the Haven to be the same as the other hostel I stayed in so I didn't panic to much when they opened the door I was greeted with a smile and said my name that made me happy I have met some great people there and the staff where very friendly it felt like just like a very big family and it was more like home I got involved making the foundations for the therapy room which I enjoyed helping out which made me feel a part of the team I wish to thank all the staff at the Haven for the help I got to get me back on the right track.