Alan had taken on a caring role looking after his sister who was unwell. After giving up his rented property to live with his sister for almost two years he was then left facing homelessness when she was taken into a care home.
There were lots of emails going round when my sister moved but I didn’t really understand what was happening. I was then advised by the council to register as homeless and was referred to The Beacon.
I ended up being on the streets for four weeks whilst waiting for a room to become available. The hard thing was not knowing how long I was going to have to be on the streets. It was a shock to the system but you learn very quickly.
When I arrived at The Beacon I felt a sense of being safe and that I was starting to move forward. To have a roof over your head completely takes away any feelings of being scared or worried about what you are going to do.
Coming here has been amazing. You know there is help here so mentally it takes the pressure off. I feel like there is a light at the end of the tunnel.
I used to bury my head in the ground and put things off but being here I have learnt not to do this. You have to help yourself. The Beacon has changed me, I am doing things I wouldn’t normally do and I have met amazing people because of it.
The Beacon gives you a chance to reboot yourself, go back to factory settings, start again. There is help here if you need it, it’s safe, there are lovely people and I really believe The Beacon changes lives.
