Mum ‘saves homeless man’s life’ by letting him move in with her

A mum has let a homeless man move in with her after fearing he would have died in freezing conditions in the town centre.

Darren Handley had been sleeping outside the former Mecca Bingo building in Ashford for almost two years after battling mental illness and alcohol addiction for most of his life.

But mum-of-two Irina Zureiqi who moved to the country from Ukraine 24 years ago - invited the 48-year-old into her Brabourne Lees home after spotting him almost a month ago.

Mr Handley had developed a cold and fever and was sleeping rough as temperatures plummeted last month.

He said: “I think if Irina didn’t come and get me that day I probably would have died out there because the temperature dropped to -8C.

“I’m 48 now and I’ve been on and off of the streets since I was 16 - I don’t want to live out on the streets anymore.

“I need my own little bedsit - the size of the room I’ve got now at Irina’s would be perfect.”

Since inviting Darren to stay at her home on January 31, Ms Zureiqi has taken him to the doctors, dentist and a drug and alcohol centre and is now helping him to find permanent accommodation to help him get his life back on track.

A diagnosed Schizophrenic, Darren made a suicide attempt in 2000.

He said he “broke every bone in his body” after jumping off a bridge near Junction 10 of the M20.

Ms Zureiqi, 46, says she felt “obliged” to help him after finding him in the town centre.

“He was very ill so I took him to the doctor and then I took him to my house because I was concerned he could die and no one else was willing to help him,” she said.

“When I found him it was the first day of snow and freezing cold.

“I feel I am obliged to help because I just feel sorry for people who are suffering and hopefully we are going to get somewhere for him to live.

“I’ve asked all the government organisations if there is anything they can do at all and, after weeks of actively knocking at every single door, there is no result.

“The support provided to homeless people unfortunately is not sufficient, especially to those who are mentally ill and have alcohol addiction problems.”

Ashford Borough Council confirmed it is aware of Mr Handley’s case and is working hard to reduce homelessness in the borough.

A spokesman said: “The council takes its responsibilities extremely seriously and has a comprehensive action plan in place to help prevent homelessness.

“The falling number of people who are being housed in temporary accommodation is proof that our policies are working.

“On top of this, we have developed our own in-house lettings service for private landlords where we guarantee rent and provide a comprehensive, hassle-free management service in an attempt to encourage more landlords to come forward with properties for those in need.”

The council is currently in the process of buying a property to support short-stay temporary accommodation, similar to the Christchurch House accommodation in Beaver Road it currently owns.

It has allocated £500,000 in its 2019 budget to complete conversion works to provide eight units and washing facilities for homeless families and individuals.

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Mr Handley had been sleeping outside the former bingo hall in Ashford

Darren Handley and Irina Zureiqi at her home in Brabourne Lees

Ms Zureiqi took Mr Handley to the dentist

Mr Handley has stayed in Ms Zureiqi’s home since last month