A JOB – BUT THE LOT
and that was literally my life for three years.
“My dealer allowed me to pay him back for drugs when I could, but that caused more problems as I got beat up quite a few times. It was just a sh** lifestyle.”
Feeling like he had nothing to live for, Andy tried to commit suicide. He climbed on to one of the highest buildings in Manchester and stood looking down.
“I hated what I had become and yet I couldn’t bring myself to jump,” he said.
“I called a friend and it was literally a cry for help. She dropped everything and came to get me and took me to hospital and from there I went to rehab.”
Andy spent two years in rehab fighting his addictions and left there clean – but he had nowhere to go and no home to stay in.
Andy went to London to visit a homeless day centre after a friend paid for him to get a train to Watford.
He walked the rest of the 20 miles to central London, arriving in the middle of the night.
He said: “There were a lot more homeless people in London and the facilities were a lot better there. I spent a few weeks on the streets and people told me where to go to get a hot meal and a shower.”
It was here where he found a leaflet for Emmaus, a homelessness charity providing work experience and training opportunities for homeless people.
He worked for Emmaus for two years in Lambeth, earning money and also having accommodation. He set up a Facebook account and the first thing he did was search for his family.
It had been more than 10 years, but after searching for his sister, he saw she was married and had kids. He burst into tears and got back in touch with his family.
“I wanted to visit my family again and my brother picked me up from the station. We went back to my mum’s house and I didn’t like the idea but I had to,” he said.
“I got there and my sister was there with her kids, my brother and everyone, I just couldn’t believe it. The first time I saw my niece I just burst into tears, it was so emotional.
“Everyone was sat around and I just told them everything, everything that happened – it was crazy. There were a lot of tears, mainly from me, but I was so glad to just get it out there. It was hard, but my family accepted me and I felt guilty because I was a coward and ran away from my problems and it was the wrong thing to do.”
Andy came to Bridgend nearly four years ago and now works full time at the Emmaus charity store in Cow
‘I’ve turned my life around but, don’t get me wrong, I’ve been drug-free for 10 years, but every day is a constant struggle’
bridge. He has also been drug-free for more than 10 years and says that, while he still drinks casually, he is now able to control it.
He added: “Emmaus has changed my life because for the first time someone has taken a chance on me. If I could speak to my old self, I’d tell myself to go and get help and stop pride getting in the way. I’ve turned my life around, but don’t get me wrong, I’ve been drug-free for 10 years but every day is a constant struggle.
“I’m so grateful to everyone who has helped me along the way and I’d urge anyone in a similar situation to go out there and get help.”
Jemma Wray, chief executive of Emmaus, says Andy is a great role model for people looking to join their community.
She said: “Andy joined us as a ‘seed companion’, he came to us already having been part of an Emmaus Community and came with the knowledge, skills and attitude to help lay the foundations for the community in Wales. Andy’s story is an example of what’s possible.
“Companions join Emmaus with a blank slate, it’s a chance to start again.”