Allies who helped soldier in biggest battle
PROGRAMME KEEPING YOUNG PEOPLE OFF THE STREETS
A SOLDIER who returned home with nowhere to go has spoken out about his struggle to survive – and how he has turned his life around.
Ex-infantryman Liam Cary, whose mother died from non-Hodgkin lymphoma when he was 16 years old, returned home to Moston from his military service to find that his father had ‘lost the family home.’ He spent years sofa surfing and sometimes even slept on public benches.
Desperate, he started dealing drugs after he ‘got in with the wrong crowd.’ But his life changed when £4,000 worth of substances was stolen from him – by a member of his own family.
“That was actually the turning point”, he said. “It made me realise you can’t even trust your family. So I thought, you know what? I need to look at the bigger picture and start doing things for myself.”
Liam had been in contact with Manchester council, but after ‘getting nowhere with them,’ he was referred to a new homelessness prevention programme for young people in Greater Manchester.
As part of the Pathfinder programme, Liam was assigned progression coaches - support workers who he says saved his life by helping him at his lowest point. Soon after he was introduced to coaches Michelle and Alan, Liam contemplated suicide – as he has many times since leaving the army, saying, ‘every day is a battle.’ Within an hour of ringing to say he was in A&E, Alan was by his side. “If it wasn’t for them, I’d probably be dead by now,” he said. Liam, who is currently living with a friend of his late mum, is being supported to look at private accommodation through funding available for former veterans. This will give him the stability he needs to continue with Cognitive Behavioural Therapy to help him manage his mental health. The 27-year-old has also recently secured a forklift truck licence - but he says his priority now is to concentrate on himself and become ‘a better person.’
Asked what he would tell young people in a similar situation to his, Liam said: “Get on the phone straight away. Within a week, you’ll be in a better position. They’ll come, they’ll speak to you.”
The Pathfinder programme is aimed at young people between the ages of 18 and 25, but the scheme can support anyone aged 16 to 35 who is assessed to be at some risk of becoming homeless. For more information call 07970994244 or visit the website at www.gmbop.org.