We supported Andrejs get off the streets and rebuild his life. Our night shelter provided a safe bed before he began working with his Support Worker, Pawel, who helped re-house him into his own place through Housing First.
“I came here in 2011, working across different areas like building, manual labour…I was hopeful. I did a range of jobs—I even fitted the kitchen in the local Crisis Centre!
“But it wasn’t always easy at times, going from job to job. I started drinking after work or between jobs for many years, binge drinking often.”
In 2020, that instability pushed Andrejs into homelessness.
“I worked for my landlord, and things weren’t great at the time. One day, he just said, “Out,” and I had nowhere to go. I lost my job and my home at the same time. I had nowhere to go.”
Such a story reflects Andrejs time in the UK—where he was likely exploited, paid cash in hand and often underpaid due to the language barrier. Without insurance or a safety net, non-UK workers like Andrejs are vulnerable to hardship when employment stops.
A struggle for survival on the streets
Andrejs lived on the street of Ilford for at least a year, sleeping in an underpass for some shelter and depending on the local community for food.
“It’s very dangerous out there—bad characters. Everything can change quickly—sometimes helpful, but sometimes it can get ugly. People are stealing stuff, and fighting is going on. Rats around. It is smelly. It’s noisy—cars from 4 am to midnight.
“It was hard to survive. I had to find money from trolleys, but I turned more and more to alcohol to help. I didn’t feel good, but I also built up friends, a community.”
The turning point
He was eventually picked up by a local outreach team and supported by Rydale, a night shelter in Redbridge. Andrejs struggled to settle in the shelter, struggling with other residents, and needed to move on for his well-being. He was referred to our Housing First service—a model that provides unconditional permanent housing with wrap-around support, meeting Pawel.
Coming to your shelter saved me. I had somewhere warm to sleep. I don't know where I would be otherwise.
“But I struggled to settle and moved between a few services. I didn’t like all the drama, and my behaviour changed. I needed something else.
“When I met Pawel, I thought he was very nice and very happy. I thought he was a joker, but in a good way, like me.”
Pawel, with the support of our Private Rental team, helped Andrejs find a flat quickly through our Housing First programme and began helping him with his other needs, like getting his ‘settled status‘ in the UK.
A tragic loss
“I was still using a lot of alcohol to survive. It started at a low level, one or two beers a day, but just slowly, slowly becomes worse. The final push was one of my friends died; I think an overdose from too much drinking.
I wanted to stop myself after that, but the alcohol controlled me. It was always “next day, I’ll stop.”
Andrejs was at rock bottom. His health deteriorated, getting Covid, and he ended up in the hospital, weighing just 43kg. It was the shake he needed to give up drinking, an effort he achieved through his willpower, shutting himself away and drinking only water for a week.
Pawel continued to help Andrejs sustain his tenancy and work with other services to address his needs.
“I had many problems. My health. Alcohol. Issues with my family, my sister. Language barrier. No housing.”
An essential step was ensuring Andrejs got the benefits he was entitled to through a work capability assessment, which found that Andrejs was unable to work due to his physical health. He now has regular physiotherapy to help with his pain.
“My nerves are broken. My feet have no feeling, like pins and needles in my leg. I have neuropathy—nerve damage caused by too much drinking over time.
“I’m a handyman at the local church. I enjoy volunteering and helping out, but I get very tired. I need to stay in bed and sleep 3-4 hours afterwards.”
New goals and personal growth
Pawel also found Andrejs a more suitable place to call home, where he has stayed for the last two years. After 25+ years of drinking, he is now sober. He feels like a new man, living independently in the community, hoping to move into sheltered accommodation in the next few years.
“Alcohol brings all these issues. You just think about the next drink.”
“I have different interests now, playing strategy games, meeting new people. This house is so much better for me. I’m saving money for my future, too. I’m healthier, 83kg now!
“I am going to college now; I’m studying English and want to learn about other subjects. I’d like to work if I can with my health. I still go to the alcohol group to help others, show them resilience works.”
“I just want to say thank you very much. Pawel has been wonderful. No more stress. He is always happy to help me with any problem.”
“Single Homeless Project has made my life so much better.”
Follow us on social media