Eddie's Story

Another Chance

When I came to the Project, I was homeless and had nowhere to turn. I was drinking a lot, and my life was going downhill. I am dyslexic and I can’t fill in forms, so I was scared of going to the council. One of the workers at the Project arranged an appointment for me and we went together. She helped me fill in the form. I was offered a flat and they helped me get furniture and everything I needed.

I was getting a bit bored and lonely after a while, so I did some voluntary work, and then the people at the Project helped me get a paid job in a restaurant. Unfortunately I was still drinking, and I got the sack. Due to the drinking, I hadn’t really been on top of my money situation and didn’t pay the rent for quite a while. They were threatening to evict me. Sally at the Project went with me to court. They said that I could stay in my flat, as long as I pay off the arrears. Some people at my local church are paying towards clearing my rent arrears. They are going to support me to keep my tenancy.

I have no job at the moment, so Sally has helped me claim Universal Credit.  I want to work, but I need to sort out my drinking problem first. Sally has linked me up with a Resilience (drug and alcohol) support worker, who will help me reduce slowly. I am also going to AA meetings. Sally has got me a Travelcard for the train to see the Resilience worker in Maidenhead.

As I still get quite lonely, I go to the Project to see people and chat. I don’t know where I would be without the Project. It has saved my life.