June 30, 2024 • 25 mins
John shares his personal experience of homelessness, the challenges he faced, and the support he received from The Ferry Project. He discusses the impact of rural homelessness and the unique approach of The Ferry Project in providing hope and transformation. John's journey from homelessness to becoming a staff member at The Ferry Project is a testament to the organization's success in changing lives.
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Takeaways
- Personal experience of rural homelessness and the challenges faced
- The impact of The Ferry Project in providing hope and transformation
- John's journey from homelessness to becoming a staff member at The Ferry Project is a testament to the organization's success in changing lives
Chapters
00:00 Introduction to Rural Homelessness Podcast
03:10 Challenges of Homelessness and Hope
07:35 Impact of Rural Homelessness
11:32 The Journey to The Ferry Project
15:53 Transformation and Pride
Mark as Played
Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
(00:06):
This is the Rural Homelessness Podcast,where we discuss the important issues
around rural homelessness, hear from thoseaffected by it, and offer some solutions.
Brought to you by the award -winninghomelessness charity, The Ferry Project.
Welcome to the Rural Homelessness Podcast.
(00:27):
Hello, and thank you for joining me onanother episode of the Rural Homelessness
Podcast.
My name is Matt McChlery and I am yourhost and it's wonderful that you have
chosen to click on over to the RuralHomelessness podcast today.
On today's show, I'm going to be speakingwith John, who has experienced
(00:48):
homelessness firsthand.
We'll be discussing his experiences aswell as learning about how the Ferry
Project managed to help him through someof those difficult times in his life.
So let's welcome John to the show.
Hi, John.
Welcome to the Rural Homelessness Podcast.
Hi there.
Thanks for agreeing to chat with me today.
(01:10):
As someone who's experienced homelessnessfirsthand, what was it like for you before
you came to the Ferry Project?
So in the early 2000s, I was married totwo children doing above average, I think
(01:31):
was doing above average.
I had several acres of land, horses, andeverything was going well.
Yeah, there's a question I still alwaysask myself now, why?
But I got involved with the wrong peopleand ended up making some real bad mistakes
(01:54):
that ended up in incarceration.
Now, from the result of that, that endedmy marriage.
My wife relocated with a new partner up inBoston near Skegness.
I'd made the decision that, because mychildren were still quite young, that I
(02:19):
would try and move closer to them.
Because I felt that being all that way inEssex, I wouldn't see them much.
So I made the decision to try and start anew life in Westbeach.
When I first got there, there was anotherfriend of mine whose mother thought that
(02:40):
she could...
she could help and she lived quite near inChatteras.
But that went badly wrong quite quickly.
So I put myself into a cheap bed andbreakfast locally and thought, it won't be
long, I'll get myself a job.
You know, I'm not proud to do anything.
There's not much I won't do.
(03:00):
There's not much I haven't done in mycareers.
And once I'm back on my feet, I can startseeing the children and can start coming
to stay with me.
But unfortunately, I ran out of money.
I ran out of money and therefore I was onthe streets.
I didn't have any priority needs, so Iwasn't deemed priority to put into any
(03:27):
temporary accommodation.
Plus the other thing I didn't have on myside was I had no local connection.
However, I continued and I continued tobelieve that something would happen one
day, something would go right.
But I started drinking.
I started drinking.
First, I started drinking the vodka.
And again, I had been asked why thathappened.
(03:51):
Not sure whether it was to numb out thecold, because it is a little bit colder in
the Fens than it is in Essex.
So was it to numb the despair or was it tonumb the cold?
Was it both?
That's how it started.
Became a vicious circle.
I...
then become alcohol dependent and my liferevolved around alcohol from the moment I
(04:17):
woke up to the moment I passed out or wentto sleep.
So that was your journey on the street.
Apart from your hunt for alcohol, wasthere anything else that formed like a day
for you?
(04:37):
when you were homeless?
So, and again, without a shadow of adoubt, it's the most traumatic thing I've
been through, is on the streets.
You know, I'm not the most timid ofpeople, however, it is quite frightening
and scary on the streets.
I didn't know it was beach, I had nofamily or friend connections here.
(05:04):
I was embarrassed, I didn't want to phonemy family.
I didn't want to fire my friends.
They've often asked why didn't you callus?
And I just felt that I've got myself intothis pickle or this hole and I wanted to
get myself out of it.
And I think looking back now, that was theright decision to do.
I think people would have been supportivearound money.
(05:27):
I think that all that would have done wasfuel the alcohol.
These were decisions that I had to battlewith and I had to make.
But I spent...
My days, more days trying to sleep andtrying to keep myself safe and on the move
of the nighttime and through the coldesthours.
(05:49):
So I was not someone that would sleep toomuch into the woods.
I try and keep myself visible.
And that may be on a park bench or St.
Peter's church benches at the time.
I felt more safe wearing a cat nap.
And then in the evening, you start feelingaround more and more.
(06:10):
And what would you say some of yourbiggest challenges were when you were on
the streets?
So obviously, alcohol was a priority.
I was also a smoker.
So to provide myself with food andtobacco, you know, you've had to do some
(06:34):
things that I'm not that proud of.
And that's when you start to lose yourself -respect and your dignity when you're
now hunting the bins of fast food outletsto see what they've thrown out in the
evening and picking up doggins on thestreets.
(06:54):
Even to the fact where you've run out ofalcohol when you're walking around, when
pubs have shut and seeing what's left inglasses or someone's left in a can on the
floor.
The amount of times I picked a can up andshook it and thought, I hope someone
hasn't put the cigarettes out in this oneor even worse.
However, it didn't stop me drinking it atthe time.
(07:18):
So your experience of homelessness inWisbech and for some listeners who've been
listening to this podcast so far knowsthat we're focusing on on homelessness and
Whizbeach Wisbech a rural
place.
It's a town in the middle of the theFinland countryside in England, in the UK.
(07:42):
How do you think from your experience ofbeing homeless yourself, how do you think
homelessness is different for people whoare homeless in the countryside or rural
area as compared to say if you were in abig city somewhere?
So, you know, the
(08:05):
The vision that I had, obviously comingfrom Essex and actually being born in
London is, you know, the tents on thestreets and people in shop doorways and in
sleeping bags.
But in, in, in, in Wisbech certainly inthe Fens, homeless people became invisible
(08:28):
in the evening.
They were entrenched.
They went into, you know, the parks andthe woods and...
derelect houses or garages or anywherethey could seek cover really so it they
were more visible during the day on thestreets but of an evening they all went
(08:48):
into these sheltered areas and like i saidi didn't know and i back then it was
prominently eastern europeans i wasprobably one of the only english -speaking
people on the streets of brisbane whichyou know they gained just a
added to that trauma.
Yeah, thank you for that.
(09:10):
That's very interesting.
And when you were homeless, trying tothink of some of the more positive sides
of it, if there were any, what were someof the most helpful things that people
said or did when they came across you whenyou were homeless?
I didn't.
(09:30):
So with me, when I was homeless,
People kept trying to offer me support andkept trying to refer me to the hostel.
However, again, I had this vision in myhead and I perceived, you know, of what
hostels were like and who went intohostels.
(09:52):
I felt that I was different.
I didn't want to go to a hostel.
And I felt that, you know, something wouldturn around, but a lot of the help.
came from places like the library andplaces that you could keep warm.
However, the more you're on the streets,the more homeless you become, the more
(10:16):
invisible you become.
People stop making eye contact.
They'll put their head down and somethingpass.
They don't want to see it.
They don't.
And people were saying, go to the hostel.
And that word kind of
put you off, what can we say if we comeacross someone who's homeless and we want
(10:39):
to try and offer them some help or pointthem in the place to find help rather than
saying hostile, what might be a better wayof getting that information across to
someone who is in that very vulnerablesort of isolated state?
Yeah, I think we've talked about a namechange here.
We've talked about because, you know,since being in the hostel.
(11:03):
and working through the hostel and nowobviously employed in the hostel.
I don't think that the word hostel does itjustice.
It is nothing like you could ever think itwould be.
Therefore, we've looked at changing it toHaven and obviously with the new opening
(11:23):
of the off -street accommodation beingcalled Destiny Haven, a safe place to
stay.
That's interesting using the words thatyou have and the names are really
important.
Coming back to your story, you're on thestreets of Wisbech and I know people were
saying go to the hostel and you wereresistant.
(11:45):
How did you get to actually arrive at theFerry Project?
Yeah, so I remember I spoke and I saidthat I'd lost self -respect, I'd lost
dignity.
But there was one thing that I held onto,and that was hope.
That was the only thing that kept megoing, because I just hoped things would
(12:06):
change.
I just hoped things would get better.
I just lived on this hope.
I just believed and hoped that somethingwould change.
Now, I used to, like I say, sleep inpublic places if I could, early evening.
Now, I've gone onto the streets.
This would have been early 2009.
(12:30):
We're now 2010, like 2010.
I'm in the local church to visit St.
Peter's Church and I'm washing in thelittle pond that they've got there to try
and clear myself up.
Cause now when I'm actually walking aroundthe charity shops just trying to keep
(12:52):
warm, they're looking at me like I'm ashoplifter.
And I said to them, they're a shoplifter.
I was window shopping to...
get a bit of respite from the cold and thewind and the rain and the snow and the ice
that was out there in November.
And a group of youths that had taunted mefor a few nights have recognised them,
same group of youths.
They were the same group of youths thaturinated on me the night before thinking
(13:15):
it was funny why I was trying to cap that.
Anyway, they, for whatever reason, theyhad in their head that homeless people
steal the fish from the pond to eat thembecause that's what homeless people do.
And they seriously assaulted me.
And I came to Hitchinbrook Hospital with afractured eye socket and other serious
(13:37):
injuries.
And they said to me, when I wasdischarged, you need to go to the Ferry
Project.
And so I made my way down to Millcliffe.
And as I approached the building, thebuilding where the office was had a plaque
on the wall that said, Hope.
(13:57):
Hope House.
And I thought it just feels like I'm inthe right place.
And I knocked on the door and I said,listen, I think I need some help.
And the staff there were great.
And there wasn't actually any spaces atthe time, but I kept coming back each day.
I think it may have only been a few days.
(14:18):
And then I was accepted into the hospital.
So when you were accepted in and you kindof...
entered for the first time, what did itfeel like when you first arrived at the
Ferry Project?
Did it take time to settle in to the newenvironment or what was that like for you?
(14:39):
The old hostel was different to it, it wasshared accommodation, shared kitchen,
shared bathrooms, it's come a long waysince then.
But the moment I was offered somewheresafe, somewhere warm, some food,
and washing facilities, that stress, notto say the trauma that took a while to
(15:01):
deal with.
However, the worries, the concerns, thefirst time I slept properly in a long,
long time.
And I was greeted with people that I couldsee genuinely could feel the pain I could
see that they, the empathy and sympathythat surrounded me and realized that.
(15:24):
actually I wasn't any different to anybodyelse in the hospital.
I was the same as them.
I was homeless and I needed help.
So what are some of your highlights sincecoming to the Ferry Project?
What are you most proud of during yourjourney?
I think I'm proud of the Ferry Project.
(15:47):
I'm proud of, you know, I'm not, I'm not,
I'm not not to say that I was homeless.
I'm not ashamed to say that I've beenthrough the ferry Ferry I'm actually proud
because of what the ferry Ferry done forme.
I'm not saying these things work foreverybody.
And they certainly wasn't working for mewhen I first come.
(16:09):
I wouldn't say I was the easiest ofclient.
I was still continuing my ways.
I was still battling with alcohol.
I was battling with a trauma when I wasmarried.
I wasn't very domesticated.
I was just the one that went and earnedthe money.
I didn't really cook properly.
I didn't budget properly.
(16:29):
I didn't have the money.
I could look after myself, you know, withhygiene wise.
But there was a lot of skills I waslacking.
Yeah, I'm proud of coming through.
I never ever thought I'd work at the FerryProject.
I looked at the staff here and I thought,you must have patience of a son.
(16:51):
How can you do this day in, day out?
You just want to go and shake him and tellhim, wake up, come on, get on with it.
And I'd moved out and I was back intoindependent living.
And while I was looking for a job and Iwas starting to get answers back on my CV,
we came into here in 2010.
(17:11):
It opened on the 5th of the 6th, 2010.
When you say here, where are you talkingabout?
October.
October, we were on the 5th of the 6th2010.
And that's where Ferry Project is basednow, it's like the hub of operations.
Yeah, this is the new hostel that movedaway from the old hostel, which is now the
move on and resell them and properties.
(17:35):
And I started coming back volunteering,it's a bit of a thank you.
It was a blank canvas, I started gettinginvolved in the gardens.
And I think going through it has been somany highlights here.
One of the things that I needed to do whenI moved out, I'd lost that network of
support again from the support workers,the people that was in the hostel.
(17:56):
I started to quickly go back down thatroad of drinking again because I was
isolated, lonely.
And one of the support workers come aroundto my flat and told me to get myself up on
the Monday and get myself into OctaviaView and start volunteering with a
volunteer.
caretaker I had at the time.
(18:18):
And I came in and I threw myself into thegardens and started to work on the
gardens.
I'd not really had much to do withgardening before, but I got so much
enjoyment.
It gave me something to get up for everymorning.
It gave me a sense of achievement.
It gave me routine.
And I knew I was giving something back foreverything that I'd received.
(18:43):
And again, like I said, I come from aroundhere, so I do nothing about this beach in
Blom.
And the next thing I know, we're an awardparty and we're winning the best business
garden in this beach.
Hey, congratulations.
Really good.
I didn't know the old shovel.
That's a different category.
(19:05):
very good.
And so so from volunteering in the gardensthen.
How has that sort of translated into younow being a member of staff and working
for the Ferry Project?
So yeah, I came back as a volunteer.
I was doing a bit of maintenance and thenthey came to me and said, we're going to
(19:27):
advertise for a concierge.
I caretaker.
Why don't you apply?
So I said, why not?
So I was doing a bit of DIY.
I was doing quite advanced DIY.
been doing DIY since I was 15.
I was a smart father at an early age, so Ibecame the DIY man at the age of 15.
(19:49):
And started really enjoying what I wasdoing.
And as the years have gone on, differentroles come up.
And they were after someone to run thenight shelter.
And that meant I could work with thepeople that I'd walked the streets with
all that time ago, and try and have somekind of...
impact or effect or influence orencouragement for them to change.
(20:17):
Let them know that the help was here atthe Ferry.
If I can do it, everybody else can do it.
So that was my most enjoyable job.
When I was running the nightshower, thatwas my most enjoyable one.
But unfortunately, Coltride shut thenightshower and shut nightshowers for
good.
All around the country.
(20:38):
Yeah.
Absolutely.
So I came up with a new idea and the newcreation is the emergency accommodation,
which was trialed during COVID when we hadbunk and bins that replaced the night
shelter in a smaller capacity that thenbecome on to be COVID isolation units.
(20:58):
And then as it started to phase itself outCOVID to a safer level, he's agreed for me
to add them for a little while to try itas.
an assessment centre and now off the backof that, seeing Destiny Haven built, those
nine units of off -street accommodationprobably tops the bill of all the
achievements now to watch something beingbuilt and actually achieving what the
(21:26):
hopes were of that accommodation toaccommodate people from street to
accommodation in order to offer themeverything other than that.
we're safe, we're warm, so we just showerand hot food.
I know what difference that makes.
(21:46):
And within four to six weeks, it meansthat person's life's changed, that they
now are able to map their own destiny fromdestiny.
That's really good, John.
What would you like people to know abouthomelessness and those who experience it?
There used to be...
(22:08):
I think you're aware there used to be anafter hours once a month up in the cafe
with a twist of faith.
And I used to probably see my time upthere as a thank you to the King's Church
because just felt if it hadn't been forthe King's Church all those years ago and
(22:29):
what they'd done, I certainly don't knowwhere I'd be even if I'd be here.
So I used to volunteer up there and...
there was a little group of elderly ladiesthat used to come in and they got to know
me.
And I was in there serving coffee one dayand one evening and they stood by the
window looking out and they was lookingdown to the smoking shop where the clients
(22:50):
are.
And they said to me, here John, is thatthem homeless people down there?
I said, yeah, they were homeless.
They're homeless.
I said, they're safe now because they'rewithin the firm projector on the beginning
of a new life.
And they said, are they all thosealcoholics and junkies?
(23:11):
And I said, not everybody that's homelessis an alcoholic or a junkie.
And sometimes they become that way becauseof the homelessness.
They said, really?
I said, do you know I used to be homeless,don't you?
I used to be one of them, stood down therein that smoking shower.
(23:32):
And they looked at me and said, but youused to be homeless.
So for me, anyone can be honest.
Life was good.
My life was, you know, I had horses.
My life was, I didn't have to worry aboutbills.
I didn't have to worry about much reallyuntil I'd done something really stupid in
my life.
(23:53):
But anybody's life can change.
But the Ferry Project is so unique that ifyou want that help, there's no getting my
way.
Everybody comes here and needs that helpthat you have.
to want it.
You have to want to change.
And if that's really what you want, theFerry Project can make that happen.
(24:15):
And we've often been asked, we promote,the Ferry Project saves and changes
people's lives.
People ask, does it really?
Does it really do that?
I've told people before, I'm living proof,and I've seen many more come through here
that are living proof that that's what theFerry Project does.
(24:35):
That's great, John.
Thank you.
I think that's a perfect place to saythank you so much for your time.
Thank you for sharing your story with usand we wish you all the best.
So thank you, John.
And I'm sure I know John's going to bechatting with us some more on some other
episodes of the podcast, giving his viewsort of from the other side of the table
(25:00):
where he's talking about all sorts ofthings now that he's involved in the
homelessness charity sector and is workingfor a homelessness charity, giving some
perspective on other issues around ruralhomelessness.
So we look forward to chatting with youagain soon.
John, thank you so much for your time.
You're welcome.
I'll see you soon, Ben.
(25:20):
And thank you as well for listening tothis episode of the Rural Homelessness
Podcast.
This podcast comes out twice a month onthe 1st and the 15th of every month.
So do come back again really soon to joinus for another episode.
of the Rural Homelessness Podcast.
Thank you and goodbye.
(25:41):
Thank you for listening to the RuralHomelessness Podcast brought to you by The
Ferry Project.
Visit our website on www .ferryproject.org .uk.
This is the Rural Homelessness Podcast,where we discuss the important issues
around rural homelessness, hear from thoseaffected by it, and offer some solutions.
Brought to you by the award -winninghomelessness charity, The Ferry Project.
Welcome to the Rural Homelessness Podcast.
(00:27):
Hello, and thank you for joining me onanother episode of the Rural Homelessness
Podcast.
My name is Matt McChlery and I am yourhost and it's wonderful that you have
chosen to click on over to the RuralHomelessness podcast today.
On today's show, I'm going to be speakingwith John, who has experienced
(00:48):
homelessness firsthand.
We'll be discussing his experiences aswell as learning about how the Ferry
Project managed to help him through someof those difficult times in his life.
So let's welcome John to the show.
Hi, John.
Welcome to the Rural Homelessness Podcast.
Hi there.
Thanks for agreeing to chat with me today.
(01:10):
As someone who's experienced homelessnessfirsthand, what was it like for you before
you came to the Ferry Project?
So in the early 2000s, I was married totwo children doing above average, I think
(01:31):
was doing above average.
I had several acres of land, horses, andeverything was going well.
Yeah, there's a question I still alwaysask myself now, why?
But I got involved with the wrong peopleand ended up making some real bad mistakes
(01:54):
that ended up in incarceration.
Now, from the result of that, that endedmy marriage.
My wife relocated with a new partner up inBoston near Skegness.
I'd made the decision that, because mychildren were still quite young, that I
(02:19):
would try and move closer to them.
Because I felt that being all that way inEssex, I wouldn't see them much.
So I made the decision to try and start anew life in Westbeach.
When I first got there, there was anotherfriend of mine whose mother thought that
(02:40):
she could...
she could help and she lived quite near inChatteras.
But that went badly wrong quite quickly.
So I put myself into a cheap bed andbreakfast locally and thought, it won't be
long, I'll get myself a job.
You know, I'm not proud to do anything.
There's not much I won't do.
(03:00):
There's not much I haven't done in mycareers.
And once I'm back on my feet, I can startseeing the children and can start coming
to stay with me.
But unfortunately, I ran out of money.
I ran out of money and therefore I was onthe streets.
I didn't have any priority needs, so Iwasn't deemed priority to put into any
(03:27):
temporary accommodation.
Plus the other thing I didn't have on myside was I had no local connection.
However, I continued and I continued tobelieve that something would happen one
day, something would go right.
But I started drinking.
I started drinking.
First, I started drinking the vodka.
And again, I had been asked why thathappened.
(03:51):
Not sure whether it was to numb out thecold, because it is a little bit colder in
the Fens than it is in Essex.
So was it to numb the despair or was it tonumb the cold?
Was it both?
That's how it started.
Became a vicious circle.
I...
then become alcohol dependent and my liferevolved around alcohol from the moment I
(04:17):
woke up to the moment I passed out or wentto sleep.
So that was your journey on the street.
Apart from your hunt for alcohol, wasthere anything else that formed like a day
for you?
(04:37):
when you were homeless?
So, and again, without a shadow of adoubt, it's the most traumatic thing I've
been through, is on the streets.
You know, I'm not the most timid ofpeople, however, it is quite frightening
and scary on the streets.
I didn't know it was beach, I had nofamily or friend connections here.
(05:04):
I was embarrassed, I didn't want to phonemy family.
I didn't want to fire my friends.
They've often asked why didn't you callus?
And I just felt that I've got myself intothis pickle or this hole and I wanted to
get myself out of it.
And I think looking back now, that was theright decision to do.
I think people would have been supportivearound money.
(05:27):
I think that all that would have done wasfuel the alcohol.
These were decisions that I had to battlewith and I had to make.
But I spent...
My days, more days trying to sleep andtrying to keep myself safe and on the move
of the nighttime and through the coldesthours.
(05:49):
So I was not someone that would sleep toomuch into the woods.
I try and keep myself visible.
And that may be on a park bench or St.
Peter's church benches at the time.
I felt more safe wearing a cat nap.
And then in the evening, you start feelingaround more and more.
(06:10):
And what would you say some of yourbiggest challenges were when you were on
the streets?
So obviously, alcohol was a priority.
I was also a smoker.
So to provide myself with food andtobacco, you know, you've had to do some
(06:34):
things that I'm not that proud of.
And that's when you start to lose yourself -respect and your dignity when you're
now hunting the bins of fast food outletsto see what they've thrown out in the
evening and picking up doggins on thestreets.
(06:54):
Even to the fact where you've run out ofalcohol when you're walking around, when
pubs have shut and seeing what's left inglasses or someone's left in a can on the
floor.
The amount of times I picked a can up andshook it and thought, I hope someone
hasn't put the cigarettes out in this oneor even worse.
However, it didn't stop me drinking it atthe time.
(07:18):
So your experience of homelessness inWisbech and for some listeners who've been
listening to this podcast so far knowsthat we're focusing on on homelessness and
Whizbeach Wisbech a rural
place.
It's a town in the middle of the theFinland countryside in England, in the UK.
(07:42):
How do you think from your experience ofbeing homeless yourself, how do you think
homelessness is different for people whoare homeless in the countryside or rural
area as compared to say if you were in abig city somewhere?
So, you know, the
(08:05):
The vision that I had, obviously comingfrom Essex and actually being born in
London is, you know, the tents on thestreets and people in shop doorways and in
sleeping bags.
But in, in, in, in Wisbech certainly inthe Fens, homeless people became invisible
(08:28):
in the evening.
They were entrenched.
They went into, you know, the parks andthe woods and...
derelect houses or garages or anywherethey could seek cover really so it they
were more visible during the day on thestreets but of an evening they all went
(08:48):
into these sheltered areas and like i saidi didn't know and i back then it was
prominently eastern europeans i wasprobably one of the only english -speaking
people on the streets of brisbane whichyou know they gained just a
added to that trauma.
Yeah, thank you for that.
(09:10):
That's very interesting.
And when you were homeless, trying tothink of some of the more positive sides
of it, if there were any, what were someof the most helpful things that people
said or did when they came across you whenyou were homeless?
I didn't.
(09:30):
So with me, when I was homeless,
People kept trying to offer me support andkept trying to refer me to the hostel.
However, again, I had this vision in myhead and I perceived, you know, of what
hostels were like and who went intohostels.
(09:52):
I felt that I was different.
I didn't want to go to a hostel.
And I felt that, you know, something wouldturn around, but a lot of the help.
came from places like the library andplaces that you could keep warm.
However, the more you're on the streets,the more homeless you become, the more
(10:16):
invisible you become.
People stop making eye contact.
They'll put their head down and somethingpass.
They don't want to see it.
They don't.
And people were saying, go to the hostel.
And that word kind of
put you off, what can we say if we comeacross someone who's homeless and we want
(10:39):
to try and offer them some help or pointthem in the place to find help rather than
saying hostile, what might be a better wayof getting that information across to
someone who is in that very vulnerablesort of isolated state?
Yeah, I think we've talked about a namechange here.
We've talked about because, you know,since being in the hostel.
(11:03):
and working through the hostel and nowobviously employed in the hostel.
I don't think that the word hostel does itjustice.
It is nothing like you could ever think itwould be.
Therefore, we've looked at changing it toHaven and obviously with the new opening
(11:23):
of the off -street accommodation beingcalled Destiny Haven, a safe place to
stay.
That's interesting using the words thatyou have and the names are really
important.
Coming back to your story, you're on thestreets of Wisbech and I know people were
saying go to the hostel and you wereresistant.
(11:45):
How did you get to actually arrive at theFerry Project?
Yeah, so I remember I spoke and I saidthat I'd lost self -respect, I'd lost
dignity.
But there was one thing that I held onto,and that was hope.
That was the only thing that kept megoing, because I just hoped things would
(12:06):
change.
I just hoped things would get better.
I just lived on this hope.
I just believed and hoped that somethingwould change.
Now, I used to, like I say, sleep inpublic places if I could, early evening.
Now, I've gone onto the streets.
This would have been early 2009.
(12:30):
We're now 2010, like 2010.
I'm in the local church to visit St.
Peter's Church and I'm washing in thelittle pond that they've got there to try
and clear myself up.
Cause now when I'm actually walking aroundthe charity shops just trying to keep
(12:52):
warm, they're looking at me like I'm ashoplifter.
And I said to them, they're a shoplifter.
I was window shopping to...
get a bit of respite from the cold and thewind and the rain and the snow and the ice
that was out there in November.
And a group of youths that had taunted mefor a few nights have recognised them,
same group of youths.
They were the same group of youths thaturinated on me the night before thinking
(13:15):
it was funny why I was trying to cap that.
Anyway, they, for whatever reason, theyhad in their head that homeless people
steal the fish from the pond to eat thembecause that's what homeless people do.
And they seriously assaulted me.
And I came to Hitchinbrook Hospital with afractured eye socket and other serious
(13:37):
injuries.
And they said to me, when I wasdischarged, you need to go to the Ferry
Project.
And so I made my way down to Millcliffe.
And as I approached the building, thebuilding where the office was had a plaque
on the wall that said, Hope.
(13:57):
Hope House.
And I thought it just feels like I'm inthe right place.
And I knocked on the door and I said,listen, I think I need some help.
And the staff there were great.
And there wasn't actually any spaces atthe time, but I kept coming back each day.
I think it may have only been a few days.
(14:18):
And then I was accepted into the hospital.
So when you were accepted in and you kindof...
entered for the first time, what did itfeel like when you first arrived at the
Ferry Project?
Did it take time to settle in to the newenvironment or what was that like for you?
(14:39):
The old hostel was different to it, it wasshared accommodation, shared kitchen,
shared bathrooms, it's come a long waysince then.
But the moment I was offered somewheresafe, somewhere warm, some food,
and washing facilities, that stress, notto say the trauma that took a while to
(15:01):
deal with.
However, the worries, the concerns, thefirst time I slept properly in a long,
long time.
And I was greeted with people that I couldsee genuinely could feel the pain I could
see that they, the empathy and sympathythat surrounded me and realized that.
(15:24):
actually I wasn't any different to anybodyelse in the hospital.
I was the same as them.
I was homeless and I needed help.
So what are some of your highlights sincecoming to the Ferry Project?
What are you most proud of during yourjourney?
I think I'm proud of the Ferry Project.
(15:47):
I'm proud of, you know, I'm not, I'm not,
I'm not not to say that I was homeless.
I'm not ashamed to say that I've beenthrough the ferry Ferry I'm actually proud
because of what the ferry Ferry done forme.
I'm not saying these things work foreverybody.
And they certainly wasn't working for mewhen I first come.
(16:09):
I wouldn't say I was the easiest ofclient.
I was still continuing my ways.
I was still battling with alcohol.
I was battling with a trauma when I wasmarried.
I wasn't very domesticated.
I was just the one that went and earnedthe money.
I didn't really cook properly.
I didn't budget properly.
(16:29):
I didn't have the money.
I could look after myself, you know, withhygiene wise.
But there was a lot of skills I waslacking.
Yeah, I'm proud of coming through.
I never ever thought I'd work at the FerryProject.
I looked at the staff here and I thought,you must have patience of a son.
(16:51):
How can you do this day in, day out?
You just want to go and shake him and tellhim, wake up, come on, get on with it.
And I'd moved out and I was back intoindependent living.
And while I was looking for a job and Iwas starting to get answers back on my CV,
we came into here in 2010.
(17:11):
It opened on the 5th of the 6th, 2010.
When you say here, where are you talkingabout?
October.
October, we were on the 5th of the 6th2010.
And that's where Ferry Project is basednow, it's like the hub of operations.
Yeah, this is the new hostel that movedaway from the old hostel, which is now the
move on and resell them and properties.
(17:35):
And I started coming back volunteering,it's a bit of a thank you.
It was a blank canvas, I started gettinginvolved in the gardens.
And I think going through it has been somany highlights here.
One of the things that I needed to do whenI moved out, I'd lost that network of
support again from the support workers,the people that was in the hostel.
(17:56):
I started to quickly go back down thatroad of drinking again because I was
isolated, lonely.
And one of the support workers come aroundto my flat and told me to get myself up on
the Monday and get myself into OctaviaView and start volunteering with a
volunteer.
caretaker I had at the time.
(18:18):
And I came in and I threw myself into thegardens and started to work on the
gardens.
I'd not really had much to do withgardening before, but I got so much
enjoyment.
It gave me something to get up for everymorning.
It gave me a sense of achievement.
It gave me routine.
And I knew I was giving something back foreverything that I'd received.
(18:43):
And again, like I said, I come from aroundhere, so I do nothing about this beach in
Blom.
And the next thing I know, we're an awardparty and we're winning the best business
garden in this beach.
Hey, congratulations.
Really good.
I didn't know the old shovel.
That's a different category.
(19:05):
very good.
And so so from volunteering in the gardensthen.
How has that sort of translated into younow being a member of staff and working
for the Ferry Project?
So yeah, I came back as a volunteer.
I was doing a bit of maintenance and thenthey came to me and said, we're going to
(19:27):
advertise for a concierge.
I caretaker.
Why don't you apply?
So I said, why not?
So I was doing a bit of DIY.
I was doing quite advanced DIY.
been doing DIY since I was 15.
I was a smart father at an early age, so Ibecame the DIY man at the age of 15.
(19:49):
And started really enjoying what I wasdoing.
And as the years have gone on, differentroles come up.
And they were after someone to run thenight shelter.
And that meant I could work with thepeople that I'd walked the streets with
all that time ago, and try and have somekind of...
impact or effect or influence orencouragement for them to change.
(20:17):
Let them know that the help was here atthe Ferry.
If I can do it, everybody else can do it.
So that was my most enjoyable job.
When I was running the nightshower, thatwas my most enjoyable one.
But unfortunately, Coltride shut thenightshower and shut nightshowers for
good.
All around the country.
(20:38):
Yeah.
Absolutely.
So I came up with a new idea and the newcreation is the emergency accommodation,
which was trialed during COVID when we hadbunk and bins that replaced the night
shelter in a smaller capacity that thenbecome on to be COVID isolation units.
(20:58):
And then as it started to phase itself outCOVID to a safer level, he's agreed for me
to add them for a little while to try itas.
an assessment centre and now off the backof that, seeing Destiny Haven built, those
nine units of off -street accommodationprobably tops the bill of all the
achievements now to watch something beingbuilt and actually achieving what the
(21:26):
hopes were of that accommodation toaccommodate people from street to
accommodation in order to offer themeverything other than that.
we're safe, we're warm, so we just showerand hot food.
I know what difference that makes.
(21:46):
And within four to six weeks, it meansthat person's life's changed, that they
now are able to map their own destiny fromdestiny.
That's really good, John.
What would you like people to know abouthomelessness and those who experience it?
There used to be...
(22:08):
I think you're aware there used to be anafter hours once a month up in the cafe
with a twist of faith.
And I used to probably see my time upthere as a thank you to the King's Church
because just felt if it hadn't been forthe King's Church all those years ago and
(22:29):
what they'd done, I certainly don't knowwhere I'd be even if I'd be here.
So I used to volunteer up there and...
there was a little group of elderly ladiesthat used to come in and they got to know
me.
And I was in there serving coffee one dayand one evening and they stood by the
window looking out and they was lookingdown to the smoking shop where the clients
(22:50):
are.
And they said to me, here John, is thatthem homeless people down there?
I said, yeah, they were homeless.
They're homeless.
I said, they're safe now because they'rewithin the firm projector on the beginning
of a new life.
And they said, are they all thosealcoholics and junkies?
(23:11):
And I said, not everybody that's homelessis an alcoholic or a junkie.
And sometimes they become that way becauseof the homelessness.
They said, really?
I said, do you know I used to be homeless,don't you?
I used to be one of them, stood down therein that smoking shower.
(23:32):
And they looked at me and said, but youused to be homeless.
So for me, anyone can be honest.
Life was good.
My life was, you know, I had horses.
My life was, I didn't have to worry aboutbills.
I didn't have to worry about much reallyuntil I'd done something really stupid in
my life.
(23:53):
But anybody's life can change.
But the Ferry Project is so unique that ifyou want that help, there's no getting my
way.
Everybody comes here and needs that helpthat you have.
to want it.
You have to want to change.
And if that's really what you want, theFerry Project can make that happen.
(24:15):
And we've often been asked, we promote,the Ferry Project saves and changes
people's lives.
People ask, does it really?
Does it really do that?
I've told people before, I'm living proof,and I've seen many more come through here
that are living proof that that's what theFerry Project does.
(24:35):
That's great, John.
Thank you.
I think that's a perfect place to saythank you so much for your time.
Thank you for sharing your story with usand we wish you all the best.
So thank you, John.
And I'm sure I know John's going to bechatting with us some more on some other
episodes of the podcast, giving his viewsort of from the other side of the table
(25:00):
where he's talking about all sorts ofthings now that he's involved in the
homelessness charity sector and is workingfor a homelessness charity, giving some
perspective on other issues around ruralhomelessness.
So we look forward to chatting with youagain soon.
John, thank you so much for your time.
You're welcome.
I'll see you soon, Ben.
(25:20):
And thank you as well for listening tothis episode of the Rural Homelessness
Podcast.
This podcast comes out twice a month onthe 1st and the 15th of every month.
So do come back again really soon to joinus for another episode.
of the Rural Homelessness Podcast.
Thank you and goodbye.
(25:41):
Thank you for listening to the RuralHomelessness Podcast brought to you by The
Ferry Project.
Visit our website on www .ferryproject.org .uk.
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