Steven moved into St Martins House this month, after a brief stay at St Martins’ hostel Bishopbridge House and the Somewhere Safe to Stay Hub which offers emergency assessment. Prior to that he was sleeping on the streets in Norwich.
Steven’s homelessness started with a relationship breakdown and he slept rough for about three months. Steven had never needed support before.
He said, “I went to the council and presented myself homeless. And I told them about health issues; I have got asthma and COPD so I shouldn’t have even been on the streets. I was on the streets for a week before I went to Shelter. They phoned the Hub and got me straight in there.”
“The Hub was quite stressful. You couldn’t lock your door. And if you left anything in your pod it could go missing and there’s nothing anyone can do. Bishopbridge was a bit better, apart from sharing a shower. And here at St Martins House it’s much better because I don’t have to share anything, apart from a kitchen.”
“It was horrible on the street. Full of alcoholics and druggies, full of annoying people It’s now just easier. Since being under St Martins my life’s gone from being completely shit to having a lot of support if I need it.”
Steven has trouble sleeping, and while he was at Bishopbridge House he used to talk to the night support workers, playing uno with the team members to try and tire himself out so he could sleep.
Steven’s health suffered while he was on the streets. He said, “It was really bad. I used to be on a nebulizer, and doctors took me off that. There is stress after stress, and you’re panicking about what’s going to happen next…where am I going to after here?”
Originally from North London, Tottenham supporter Steven worked in security and as chef and has lived in Ipswich, Lowestoft and Great Yarmouth. He worked at Delia’s restaurant (but never met her!) His favourite dish would be either chili con carne or spaghetti bolognese. Steven keeps himself busy by volunteering at Nourish, a local service that provides food for people experiencing homelessness.
He says that homelessness shouldn’t mark people out as different. “It’s not a choice. There’s no difference between us and anyone else. We’ve just gone through a difficult rough patch and some are worse than others. People don’t realise that. And they’re not out there to be idiots they are out there because they’ve got issues.”
“A lot of the public, to be fair, stopped and spoke to me. When I was on the street, one guy came up to me, it was pissing down with rain, and I was just wandering and he said ‘come on mate, we’re going to McDonald’s. and he bought breakfast and coffee. So, yeah, there are some nice people out there.”
Steven can stay at St Martins House for up to two years. He wouldn’t be able to afford renting similar accommodation elsewhere and appreciates the support he gets with things like making appointments. He keeps busy and is often found at Under 1 Roof, St Martins learning and development centre using the computer suite.