For a good while, I was in and out of homeless services. In 2003, I was living in a flat. I invited some lads over and they broke up my flat and slashed me with a vodka bottle. I had to get seven staples across the head.
The landlord told me I had to go. I was on probation at the time and the probation officer said, “What would you think about Tralee?” I said, “I don’t care, I just want to get out of here.” This was not the first time I had gotten injured because of drink and drugs. In the past, I overdosed nine times and I cut myself. I fell down stairs and I got in fights. I was in two serious car crashes, puncturing my brain, injuring my eye and my jawbone. My probation officer ended up getting me into Arlington Lodge. I stayed there about three and a half months. I got good help from the staff there and I ended up going to Liverpool playing soccer for the homeless. I had gotten into trouble in Tralee and I asked to move again, this time to Limerick.
Arlington Lodge helped me to move. That’s how I ended up getting into Bridgeland House. I loved it there. I got on well with all the residents and staff. I drank there every day, at first, and made another nuisance of myself there. I used to take prescription tablets and ecstasy and all different kinds of drugs as well. I got into trouble in Limerick too. I was up in court for drunk and disorderly. I felt that things were going bad. I sometimes blacked out and didn’t know what I was doing. I was afraid I’d badly hurt someone or myself. The staff arranged a month’s respite for me. I stayed off drink and drugs for a while and I moved to St. Patrick’s Hill which is a dry house.
I started doing some voluntary work in Bridgeland House, cleaning and kitchen work mostly. I did that for over a year. It kept me busy and sober. I felt good after a day’s work. I started to feel more confident. Management offered me a chance
to be interviewed for locum work. I felt great. I passed my interview and did locum work for another year or so. A night safety attendant job then became available. I got this job and was absolutely delighted. I’ve been in this job for two years now. I love my job, working with residents. With what I’ve been through and the help that I’ve got, I like giving something back. I’m living in my own flat now. I never thought I’d see the day when I could be living on my own. Before, I couldn’t sit in my own space; I had to have drink or drugs. Now I don’t even think of that.
I got more help from Novas than any other place I’ve ever been in. People listened to me when I was having bad days. No one ever judged me. The amount of chances I got from Novas are more than I ever got anywhere else in my life. I think that only for Novas I wouldn’t be alive and well and I wouldn’t be where I am today.
