Micky’s Story

“I lost everyone important to me in a short amount of time and developed schizophrenia. After losing my flat, I ended up rough sleeping on the streets of Watford.

When you’re on the street you’re constantly surrounded by drugs so I ended up addicted too. Other people didn’t see me like one of them, they spat at me, told me to ‘get a job’, threw things at me and sometimes tried to assault me. Over the winter I was living in a tent but it was always so awfully, terribly cold – I went to the Haven each day for a meal and a shower. You can’t hold a job when you live on the streets and don’t know where you’ll stay each night so I needed money. During the day I was often begging with a friend to pay for my addiction and I was so depressed back then I could have just given up. I was dying, basically, I was taking hundreds of pounds a day in drugs and I hadn’t eaten in 14 days when the Haven team made the connections for me to have a room at the Recovery Services.

The Haven supported me and even though I missed my appointments a few times I was still given a room at the Recovery Services where I’ve done my 28 days completely clean from drugs. While it was easy to come of the drugs, staying off them is hard but after a small relapse I realised I didn’t want them anymore. I’m now getting ready to move on to another one of New Hope’s houses where I can be more independent and can get ready for living in my own place again and getting back to work.

I’m so thankful to everyone that supported me here and people that helped me on the street. The Haven team were great and made the connections to get me here. Everyday they give you breakfast, lunch and clean clothes. Everyone talks to you like you’re anyone else, they banter with you with no judgement ever. In meetings they sit you down to find out how you are and when you don’t come in, they send the outreach team out with a hot cup of tea when they can.

I’m in a place now where I’ve bought new tent with some money I’ve saved and I’m looking forward to staying in a tent by choice again.”