Manchester man turns life around after sleeping rough in Brighton

Paul Agnew, 50, was a full-time scaffolder after previously falling into the wrong crowd, experimenting with drug use, and serving 20 months in prison for counterfeiting banknotes.

He said: “I’m not proud of it and when I was released I said to myself ‘no more jail’. I moved in with my mum Yvonne, and found work.”

However, his mum - the “rock of the family” passed away, his relationship with his partner began to fall apart, and he found himself using drugs again.

• READ MORE: Hundreds of households plunged into homelessness last summer, figures reveal

He said: “Although I was working full-time, it was a cash-in-hand job. I’d take my daily wages and go out at night, where I started using drugs again.

“There were loads of arguments with my partner. We weren’t good for each other and I was faced with a choice - either to stay and let things get worse or to walk away.”

Paul chose to split with his partner but soon afterwards his employer relocated to Australia. Although he was offered to go with him, he was unable to because of his criminal record.

He explained that his situation became too diffiicult where he was living in Manchester and, in August last year, he got a train with a small bag to Brighton and pitched a tent in front of a hotel on the seafront and lived there for six weeks.

He said: “It was frightening but almost right away I found someone else who was living on the streets and talked to him about the support available.

“Everybody thinks that people who end up on the streets are down-and-outs, but we all look after each other.”

'Down in the dumps to having something to look forward to'

Local outreach workers directed Paul to a day centre where he could shower, find food and wash his clothes, where he went every morning to stay clean.

It was there that he found St Mungo’s, a charity that works with people who are homeless, who offered him a room at a hub in the city.

Paul said: “I finally had a roof over my head and a safe space to recover. I stopped using drugs and they helped me to find my feet again. I was able to reconnect with my family, apply for the right benefits and find longer-term housing options.

“I’ve gone from being down in the dumps to having something in life to look forward to again.”

Paul has become a client representative for the service, supporting others as they settle in and encouraging vaccination against Covid-19 amid low uptake among those experiencing homelessness.

Through 207 services, St Mungo’s supported more than 31,600 people who were homeless or at risk of homelessness last year.

'It could happen to anyone'

Paul, right, with St Mungo's worker Dominic Lester

Dominic Lester, assessment and reconnection worker at St Mungo’s in Brighton, said that Paul’s experience reveals how close people can be to ending up in the same situation.

He said: “Particularly in today’s world and the way things are at the moment, we’re all only one paycheck away from being homeless.

“A lot of people have preconceptions about people experiencing homelessness, but it could be anyone.”

Dominic also said that the government needs to do more to support people who were in Paul’s position.

“At the start of the pandemic, the government had a really good opportunity to overhaul the way homeless services were run in this country and the cause and effect of rough sleeping.

“That fell by the wayside pretty quickly and it became evident that there wasn’t really a long term strategy for rough sleepers.”

'Stronger than ever'

With the charity’s help, Paul has secured housing back in Manchester and is now looking forward to starting work once again.

Paul's tattoo with the words 'refuse to sink' - a motto he applies to his life

He said: “I’ll have my own flat and I want to get back to work.

“There’s a tattoo on my arm of a ship’s anchor with the words ‘Refuse to sink’.

“It’s the motto I apply to my life; I was down in the dumps, but I didn’t give up. Now I’m back and stronger than ever.”