Kas works for The Whitechapel Centre, supporting people who were rough sleepers and are now in a hostel. But it’s more than a job for Kas. It’s a calling he has been determined to fulfil since he himself was living on the streets and helped by the Liverpool charity.
Kas worked in numerous cities as a painter and decorator, and fell into the culture of drinking heavily. By 2016 he was in Liverpool, when his job ended. At the age of 28 he was addicted to drink, had no job and couldn’t afford his rent. He remembers, “I was drinking and there was no future.”
Ashamed
He had no one to turn to and when he had to leave his shared accommodation he grabbed a sleeping bag and headed to a park. He says, “I was sleeping rough in the parks first, then started sleeping in the city centre in various places. To try and keep myself safe I chose less visible places to sleep. I was drinking every day. I was homeless. I was ashamed. I needed a drink, it was the only thing on my mind.
“I was on the streets for three weeks before I knew about The Whitechapel Centre.”
“There was hope”
When Kas heard about The Whitechapel Centre he “went looking for a chapel”. He did find the centre where he met Alex, who he now works with. “It was the start of the next step of my journey. When I met with Whitechapel there was hope; light at the end of the tunnel.”
However, “It was a long journey because of my addiction. I was still on the streets for a year after that encounter. I was supported by the Whitechapel Centre with clothes, food, showers. They even found me a job in a recycling company but I wasn’t ready and lost it because of drinking.
Wake up call
“Whitechapel would tell me what to do, to stop drinking, and others were saying I was killing myself. But it was always ‘tomorrow’ … and tomorrow never comes. My health was declining, a good friend died of drink and it was a wake up call… to drink more. I was in mourning and didn’t want to feel.”
Kas met a girl, who also drank, and he began a cycle of wanting to get sober and going back to drink. Then Covid hit and he was put in a hotel for a year. He managed to get sober for three months, but slipped again at New Year.
“Then,” he said, “My girlfriend died from the effects of drinking. And I so wanted to drink… but I didn’t, I bought a Lucozade instead.”
Kas
Massive impact
That was the turning point.
He recalls, “When I was going through all this, I told myself that one day I will be working for Whitechapel. It took me longer than I expected to sort my drinking problems, but eventually, with the help of Whitechapel staff not giving up on me, I got there.
“I managed to get into a transforming rehab centre, sorted my drinking problem and came back to volunteer for a year in our donations warehouse. It was good to have something to do. I then applied for a bank role doing shifts all over the service before ending up in Phoenix for about a year. Encouraged by Phoenix Managers to take full time job, I did.
“I never stopped believing in Whitechapel and they didn’t give up on me. Thanks!”
Kas
Kas
