Mark (not his real name) is in his 30s and now has hope for the future. But before he met The Whitechapel Centre his life was heading one way – death. He says himself, “You saved my life.”
Before the pandemic his life was OK despite his mental health issues - he was happy enough busking and enjoying street art, music and video games. But he was using drugs to mask feelings of isolation, his inability to connect with others and memories of being cyberbullied as a teenager. His constant drug use, and attempts to withdraw from alcohol, led to psychosis episodes and delusions. When his relationship with his family broke down he sofa surfed for a year before sleeping rough on the streets, where the Whitechapel Centre found him in 2023. They assigned him Pathways workers and used a tailored approach to help with his housing crisis, substance abuse, and personal development. At the same time, he managed to get off the street – sofa surfing again with a partner. Mark explains, “My drug use was still bad. I was still drinking every day, smoking weed every day, I would take any drugs I could get at any given opportunity and was suffering with the effects of psychosis and paranoia.”
“I was done with life”
His girlfriend was evicted and Mark ended up street homeless again. Whitechapel combined practical support, such as food and clothing, with emotional support and links to other services. They also funded obtaining a new birth certificate and helped him get his National Insurance number and medical information. Mark says, “At this point you saved my life because I was gonna die. I was happy to die. I was done with life at that point to be honest.”
His Pathways coaches helped him explore other ways of enjoying life and how to de-stress, and prepared him for rehab, where he took part in group therapies, counselling, and structured community work. And after just a few weeks, Mark was promoted to House Manager within the rehab facility, leading daily activities and supporting other residents. He began attending a creative writing group, which allowed him to express his thoughts, process his past, and plan for his future. He shared ideas for a sci-fi novel, inspired by his own life and the stories of others he’d met through homelessness.
Mark remembers how his Pathways coaches helped him during the dark days and what’s happened since. “If I hadn’t have come to you and you hadn’t found me this place here [rehab], I’d have gone back to the streets happily and carried on doing what I was doing before and I would have drank myself and used to death – it’s what I wanted.
“You were always there for me when I needed you. You managed to stop me from using in the chaotic way I was, just enough that I was able to get here [rehab] and if you hadn’t I would have killed myself, either intentionally or unintentionally through drink or drugs.
“You were there for me”
“What you did for me is amazing – I can’t put it into any other words other than it has saved my life. I was done with the world. I didn’t think I was gonna get any help and I am so happy and grateful for it. It was great having someone there that would listen to me. And even when I was having a bad day, even when I was intoxicated and acting like an absolute fool, you were still there for me and made sure I was safe and getting the help I needed. You did everything you could for me, made sure I had food to eat and helped me to stay alive and survive for long enough to get here. I would have never have done anything like this without Pathways.
“This has been a rollercoaster for me. I’m glad that I’m sober now and that I can address these feelings. My goals for the future include possibly going to university. I could maybe try and educate the world on its problems instead of destroying my own life unnecessarily. I can maybe make it a better place. You've shown me that people care and have given me a chance to fix everything that I thought was unfixable.” As Mark continues his journey The Whitechapel Centre remains committed to supporting his transition into supported housing and beyond.
