Finn is a father, a former chef and someone who, for many years, lived a stable and consistent life with his family.

Today, he is also someone rebuilding after years of homelessness.

Like many people facing homelessness, there was no single moment that caused everything to change. Instead, a series of relationship breakdowns, job losses and increasing struggles with alcohol slowly led him to the streets.

Before all of that, Finn’s life looked very different. He worked as a chef and had a home. He often found himself surrounded by friends and family, however, things took a turn for Finn and life soon became very difficult for him. Alcohol became a way of coping with the stress and pain he was experiencing and over time, this created further distance between him and the people he was closest to. Eventually he became isolated from his family and he found himself homeless.

When Finn first came to Barnabus a few years ago, he had already been sleeping rough for several years. Although he has been accessing support from Barnabus for around three years now, it took him a long time to feel ready to face the challenges in front of him and come to us for help.

Finn often felt ashamed of being homeless because he had once come from a stable background. Reaching out for support was difficult and trusting that things could get better felt even harder. Over the years, Barnabus supported Finn with food, showers, regular check-ins and a consistent message: whenever he felt ready, support would be there to help him move into accommodation.

That moment did not come quickly. But at Barnabus, we never give up on someone.

For Finn, the idea of moving into accommodation was frightening because he knew it would mean taking responsibility for both himself and his drinking. After watching his life unravel once before, he struggled to believe he could rebuild it.

Through using the Beacon and building strong relationships with Dwell, (which hosts all our faith based activities and connects Barnabus with all its supporting churches) and the Barnabus casework team, Finn slowly began to believe that change was possible. Over time, staff helped him see that he deserved stability and that he would not have to face the journey alone.

Eventually, Finn said he was ready and a referral was made. Within a week, he had moved into supported accommodation.

There is still a long road ahead but Finn has made some great steps towards his future and he will continue to have support from all of us at Barnabus.

After spending so long on the streets, Finn can sometimes feel anxious or trapped inside accommodation. We are standing beside him as he builds the confidence and skills needed to maintain his tenancy and feel comfortable in his new environment.

Finn still keeps in touch with his children and his hope for the future is simple but powerful: to become a steady and reliable presence in their lives again and one day have a place of his own where they can come and visit.

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