A homeless shelter manager has opened up about his own experience of rough sleeping.
Andy Cook is the deputy manager at St Mungo's service The Wing, in Bristol city centre - but just over a decade ago he was sleeping rough and struggling with addiction.
Mr Cook's life took a turn for the worse at the age of 27 and it wasn't until more than 15 years later that he was able to get his life back on track.
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The now 55-year-old said: "I had quite a good upbringing, I am from Berkshire and my parents were a teacher and a nurse. I had a really good life and was working as a regional sales manager.
"I ended up falling into addiction on the back of a falling relationship and my life just went downhill then.
"I made the mistake that a lot of people do and I headed to London, which is where I hit rock bottom. It was very quick to get down there and it was a lot harder to get out, especially in London as you can be quite anonymowus there.
"I was sleeping rough and going into services, getting so far and then relapsing - I was going round in circles like so many of my clients are doing. This gives me a lot of empathy with where they are at, I can look at them and think 'I was also angry once'.
"I believe anyone, given the right support and environment, can change their life - there is no such thing as a lost cause. Where there is life, there is hope."
Mr Cook said that he went to rehab in Weston-super-Mare in 2010 and then moved to Bristol.
"I was a client of St Mungo's in London. I was homeless on and off for 10 years and accessed a lot of their services while I was there, including their hostels and the recovery college," he continued.
"Eventually I managed to get to the South West and started volunteering with St Mungo's about nine years ago. When the opportunity to volunteer with them opened up, I jumped at the chance and I volunteered with them for 18 months before doing an apprenticeship with them.
"It [the volunteering] was massive for me, I was really blessed to being with some people who encouraged me to progress and who saw my abilities. When I was given the opportunity, I was in the right place to take hold of it.
"Consistency was key, the same people were always there to give me a hand up again when I needed it."
The deputy manager said that, looking at it from the other side now, consistency helps them build trust with clients.
Mr Cook said The Wing is part of the rough sleeping prevention service, adding they are an early intervention shelter which came out of the pandemic. They used to be based at the Compass Centre on Jamaica Street, he explained, where they had around 30 clients staying in a dormitory setting, with up to 12 people in a room.
"When the pandemic hit, we realised we could not have a lot of people in one room," he said. "It was not viable as it would have been extremely dangerous.
"Plans were then made to move to this building. There are 26 individual rooms and we also have a self-isolation room where we provide everything for them."
Mr Cook said they moved to The Wing on March 2020 and that the service is open to both men and women who have from low to complex needs. This means that, while some are almost ready to take on a tenancy, others have more complex needs such as mental health issues, fleeing domestic violence or drug and alcohol substance needs.
Addiction is often the result of being homeless as it becomes a coping mechanism, Mr Cook continued, and they also support people who have no recourse to public funds such as asylum seekers.
They offer 24 hour support, he explained, and they haven't had many covid cases thanks to all the work put into covid security.
They work with people who are new to rough sleeping but also with people who have been doing so for a long time. Some of their clients were sofa surfing, he continued, with all their clients having in common that they are referred to them via Bristol City Council.
Some people move on quite rapidly after a couple of weeks while other stay longer, adding they do not want to set people up to fail by moving them on too quickly or without the right care and support.
He said: "We offer some food, but we do not provide everything.
"We have a shared kitchen and also a communal area with a TV and sofas.
"We like to put the clients at the centre of what we do and speak with them about what they would like and what their expectations are.
"This is also a psychologically-informed environment and everyone gets to have their own room."
The 55-year-old said having their own room gives clients dignity, adding they are really grateful for the way they are treated. At most, two people share a bathroom.
Mr Cook said they have had a few clients who were reluctant to go into a hostel and who have then managed to sustain their tenancy before moving on to another accommodation.
The deputy manager said St Mungo's works to provide the services clients require and that they have a recovery college where people can engage in positive things.
They also have a weekly careers cafe and Putting Down Roots - a small gardening project tucked away at the back of Cabot Circus.
"It is a lot more than providing them with a bed to sleep in, we try to empower people to do something meaningful with their time," he said.
St Mungo's statistics show that the majority of clients are men (68 per cent) and that most of their clients (39 per cent) are aged 36 to 50, with 32 per cent being aged 26 to 35. Just over 40 per cent are disabled.
On average, St Mungo's provides accommodation and support to 138 people each night in Bristol.
An eclectic mix of people work at The Wing, he said, adding they have a brilliant team who are very supportive of each other and are a joy to work with.
Mr Cook said that, having a 10-year gap in his employment history, it wouldn't have been easy for him to find a job and that still now he gets moments of self-doubt.
"At St Mungo's, we celebrate lived experience and, for me, it is the greatest gift that you can have in this job," he said. "I do have to pinch myself sometimes.
"I have been employed for seven years now, which is a good feeling.
"I am engaged now and I have a home now, which is amazing. I woke up this morning and thought 'this is amazing'.
"I am getting married next year and my life is completely different to what it was 12 years ago, but I never forget where I have been.
"It does not define me, but it is part of who I am. When I am feeling deflated, I just have to remember all the good things that I have in my life.
"I can not wait to get into work some mornings, no two days are the same here. I have a lot of gratitude for St Mungo's for the opportunities and support that they have given me over the years."
Mr Cook said that he has been able to reconnect with his family and that he was able to be with his mum for her last days, which was not something he would been able to do if things hadn't changed.
"Everyone out there is someone's son, dad, mum," he continued. "Everyone is a human being at the end of the day but there is still stigma that keeps them there. "
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