Over the past 40 years, we've become part of thousands of people's story. Here are just a few.

Stan's story (BCHA)

After tackling the drug and alcohol addiction that had plagued his life for years, Stan got extra help from BCHA’s Floating Support service. 'Floating Support helped me clear away the wreckage of a chaotic past lifestyle, he says. Read more about Stan's story.

Stephen's story (BCHA)

A series of devastating incidents left Stephen homeless and unwell.  Thanks to BCHA, Stephen now feels safe and has hope for the future. "When I found BCHA, it was like a big pair of arms came around me and said ‘you’re safe now’. After a while at St Pauls, I went to another BCHA hostel.  I got more space but it wasn’t long-term.  Recently, I moved into a BCHA flat.  I never thought I’d live in a place like this.  I never thought it would happen for me.  The feeling’s electric! I’m still dreaming! BCHA has been my saviour – but for them, I’d be dead." Read more about Stephen's story.

Andrew's story (BCHA)

Andrew moved all over the country for work.  When Andrew had to give up work because of ill-health, he had nowhere to call home. 'I’d always moved around for work. I was a fibreglass engineer building prototypes of things like cars and boats.  While the project was on, I’d live in B&Bs. After I got divorced, instead of going home after each job, I’d go onto the next project in the next place. Then I started getting really tired because I’m bi-polar. I had to slow down and eventually, I had to stop work. When the money ran out, I couldn’t afford the rent, and I had nowhere to live.  BCHA helps people to help themselves. I’m a really proud person. It took a lot to admit I needed help. The hardest thing was asking for help. The second hardest was accepting it. I’ve never been materialistic – but I miss the things I took for granted. My next goal is to get myself well and get back to work. For now, though, I to take everything a day at a time.'Read more about Andrew's story.

Andy’s story (BCHA)

At 21, Andy was a retail manager earning £36,000 a year, with no history of drug use. One stupid decision to experiment then changed everything dramatically. 'I made a stupid decision – and that was it; I was hooked. Over the next 12 months, I ran up £50,000 on credit cards, I got late on mortgage repayments – I even spent all the money my girlfriend had saved for Christmas presents. Eventually, with nowhere to stay, I slept anywhere. For years I was homeless, using drugs and drinking. One day I just realised I didn’t want to die before I was 40. The staff at BCHA never gave up on me. They got me to where I am now – onto my next life. Now I'm onto my education. I've also been volunteering - using my experience to help others. I really want to do a degree and get a job in this environment. My motivation is really up.' Read more of Andy's story.

Amanda's story (BCHA)

Amanda and her three young children escaped an abusive relationship thanks to BCHA. 'It was all about control. He'd wake me up in the night just to shout at me. You can't avoid someone in your own home. It wasn't safe. BCHA's refuge set us back on the road to being a normal family.'Read more about Amanda's story.

Emily's story (BCHA)

After years of being unemployed and fearing she had no prospects, BCHA helped Emily find her perfect job: using here experience to help others with addiction issues. “I’d been using recreational drugs since I was 13.  After my father died in 1997, I took drugs so I wouldn’t have to admit he was really gone.  I started using every day.  As a result of my drug use, I’d had clinical depression and a breakdown.  And I’d put myself in some really dangerous situations.  I thought: if I don’t do something about this, I’m going to die.  And so, on 23 May 2000, I stopped. Since then, my life has completely changed.  I came to BCHA through New Deal and explained I wanted to use my own experience to work with people with addiction issues. Not once was I told to forget it – in fact, completely the opposite. I absolutely love my job.  But the best thing about my life now is getting up in the morning and liking who I see in the mirror. Read more about Emily's story.

John's story (Hyped)

John presents himself as someone who is resourceful - he has had to be to cope with a life of early childhood misery, which continued as a theme throughout his life. BCHA/Hyped took him in after he had used up all his housing options, including sofa surfing, staying with friends, and moving from one parental home to the next, and back again. He then turned to rough sleeping and would often wake up in the morning drenched and frozen from the rain and frost. This caused him to repeatedly reach for alcohol and drugs to try and blot out the pain of his life. Now John has somewhere he calls home. “Since coming to BCHA/Hyped, I have made some good friends and I now have a sense of stability and routine. BCHA is now helping me to find suitable accommodation to allow me to move on. Read more about John's story.

Kimberley's story (Hyped)

Kimberly came to Hyped when things didn’t work out at home. She struggled to stick to any training and had no job or qualifications. Now her future is looking optimistic. Kimberly originally lived in London, but had to leave after things at home deteriorated.  She had left school with no qualifications. She eventually came to live in Bournemouth with her uncle when she was 17. She was regularly using cannabis and was also at risk of offending. When things didn’t work out with her uncle, Kimberly came to live at Hyped’s Sevenoaks House.Read more about Kimberley's story.

Richard's story (Hyped)

Richard had nowhere to call home after drug related problems turned his life upside down. Through BCHA/Hyped’s One Foot Forward, Richard’s life is now looking more positive and he is enthusiastic about steering away from illegal substances. “I have been a resident at One Foot Forward since February 2009. I had been a class A drug user since the age of 16 and this led me to lead a chaotic life style for a number of years. As a result, I was in custody for drug related crimes, before being referred to One Foot Forward by St Giles Trust. Read more about Richard's story.

Sean's story (Hyped)

Sean suffered from depression and found it difficult to get out of bed some days. He had very little motivation and did not have a job or any qualifications. After staying with Hyped, Sean is now taking up a full-time job and is feeling much more positive. Sean has been a Hyped resident for four years. He came to Fortuna House when he was 17 as a result of a family breakdown. He had left school with no qualifications, and was not in education, employment or training (NEET) for two years during his stay. Sean suffered from depression, and as a consequence had very low motivation, poor sleeping patterns and stayed in bed most of the day. He yo-yoed from high support to medium support. Hyped staff helped him tackle his depression and issues around his family. Read more about Sean's story.

Lee and Nick - allotment and horticulture projects. (BCHA)

Lee (39) works on an allotment growing produce and flowers for the BCHA house he lives in, which provides accommodation and support for residents. He was also involved with creating The Key Garden at the Chelsea Flower Show. Nick (36) is involved with BCHA's New Leaf Allotment project - and helped create the garden at the Chelsea Flower Show. Read more about Nick's story. Read more about their stories.

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