This time last year, after the relationship with his family broke down, Ray found himself homeless.
He wanted nothing more for Christmas, than to have a roof over his head, where he was safe. Instead, Ray was living in an abandoned car where he was bitterly cold, where he had nowhere to wash and barely anything to eat and subsequently fell seriously ill, being admitted to hospital with a kidney infection.
Thankfully, YMCA were able to provide Ray with a room last Christmas, and he received the support he needed to start to build a more stable future.
“The stability of having a room, and people who’ll support you, it changes your life. It means so much to know there’s somebody out there who cares, somebody who sees me as a human being and believes in me.”
Ray, with support of YMCA, has been to college, and is now training to be a security guard.
We are delighted to report that Ray has finished his course, and is now an accredited security guard with a steady job at a CCTV monitoring company. He’s still living in the YMCA but needs less and less support and is well on his way to full independence.
*Ray’s story is true, but we have changed his name and used a model to protect his identity