“I think the homeless community really needs places like this because without it, I don’t know where I would’ve turned.”

Henry* first came to The Connection in 2023. Ending up on the streets happened very quickly to Henry; he had been living in accommodation but was evicted and then was suddenly out of money. Henry was also in psychosis at the time, “I believed everybody in my life was against me, so I felt the safest place for me was not to turn to anybody in my life, but just to be on the street. So I started rough sleeping at King’s Cross Station.”

When Henry started rough sleeping all he had was a big jacket, he didn’t even have a sleeping bag. “…it was a really tough, cold December, and then after a little while, I started navigating where the shelters are, and I ended up finding myself here [at The Connection], and that was the first place of refuge really.”

At first The Connection was just a place where Henry could get breakfast, lunch, a shower and just be inside for a while. The staff also helped him access clothes and shaving equipment. He also didn’t have a phone at the time and would use the computers here from time to time.

Initially, due to being in psychosis, Henry was reluctant to work with the keyworkers to guide him into the right kind of accommodation or access any benefits.

“I was difficult to work with I think, or very standoffish.”

Henry describes the staff here as “always so welcoming and supportive.”

“…it was a very trying time, and I didn’t feel any judgement here; I just felt support and friendliness.”

He gives particular credit to his caseworker Naomi.

“Naomi was definitely a huge, huge help when I did accept help…First, she helped me with benefits, then she helped me with housing. I mean, she helped me with IDS, she helped me with everything I needed to get my life back on track, when I was lost and confused and like didn’t believe I had anywhere to turn.”

Naomi also supported Henry in finding psychosis help groups and attended meetings with him. Henry also attended sessions with Kari, a Clinical Psychologist at The Connection, and attributes Kari as “another key person from The Connection in helping me get my life back on track.”

Life is going really well for Henry now. He’s now living in shared accommodation in London and has started a new career in construction which is “going really well.” He’s living a sober life now and recently went on his first holiday in four years. He’s reconnected family and friends and back playing tennis and doing yoga.

“I’m living, you know, doing things like going to the cinema, going on nights out, you know, just living life as it was before.”

Henry feels optimistic about his future too.

“Like I hope to build more of my career now. I feel like I’m in a position where I can…I would like to have my own place; like I can even look at that now compared to where I was two years ago, when I was homeless…All I want really, is just to contribute to life and be peaceful.”

Henry’s experience shows how teams at The Connection build trust and work with people to access the support they need.