Man says homeless charity's helping to turn his life around

Kieran said St Martins had given him 'fantastic' support

A homeless man living in Norwich says a charity has been helping him turn his life around.

Kieran, 29, has been without a permanent home since leaving care when he was 17, with his lowest point being six months on the streets.

He avoided sleeping in the city centre at the time as he found it "terrifying" at night.

Since getting help from St Martins Housing Trust he said he now wanted to help other homeless people.

"I want to become a support worker because I've been in other people's shoes."

Kieran was one of the first people to move into the charity's new hostel, St Martins House, on Thorpe Road in the city.

With 23 en-suite rooms, the former hotel opened to residents in December last year.

Last month, the charity welcomed the news that government figures showed a further drop in the number of rough sleepers in Norwich.

Former hotel St Martins House has 23 en-suite rooms for homeless people, but it is already full

Kieran said he had been supported by the charity since 2020 and before that, had spent six months rough sleeping.

"I was never one of the ones that'd be in the mix of it all in the centre of the city; I'd always be on the outskirts of Norwich. Just out of the way from it because I didn't like being in that environment, because at night it's terrifying."

"Especially when you've got no money, no food, you don't know when the next meal is coming in."

Kieran said he had been taking training courses with the charity and hoped to eventually become a support worker for other people going through homelessness.

"I want to show that people can overcome problems," he explained.

"I'm now 29 and I don't want to be in this picture in another 29 years. I want to be in a role where I'm supporting others and I can tell them people can change if you put in the effort like I did."