Lee became a chef at nineteen and for twenty years he worked in the sector. He worked his way through the ranks, travelling around the world, eventually becoming Head Chef for ten years and receiving impressive reviews in the press. However, alcohol was a big part of the industry’s working culture, leading to dependency and Lee finding his life start to spiral out of control.

In our film below, Lee shares his experience of homelessness and the difference his new home is making to him.

Regularly finishing work at ten, eleven o’clock every night, Lee fell into a party-style lifestyle that became a serious habit over the years. By the time he was in his mid-thirties  he had developed a serious dependency on alcohol, not realising how much alcohol he was consuming; for Lee, it was part of the lifestyle of being a chef.  

“Before you know it you sort of need a drink every night and you don’t think anything of it and it’s like, if you don’t have a drink, it's like I can’t get to sleep now. So then one drink leads to another.”

Over a period of about ten years, Lee tried to become sober and would be successful for various lengths of time before he would relapse: eleven months sober, then six months, eight months, four months, three months ... During his relapses, he would binge drink on much stronger alcohol.

“That’s when my life started to spiral out of control. It went crazy. I’ve been working on my addiction for just over ten years now. However, alcohol has been ingrained in my life, as it started at such a young age and went on for years. Today, I’m sober, and life is better.”

Lee’s reliance on alcohol progressed over the years resulting in him being unable to continue in a chef role.

Lee’s road to recovery

“I woke up, it was about a year and a few months ago, and I’d been on a two-week relapse with really strong alcohol. I was walking to the shop and the next thing I know, I woke up in intensive care. There were tubes everywhere, nurses running around … it felt like I’d been abducted by aliens – it was that sort of scene - and I didn’t know what was going on. It was a horrible experience. But if I hadn’t been in intensive care, I don’t think I’d be sat here today; it was touch and go for a while.

I’ve never really had my own home before. It’s always been live-in jobs; living in restaurants or living in hotels or being on the road, travelling with work and stuff. So, I was forty-eight when I got this place. That’s a long time ‘on the road’ from the age of sixteen.

When I first moved into this place it just had a nice feel about it, it was a nice energy. Everything was nicely painted, everything newly fitted, all the furniture, it was just ready to move in to. A beautiful kitchen. There was no hassle needing to get things like pots and pan, fridge freezer, washing machine, cooker, everything you need. I could just move in pretty much instantly without needing to worry about anything.

It’s the perfect location for me because my friends live nearby, I’ve got my snooker clubs nearby, my family don’t live too far away. Everything for me here is accessible. It’s also near lots of shops and behind the flat is a lovely park, and so I’ll go around the park with a flask of tea to sunbathe and listen to music. It’s perfect, I couldn’t ask for more really.”

Previously, Lee had lived in shared accommodation that was chaotic with easy access to alcohol. The shared accommodation also increased his anxiety levels, which resulted in more drinking, a vicious circle. Since moving into his flat, with his own space he has felt more settled and relaxed.

“This home, it’s helped me to relax, to calm down a lot. It’s helped me manage my abstinence a lot better. I’ve had one relapse and one lapse in eight months so that’s not bad at all. And it’s just nice. My friends pop round, family come round. It’s been a massive help on my emotional and mental wellbeing as well because I sit here at night-time, and I just totally relax. I get the candles going and stick a film on, make myself something nice to eat and just relax and it’s done wonders really because my life was pretty chaotic before, to say the least. So, it’s been a nice change in a positive way. And in all fairness, to find accommodation like this, for someone who was in my position before, it’s extremely difficult, and that’s why I feel like the people who have made this happen for me are doing a fantastic job. It does make a difference.”

Damien McLoughlin is DHI’s Supported Move On Team Leader providing weekly support to Lee. He said: “Lee was referred to DHI through Bristol City Council. That was the starting point. Lee seemed suitable from the information we had, and so I went to meet him and assessed him. Lee fitted the bill and has been living her for eight months now. It’s worked out – it’s great to be able to offer people such a life changing kind of thing – having a house, a stable place, a roof over your head.”

How National Homelessness Property Fund 2 (NHPF2) works

Lee is one of Resonance’s NHPF2’s tenants. He is supported with his tenancy alongside access to other support services by one of the fund’s ten expert housing partners, Developing Health and Independence (DHI) in Bristol.

The fund purchases properties in the heart of local communities, chosen with the fund’s expert housing partners. Properties are refurbished to a high standard including improving their energy efficiency and once refurbished, they are handed over to housing partners to manage tenancies and support tenants.

Stable homes allow tenants to transition from homelessness to becoming part of their community, gaining employment or training, saving for their future and giving them the ability to eventually move on into their own private accommodation.

FIND OUT MORE ABOUT NATIONAL HOMELESSNESS PROPERTY FUND 2 HERE.