characters

Of the many people I saw or spoke to during my three days at Lifeshare, there are probably five characters who will stick in my memory. Taken together, they represent both the clientele of the project and the breadth of challenges facing councils and voluntary groups in this area.• One was a bright and gentle recovering alcoholic in his 40s who has not touched a drop for three years and now appreciates every new day as if it is his last. He works voluntarily several days per week to give something back, and hopes to find a paid job in the charity sector.But his life recently took a turn for the worse after he found himself homeless yet again and living in a hostel without most of his belongings. He said some hostels require three forms of ID from anyone wanting a bed.• One was a man approaching his 40th birthday who has had a drinking problem since his late teens and has been sleeping rough for the best part of a decade. He is hearing voices in his head due to alcohol-induced schizophrenia and has the beginnings of alcoholic peripheral neuropathy – a nerve loss condition which causes the foot to drag while walking. He is currently living alone in a derelict building in Salford but is desperate to get onto the Alcoholics Anonymous 12 Steps Programme.Despite all his problems, he is articulate, interesting and has a great memory for detail. He says his reflection disgusts him and told how he felt ashamed every time he took a swig of alcohol. His trainers had a big split in the sole so we replaced them and gave him new clothes and toiletries.• Another was a scruffy young man whose long hair had turned into matted dreadlocks and who was clearly sleeping rough. He was good looking but had what looked like a big, raw burn scar across much of one side of his face. Each day he sat quietly on his own, away from the other clients, and made little eye contact with anyone. I smiled at him a few times and said hello in the hope of striking up a conversation but he seemed extremely shy and would just look away. It was hard to tell whether he was a heroin user or not.• One was a young gay man who had a child as a young teenager and lost him to social services. His family didn’t take the news of his sexuality well and he ended up in hospital with a fractured skull. He has been homeless on and off for several years and also has a sister who has a serious drug problem. He has now been diagnosed with HIV.• Another was a lonely old man in his early 70s who has a roof over his head but depends on projects like this one for food and company. He was a true gentleman and appreciated anyone taking the time to chat with him. We talked about his travels overland from Britain to India during the 1960s, and I found him some new socks. He told me how he didn’t know what he would do if Lifeshare didn’t run next Christmas (its funding is in crisis). He was disappointed to hear I wouldn’t be there today, because he was planning to take in his photographs of India to show me.