I worked in a homeless hostel supporting people with complex needs from drug and alcohol abuse, women fleeing domestic violence and care leavers to name but a few. I started this work when i left prison on 2008 after completing a 10 year sentence for drug smuggling, released on licence to serve the remainder of my sentence . I am a former soldier and prior to my conviction I spent 11 years as a drug addict using both heroin and crack cocaine daily. My life was very chaotic and i would spend frequent periods homeless and rough sleeping. I had difficulty in maintaining employment and would have to resort to begging to fund my drug use. I am now a qualified social worker

I feel I have a story to tell about my experiences, growing up in relative poverty, mixed race in a single parent family, my experience of drug addiction, homelessness and prison and how I turned my life around.