Will was homeless for many years and then became a victim to modern slavery. He now has a job and a place to call home after he joined forces with a Birmingham charity.
The now 38-year old was originally from Poland and came to Birmingham 17 years ago.
He wanted to use his English skills and move to a country with better opportunities than his own.
He found a home after he got a job at a construction firm.
After a few months, however, his family was devastated when his sister died in an accident. He also lost his housemate, who he claimed did not pay enough. This led to him feeling depressed and being evicted.
He was homeless and spent nights at Digbeth’s coach station and days in the library.
He was eventually introduced to Sifa Fireside which provides support services to homeless people and other people who wish to rebuild their lives.
He started to sell the Big Issue, and he was able to stay off the streets for seven more years thanks to his support from the charity and moving on to other jobs.
Later, he found work in a warehouse and was promoted to team leader. He claimed that he lost his job after two friends who had worked at the factory had started stealing. He couldn’t prove that he wasn’t involved.
He said, “As a thanks for getting my friends jobs, I lost my own.”
After he had suffered from mild depression, he was able to find work at Walsall’s factory and moved in with the couple he had met there. His situation changed dramatically after that.
They asked me if they could lend me some money due to housing benefit issues. I was open to that. As a thank-you, they offered me a delicious meal. That’s it for that positive ending.
“They poisoned my body, took all my money, took my ID, and kept me in for almost two years.”
He said that the poison made him feel sick and kept him from leaving his room. He found his wallet, money, bank cards, and passport gone. He was forced to rely on them for everything.
His food was restricted and he couldn’t leave his room except to go shopping or translate anything. He was prevented from working.
He said, “Not exactly pleasant people.”
“I tried to escape a few times and lost a few teeth due to that.” As I was walking towards Walsall from Bloxwich, I saw a car pull up. I was then knocked to the ground and was able to return home.
He felt that he couldn’t get help because he didn’t have any paperwork or an address to prove his identity.
He was only allowed to keep his library card because it wasn’t considered valuable.
“The best thing I did was borrow some books from the library to at least have something to read. That’s one thing I could do for me. I read books while I slept, because they would get annoyed if I made noises.
He was given two loaves of bread, two soft cheese packs and one pack of luncheon meat. This will last him for a week.
“If I was lucky enough to find pennies on the ground, I would buy cookies.”
The couple sometimes went with him to the shops. Sometimes they didn’t. But he stated that even if they did not go, they had many friends in the centre of the town.
He said that the couple were both alcoholics which helped them escape.
“They were so drunk that I took advantage of it one night and ran away at 3 o’clock in morning. I walked straight from Walsall to Birmingham to Sifa Fireside.
“It was the most beautiful walk I have ever done.”
Sifa staff work with clients to find employment.
Sifa has launched a program for corporate partners to participate. Building Employability involves:
Will returned to the Big Issue sales and volunteered at Sifa.
He said that he raised various benefits issues with Sifa staff and Job Centre staff but had not asked Sifa to take any action on his behalf.
He said, “I had washed all my hands of this entire matter.”
Sifa brought him the opportunity to apply for a job in Birmingham’s Urban Emporiums. He was living in Aston in a tent. To attend the interview, he borrowed a suit from the charity’s clothing closet.
He said, “It was very funny when i stumbled out from my tent wearing my three-piece suit with shiny shoes.”
He was offered a job as a pot washer for 15 hours per week. He is now the kitchen manager at the Jewellery Quarter location of the company five years later.
Hannah Wolsey (Managing Director of Urban Emporium) said, “He was one of the smartest dressed applicants we had.”
“I believe most homeless people must be resilient, but it’s about being prepared and willing to do it [apply] for a job.”
Urban is a community-based organization that participates in many charitable fundraising efforts.
It wanted to make a bigger impact, and it started to notice an increase in homelessness in the city center since its opening in 2009. In 2009, it reached out to Sifa to learn more.
Urban immediately realized that its staff loved the scheme. Ms Wolsey stated, adding that it was great to offer people opportunities, even though it only offered a three month position.
“It helps people get back to the real world and communicate with people beyond their homelessness networks. It could be done by any industry,” Ms Wolsey stated.
Urban admits that the scheme won’t work for everyone, and Urban has seen a few people pass through the doors who didn’t like it.
Will said that going to Urban was an “honestly incredible experience.” His wages were paid to his accommodation by the company even though he didn’t have a bank account.
“The compassion they show staff, the pressure that they place on themselves to speak to staff, interact with them, and to offer them opportunities, opportunities, and training. It was something entirely different for me.
He stated that “No one can experience many years of homelessness without having some sort of mental repercussions, or some degree mental scarring, which will need to addressed.”
These schemes are essential because of that. They address the monetary and wider issues as well as the homelessness.
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