Marc's story: “My Porchlight workers are fantastic”

The 50-year-old describes homelessness as “miserable” but is clear about one thing: he’s still here because Porchlight helped when he wasn’t sure he could keep going.

Marc became homeless after having to leave the flat he had lived in for eight years. “I was renting somewhere that a friend owned, but he wanted to sell up," he explains.

"The council advised me to stay until I was evicted. They said that by leaving voluntarily, I would be classified as ‘intentionally homeless’ and would find it more difficult to get support. But I didn't want to put my friend through that so chose to live in my car instead."

A former carpenter, Marc was out of work while trying to overcome addiction issues. Universal Credit helped cover the rent he’d been paying his friend, but it wasn't enough to secure a property on the private rental market.

With nowhere else to go, Marc put his belongings in storage and began living in his car.

He says: “Trying to stay warm and clean is impossible. You wonder what will happen the next day and if you can carry on like this. Your body starts giving up and the noise of traffic and fear of people attacking you keeps you awake at night. A few times, I had people banging on my windows and harassing me."

A couple of times, Marc managed short stays in temporary accommodation. During one of those stays, he met Porchlight worker Wendy.

“It took a while to find somewhere suited to my needs - which included being close to home and my support network - but eventually they found somewhere."

Marc now lives in a council property where he feels safe, is learning to trust others again and is reconnecting with who he used to be. He’s also sober, something he credits to having four walls of his own.

Despite a recent cancer diagnosis, Marc attends Porchlight community drop-in sessions to socialise with others, enjoy a hot meal and provide advice to people who are going through homelessness themselves.

"My Porchlight workers Wendy, Rupert and Mounia are fantastic," he says. "Without them and Porchlight, I wouldn’t have ended up where I am."

*Not his real name

Photo is courtesy of Centre for Homelessness Impact and is for illustrative purposes only