“I haven’t stopped smiling since I moved in" - Dan and Honey's story

“I had nothing but a sleeping bag and coat. I felt very vulnerable – for the first four days, I didn’t sleep at all.”

Today, the 48-year-old is safe in a Porchlight flat, proudly six months sober – and, as he puts it, “can’t stop smiling.”

“I can’t stress how much Porchlight has done for me. When there was no hope, they gave me hope. Going from feeling vulnerable and defenceless to somewhere that feels homely is amazing.”

Hitting rock bottom

Dan and Honey spent three months sleeping rough.

“I lost a lot of weight. I was begging for food and bin diving – and I’d share what I had with Honey because she had to eat as well. We had bottles thrown at us. I hit rock bottom. Honey was my rock. When I was crying my eyes out, she would comfort me.”

Dan couldn’t see a way out and his mental health was in worsening. During his lowest moments, he says he considered ending his life.

How Dan became homeless

Before losing everything, Dan was working at a printing company and living with his mum and brother.

Things began spiralling out of control when he developed a drug addiction. “It got hold of me,” he recalls.

He lost his job, and around the same time, his mum died. It was a tense time and Dan eventually left home with his Honey.

Nowhere to go

At first, Dan and Honey slept on friends’ floors, but the uncertainty of their situation quickly took a toll on Dan's mental health.

“People say it’s okay to stay with them, but they have families and you begin to feel like a burden. You still crave security. You’re not in a good place.”

Dan felt confused, lost and was still using drugs – partly to mask the reality of what was happening. He eventually felt unable to stay with friends any longer and the streets became his only option.

How Porchlight helped

The first sliver of hope came when a friend found Dan and helped him join a drug recovery group. It was here that he first heard about Porchlight.

“I met Porchlight worker Juliana, who was amazing. She checked on me, was so reassuring and helpful, and would always bring me food and a hot drink.

“Then I met Tina - an absolute angel. She was on the phone to me every day – helping me to fill out paperwork for Porchlight, the vets for Honey, anywhere else that could help... if I was struggling, she’d make time and help me.”

Dan believes this support was no accident: “I did the 12-step program while living in a tent,” he recalls. “I found God and prayed that he would help me – I believe that he sent me my Porchlight workers.

A safe, warm home

Just before winter hit, we were able to offer Dan and Honey a Porchlight flat.

“It’s a blessing to be inside somewhere safe, warm and that feels like a community,” Dan says. “And to have Honey here too is an amazing feeling. I haven’t stopped smiling since I moved in. It feels like home.”

Because recovery from homelessness is about more than just putting a roof over someone’s head, we’ve also helped Dan to:

• get ID documents, including a new passport
• connect with a local food bank to become more independent
• put systems in place to manage bills and paperwork.
  

With stable routines and ongoing support from Porchlight staff, Dan is rebuilding his life free from the chaos of homelessness.

“Sometimes, everyday tasks can feel overwhelming because of what I’ve been through – losing my mum, being homeless, getting sober. Porchlight have helped me develop a system for it all and they kept me calm all the way through.

“They still check in on my every day. Do you know how nice that is? I can knock on the office door and staff will help me. They’ve been a ray of light into my life.”