My name is Josh, and without the Ferry Project’s help I would be dead.

I’ve known about them for several years now, but for a long time I just couldn’t explain to anyone exactly what was wrong or how I needed help.

The Ferry Project never minded though, and I knew they’d always be there if and when I was ready to find help.

And eventually, I did, when I ended up without a place to sleep for the night. All it took was for me to ask for help, and they gave me hot food, clean clothes, and most importantly a warm, safe place to sleep for the night.

I slept better that night than I could remember sleeping in a long time. Being homeless can make you feel so alone… the Ferry Project was the first place I felt safe again.

I stayed there for a little while, but spent most days looking for work where I could. About a month later I started working for a guy cutting down trees in his garden. I thought it would be good; he said he’d pay in cash at the end of each day. But instead, I ended up locked in a freezer for the night and paid in heroin.

I couldn’t escape and it was terrifying. The freezer was very cold and I was scared I would die there.

This went on for a while, and I quickly became dependent on the heroin I was being paid with, which meant I sort of had to keep working in order to earn more. But I was always afraid and wanted to feel safe again, like I had when I’d been staying at the Ferry Project. So, after about three months working for the guy I returned to the Ferry Project and again asked for a place to stay.

Of course, everyone there is very friendly and had been worried about me whilst I’d been away. They helped, but it would take me a long time to ever be able to explain what had happened to me and why I’d disappeared for so long. It felt really reassuring to know someone had actually been worried about me.

Eventually I was able to talk about everything; staff were very easy to open up to, and they were able to refer me to places that would help with things like my drug issues. In the end, they also helped me relocate to Peterborough in order to escape the guy I had been working for.

They still make sure I get the support I need, though.

Being homeless often means you’re completely alone. But the Ferry Project changed that for me, made me feel like I had people looking out for me.