Andrei’s story

Before Andrei’s Crisis Coach referred him to a Crisis at Christmas hotel in December 2021, he was forced to sleep on the streets.

“I felt very scared. From the moment you put your head down and fall asleep, you can’t control anything around you. Usually, I wouldn’t sleep at all.” Sleep-deprived, cold and hungry, he got sick and ended up in hospital.

Andrei had been pushed into homelessness by a series of events, triggered by the pandemic. He had moved to the UK five years ago to build a better life. “I tried different jobs in Romania, but it’s pretty hard to get a job with decent wages to build a future, a life, a family.”

He settled in London, found a job in a warehouse, and a room in a house with a live-in landlady – an elderly woman who Andrei grew fond of. Andrei’s life was stable and comfortable until the pandemic hit.

Andrei had just finished one contract and was waiting for another to start when COVID restrictions came into force. Businesses were reducing staff numbers to allow for social distancing, and his role was cut.

He worked in another small warehouse for a while, but more and more employees started to fall ill with COVID and so they reduced their workforce, and he lost his job again.
Without a steady source of income, Andrei was unable to pay his rent. His live-in landlord eventually locked him out. He hadn’t signed a formal tenancy agreement, so he had very few rights.

Andrei slept on a friend’s sofa for two weeks but then was forced to sleep on the streets. He knew he needed help, so he searched online and found Crisis. He was put in touch with Crisis Coach Lorna, who helped to connect him with other services in his area and secured him a room at a Crisis at Christmas hotel.

Working with Crisis, Andrei was supported to apply for Universal Credit, receive emergency phone credit and a bus pass. He now has a network of caseworkers who he’s in touch with on a regular basis and he credits Lorna for making it all happen. Andrei is now housed in a one-bedroom flat council flat in a nice development where he is happy. He is waiting to be placed in his own permanent property.

After a few nights in the hotel, Andrei went back to visit the spot where he used to sleep. “I went back, freshly showered and without my heavy backpack, and I felt different. I didn’t feel scared anymore. All that pressure, all that weight was gone. And now I can focus on my next steps.”

Find out more about our Crisis at Christmas appeal and how you can help to change someone's life this year.