“I had been living in a house and I was in a bad state. Everything used to come to me – drugs, drink – anything, and I never used to come out of the house. So, that’s where I got messed up. I was kicked out of the house because I wasn’t paying the rent. People were saying that they were sending money to me, but that was not true.
“I became homeless. One day I was on the street and a homeless team were walking about helping people. Rosie came to see me, and she said she was going to help me, and she did. That was when I came to Fairmount for the first time in 2022/23, and I was there for a year and a half.”
Mo wasn’t in good health when he first arrived at Fairmount, and he spent time in hospital on a couple of occasions. Now, he is taking better care of himself and his health is improving, which enables him to spend less time in hospital for his treatment.
“This is now my second time being at Fairmount and I have been here for about 8 months. Living at Fairmount is better – living on the streets is not worth it. Living in Fairmount is quite chilled. There are people here. Most people living here are not as bad as before. But you have got the good and bad in Fairmount.
“My life has changed a lot because we’ve got staff at Fairmount who like us, and they are helping me from the bottom of their heart. I mean, they really want to do it. They’re not here for the money, they’re here to help people, which I really appreciate and I respect.”
Mo gets involved in activities at Fairmount, including Cook and Eat sessions and tenant meetings. He also responds positively to requests made by the team at Fairmount. For example, when asked to tidy his flat, he gets on with the task and completes it.
“A positive thing that I’ve learned since coming to Fairmount is how to manage my money. I don’t blow my money the same way I used to do. I got paid this Friday just gone—now it’s Wednesday and I still have money in my account. That is never heard of for me before.
“I like football a lot and I used to play it. I also like going on my laptop. I’m into AI and social media now. Sometimes I stay here all day doing nothing but X, YouTube or Facebook. I love online shopping too.
“I want to be someone one day. I feel like I’m a lover of people. I want to update myself and think about critical situations using critical thinking, which is deep thinking, thinking outside the box. I want to be someone that puts something back to the world. Whether it be charity or even saving someone’s life.”