Karl Bergan

I used to work in construction and warehousing for many years. I had my own flat and I treated myself to occasional nice holidays. Then life started going downhill, with less work available and the bills started to mount up.

My relationship broke down and I lost my home. It was just a snowball that kept on rolling and eventually I got on the wrong side of the law. I was in prison and ended up living on the streets for two and a half years. I often made my own places to sleep, from what I could find. I once made a bed out of wooden pallets. It was better to sleep on a metre of wood than directly on the ground; it kept the worst of the cold out.

I ended up getting into trouble again, which landed me back in in prison. When I got out, my probation officer suggested I apply to join the Emmaus Oxford community, to try and start my life over. I had an interview and moved in the following week. Emmaus gave me a roof over my head, a reason to get up in the morning and the sense of stability I really needed. Their support team gave me so much help.