Calvin Driver
I’m originally from
Worksop in Nottingham and, like many other people who have the misfortune of
becoming homeless, I went through the pain of the break up of my marriage some 5
years ago. The fact that I’ve also got kids made the pain of the break up all
the more accute. It really affected me badly.
I ended up in London
sleeping rough and occasionally selling The Big Issue but soon moved to Manchester.
My situation didn’t improve just because I’d moved from one big city to
another and I again found himself sleeping rough and occasionally selling The Big
Issue in the North. A brief respite from the cold and dangers of sleeping on the
streets came in the form of a friend’s place in Bristol but I soon found
myself alternating between the streets and night shelters in Plymouth.
I
moved again. This time to Birmingham and I actually got myself a job working in a
hostel. I’d found a job and I was on the up. It didn’t last long as I
was violently assaulted whilst working and my life was once more turned on his head
when the benefits agency decided that my reason for leaving the job at the shelter
was not sufficient to warrant the payment of benefits.
Again and as a
last resort in some respects, I turned to The Big Issue and this time, within
months, I had become a Vendor Coordinator. With help from The Big Issue Foundation
my immediate housing needs had been addressed with hostel accommodation. I now have
permanent secure accommodation at Clays Lane Housing Cooperative and I want to
develop my work as a co-ordinator and put something back in and to help to provide
more security for my fellow vendors – many of whom are suffering like I did
in the early days.
For further information on how you can help support a vendor like Calvin please click here
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