Artwork on the wall of a flat in Amy's Place. Image: Amy's Place
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Katya avoids thinking too much about Amy Winehouse. It takes her to a dark place. She is 27, the same age as Amy when she died of alcohol poisoning after a long and public battle with addiction.
There is so much tragedy in the story that Katya, whose name has been changed to protect her identity, finds it too painful. But in her own journey to recovery from addiction, she has found hope and friendship in the sanctuary set up in Amy Winehouse’s name.
Katya lives in Amy’s Place: supported housing for young women who have left treatment for drug addiction. Established by Amy’s family in 2016, it is the UK’s only housing project set up especially to help young women recover from drug addiction.
“When I think about it on a deeper level, it’s beautiful that this exists,” Katya says. “It’s not beautiful in terms of the circumstances it came from, but for it to be here is a beautiful thing. There’s nothing else like it.”
A painting of Amy hangs on an olive green wall, rainbow bunting falling across the corner of the frame. A music room next door sees women sing and play instruments, and an open garden space is a point of pride on a bright spring day.
Usually 16 women live here, and they stay for up to two years. Each has their own flat, or shares with another resident, which they decorate and make their own.
Jane Winehouse, Amy’s step-mum and managing trustee of the Amy Winehouse Foundation, says, “There’s nothing better than seeing the young women that have come through Amy’s Place doing well. Some of them have gone on to have children or be reunited with children.
“Some of these young women didn’t think they’d be alive, let alone have children of their own. Some have really excelled in their work. It doesn’t matter what their dream is or what they’re doing, if they’re fulfilling their dream, it’s nothing other than fantastic.”
Image: AJ Pics / Alamy Stock Photo
The Amy Winehouse Foundation was launched by the family in September 2011, on what would have been Amy’s 28th birthday. She had been a quietly charitable person and loved children, although she never had her own.
They began donating to children’s hospices and charities, and they were already working with rehabs. It was through this they realised there were gaps in the services for young people facing addiction.
“Something we heard time and time again was that women were frightened of leaving treatment,” Jane says. “They didn’t know where they were going next to be safe. It was brilliant putting people through treatment, but when they came out the other end, they could be going back to abusive relationships, insecure tenancies, crack dens or literally not have a roof over their heads. That’s why we created a safe space where women could move after their treatment.”
Amy’s Place is celebrating its eighth birthday this year. It’s based in East London, but women come from across the UK.
“Before I came here, I never thought I’d find female friends my age,” Katya says. “At first, it was nerve-wracking, but I made a big effort and now I cannot imagine my life without the people I’ve met here.”
Katya never felt comfortable in herself and jumped between friendship groups as a teenager, discovering weed and drink along the way. She was in a toxic relationship for seven years, and cocaine and Xanax followed. Katya thought she would be better after they broke up, but that was short-lived.
In lockdown, she was using almost every day. She called the Samaritans asking for help. She contacted drug services when high but changed her mind on comedowns. Eventually, her mum kicked her out. Katya believes that was the best thing she could have done.
Katya lived in hospital for a month before moving in with her dad, who she had not seen since she was 13. She was in rehab for six months, then sober supported housing.
An ex-resident suggested she consider Amy’s Place. Six months went by on the waiting list before she moved in.
“I met a few of the girls on the stairs and they helped me take my stuff up,” she remembers. “It felt good to finally be here. All I literally wanted was to be here. There were overwhelming emotions. It was surreal.”
Amy’s Place works closely with the women to understand the support they need and tailor their approaches. Katya, for example, was put in touch with organisations who could help her with debt. There will always be someone around to help her make a phone call or have a chat if she is feeling anxious.
Staff and volunteers help create a warm environment – and they feel just as connected to Amy’s Place. Rachel Geary started as a volunteer when it launched, cleaning the flats before residents moved in, and has worked her way up to a project manager.
“I’m not saying this place is all lovely and bunnies,” she says. “It certainly isn’t. But you can have a bad day here and there will always be something one of the residents said which is amazing. It is a life-changing space. I really do believe that.”
Rachel Geary (left) with Grace, a support worker. Image: Amy’s Place
Geary is in recovery herself. Like Katya, she started drinking to excess as a teenager. She didn’t stop for 30 years. Cocaine was a big part of her story too.
“I became very ill,” Geary recalls. “I didn’t have a life. I existed. I was a shell. I went into rehab again and was rushed into hospital because my detox was so bad. I might start crying at this point. My partner rung the hospital in Bournemouth the following day, and they said, ‘The good news is she made it through the night.’”
In rehab, something clicked. Geary told her social worker she was not ready to leave. She got four and a half months and, when out, she did everything she could to stay clean. It wasn’t long after that she started volunteering at Amy’s Place.
“I have been so incredibly lucky,” she says. “I’ve had amazing support from my partner, my family, friends, the medical profession. I wouldn’t be here without any of them. If it wasn’t for my partner, I would be dead. I don’t say that lightly.”
If one of the residents is in a dark space, or has relapsed, there is no judgement. Amy’s Place doesn’t evict residents if they have relapsed, unlike a lot of secondary housing.
“I think the feeling here is it doesn’t do anyone any good,” Geary explains. “It doesn’t do society any good. It doesn’t do the criminal justice system any good. We’d literally be pushing the person onto a homelessness charity.
“From my own experiences, I have the ultimate respect for anyone that can walk through that big door and say, ‘I need help. I’m sorry.’ And if they are prepared to work with us, I will bend over backwards as long as they’re honest.”
Image: Amy’s Place
There’s no curfew. Residents can come and go and have guests during the day. Katya enjoys the freedom. “I never had new experiences before because I never wanted them. Having friends to go sit in the park with and having new experiences is just great.”
Amy never escaped addiction, but her family have found strength in seeing others thrive through their charity work in her name. They also run programmes in schools, music therapy and a recovery pathway programme for young people of all genders.
“We’re now working with young people who don’t remember Amy,” Jane adds. “They know her music, but they don’t remember her. But at Amy’s Place, everyone knows who Amy was. Most of the people I’ve spoken to feel a real connection with her.”
Jane does not know how Amy would feel about their work, but says, “How could she be anything other than pleased that young women are getting that kind of support? We never had those conversations. We never dreamt that we would be in this position. But she would only have wanted the best for young people who were struggling.”
Image: Amy’s Place
The Amy Winehouse Foundation is looking to set up another housing project for young women, but they are struggling to find premises. There is still a “long way to go” with funding to ensure there is long-term provision for people recovering from addiction.
“We recognise that at the moment, funding is squeezed for everything,” Jane says. “There are huge demands on limited resources, but Amy’s Place has been proven to save this country a lot of money. Every one of those people would have cost the government in resources in hospitals and treatment, a lot more than it costs to provide a safe place for them.”
She says that stopping taking substances is the first step, but learning to live without the desensitising, numbing effects of substances can be a slow process.
Katya is in a much better place now. She has been clean for two and a half years. She hopes to stay in contact with the people she has met here, and possibly go into nursing, mental health or drug addiction work. She wants to use her experiences to help people.
“I’m much better now than when I was using,” she says. “I still have down days and spiralling days. I just came out of a spiral, actually. I could literally feel this shift and I felt bad. But even when I’m at my darkest, I would rather be there clean rather than be using. It can be a struggle, but it’s worth it. The struggle is worth it.”
Learn more about the Amy Winehouse Foundation and donate here. Back to Black, a dramatisation of the life of Amy Winehouse, is in cinemas now.
This article is taken from The Big Issue magazine, which exists to give homeless, long-term unemployed and marginalised people the opportunity to earn an income. To support our work buy a copy!
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