Finding housing in Telford turned former drug addict's life around after prison release
Struggling to find housing after being released from prison, Matthew Preece felt he had nowhere to go.
The 38 year-old from Telford says he has now turned a corner after spending a good portion of his early life behind bars and addicted to drugs.
With the help of the Wrekin Housing Trust's specialist housing services team, Matthew was able to turn his life around and get his own space where he can progress.
After being released from prison in 2017, Matthew said that securing a home with Wrekin’s help was a big catalyst to helping him move on with his life.
Matthew said: “I had been trying to find somewhere to live for a while – but my past had made it very difficult.
“I am not proud of it – but I have spent time in prison. I had a tough start in life and I became addicted to drugs. This led me down the path of crime and I have spent a good portion of my life behind bars.
“When I was released in 2017 – I knew I needed to change my life around, not only for me, but my mum as well.
“After being released, I was placed in a hostel in Birmingham. It was a roof over my head but it wasn’t a home – life there was hectic and it wasn’t good for my health. I knew I had to get somewhere closer to home.
“I was getting nowhere – as soon as people knew I’d been in prison it was game over. Even though I was trying to move forward and make positive changes in my life, my past was a barrier. I saw getting my own place as a key part of my rehabilitation.
“My support worker put me in touch Wrekin’s Specialist Housing Service. I wasn’t hopeful after all of the rejections I’d received, but it turned out to be the best decision I could have made.”
Matthew said he wasn't judged and was treated like a human being, as staff at the Wrekin Housing Trust knew he was in a dire situation and wanted to help him get out.
Sally Chapman is one of the housing advisors at Wrekin who helped Matthew along the way.
She said: “When I first met Matthew, it was obvious that he was very keen to move on with his life. We had a property that was available and it was close to his mum. We decided to see how Matthew got on and he’s gone from strength to strength – he’s now moved in to a flat and is doing really well.
“Matthew did everything right. People face a lot of barriers when it comes to securing a place to call home – it’s credit checks, it’s having enough money in the bank to afford a deposit., it’s having the money to be able to afford furniture. If you add that on top of the additional barriers Matthew was facing – it can be really disheartening.
“Matthew was so determined to turn his life around. People underestimate the huge impact it can have on people’s lives – it gave Matthew a foundation and he no longer had to worry about where he was sleeping tonight."
Matthew added: "Without the solid foundation of a place to call my own, I dread to think where I would be now.
“It’s been four years since I was released and I haven’t looked back. I am clean and I am now giving talks to people about my experience.
“The best thing is that now I have a really good relationship with both my mum and other members of my family. I can stress how important getting a house through Wrekin was – it really was the making of me. Since then I’ve gone from strength to strength and I can’t thank the team enough.”
If you are risk of being made homeless and need support, call Wrekin’s specialist housing team on 01743 341 900 or email SHS@wrekin.com.
