'It was either get clean or commit suicide' - Cambridgeshire dad's fight against drug addiction
Roy is now rebuilding his life after being made homeless
A dad from Cambridgeshire left homeless after years of drug addiction said he's now managing to turn his life around.
"I didn't know what to do; it was either get clean or commit suicide," said Roy.
"It is quite shocking when I look back at how I normalised crime and jail; I'm now 12 years clean."
After getting involved in crime from 11-years-old, Roy became addicted to cocaine and heroin, had a marriage breakdown and spent time in and out of prison.
Roy, 54, said he "didn't know right from wrong till my thirties."
He became homeless "on and off" for around 18 months, sleeping in doorways with others who were in the same situation as him, and eating food from bins.
"I lost everything," Roy said.
"We used to wake up in the morning, do shoplifting to get through the day; sometimes, you had to make a good situation out of a bad situation, but I didn't know anything different."
'The last hope'
Roy saw a drugs counsellor and in 2013, was advised to join Emmaus Cambridge, a charity that provides tailored support, training and work experience for people who have experienced homelessness.
During his time at the charity's site in Landbeach, Roy worked closely with support staff to recover from addiction and improve his mental health, in a bid to cut ties with his past.
"Coming to Emmaus was make or break for me because by that point I was literally at the end of my tether," he said.
"I didn’t know if I would ever get clean, so this was literally the last hope for me."
From driving vans to providing furniture packages for people moving home, Roy took on various roles before he became the site's beekeeper, which helped him stay focused during his recovery.
"When I was in prison I flourished because of the routine; when I’m focused on something, that becomes my goal and I won’t stop until I’ve done it," he said.
Roy continues to stay connected with Emmaus Cambridge and regularly returns to encourage others at the start of their own recovery.
But when asked if there is a direct link between drug addiction and homelessness, Roy couldn't dispute this.
"It's massive; if I put as much effort into my marriage as I did trying to find heroin and crack, maybe I'd still be married today," he said.
"I do struggle with my mental health; it's made me who I am today (and) I know if I lose everything, I'll be alright because I know what it's like on the street."
Helping other men through TikTok
After two years at Emmaus Cambridge, Roy moved on to independent living in 2015, starting a garden maintenance business before securing a full-time role with an engineering firm.
He is now a qualified heat treatment engineer, producing components used in aircraft manufacturing.
Roy also volunteers at a local foodbank and, one day, hopes to become a drug and alcohol counsellor.
To do that, he's set up a TikTok page to help other men wanting to improve their mental health after being diagnosed with degenerative sciatica around a year ago.
"When I was bed-bound after my injury, I went on TikTok and ended up doing live posts talking about recovery from addiction and sharing my journey, and it really helped people," he said.
"They could actually see someone who had been through that journey, so they were more inclined to listen."
He hopes that providing a safe space for men to speak openly about their struggles can better tackle the stigma of men's mental health.
"We were taught that men don't cry and 'if you cry, you're not a man'; you are a man if you cry," Roy said.
Tackling homelessness
Government figures show 93 people were sleeping rough in Cambridgeshire in the last year, compared to 62 in 2024.
It comes as the Government has promised to give councils and organisations £50 million to help tackle homelessness and rough sleeping.
Roy said staying at Emmaus can help "reset your life and start again when you are ready to move on".
He has now cut ties with people he was linked with during his younger days, but when asked what the solution to homelessness is, he was uncertain.
"It's about money," Roy added.
"How about we try to build more council places, more centres; I haven't got the answer, (but) it's about pound notes at the end of the day."