I‘ve
been at Gibbs Rd Hostel in Lye for two weeks now, at time of
writing. I ended up there as my parents finally kicked me out
of home due to my behaviour when binge drinking. (I‘m in
my late 20‘s).
I rang my worker late one afternoon as I sat outside the house
and didn't know where to go. She rang the hostel to check there
was a bed then rang me back and told me to ring them straight
away as there were only two beds left
that night.
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They said I could come up as I was eligible for a bed as living
in the Dudley borough and nowhere else to go.
I should have gone straight away but I was a bit nervous about
what to expect as I‘d never been in this situation before.
When my parents dropped me off I was a bit too drunk for them
to check me in. Not a good first impression to give them. So
I ended up going back home that night.
The next morning my mum took me back to the hostel again and
thankfully there was still a bed and this time they were able
to check me in.
What‘s it like at the hostel? It‘s an experience.
For someone who‘s never been in this situation before it‘s
a shock to the system. Luckily I‘d been in Bushey Fields
before and coped with that so it sort of helped. |
There‘s a lot of different characters and a lot of different
opinions. To start with I found it was best to just sit back
and observe people and suss them out before trying to build
a rapport with anyone. You quickly figure out who you can talk
to, who you can‘t and who‘s best to avoid.
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Being
the new person, others can be quite aggressive to start with
and you have to sort of fit into the pecking order.
You‘re never the new person for long though as there are
people coming and going every day.
Everyone has their own room with a sink and it feels much more
comfortable once you‘ve got your own things in it –
it‘s your little escape. You have your own key to your
room and just hand it in when you go out. There‘s laundry
facili-ties as well that you can use.
There are three meals a day which your rent covers, which is
paid for out of your benefits. The food‘s quite good actually.
There‘s a communal area and a TV but you have to book programmes
at reception and can‘t change channel!!
You also have a worker who keeps an eye on you and you can go
to with any problems. All the staff are really good and help
you with things from filling in forms to attending activities
and helping you get new accommodation sorted out, as staying
at Gibbs Rd is only temporary.
The best thing to do is to get involved with as many activities
going on as possible as boredom is the worst thing at the hostel.
The days can really drag otherwise. I‘m doing art classes,
gardening, attended a quiz and watched kara-oke. You can socialise
as well but you just have to be careful |
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who with. I talked
to someone from AA. That was really useful as they have been
through the same thing so you can connect. There‘s an AA
meeting at Atlantic House in Lye on a Monday night 6-7.30 which
is within walking distance but I haven't been as yet.
Of the 90 or so people who are here, I get the impression that
maybe about half might have addiction issues, mostly alcohol.
But that means that 50% don't have a drink or drug problem which
is probably not what people think of when they think of a hostel.
People can become homeless for loads of reasons. |
Being here has made me more independent as there‘s nobody
to fall back on apart from yourself. There‘s plenty of
time to think about the things you‘ve done and where you‘ve
gone wrong before. You just hope you can take that experience
and learning and make a difference and sort things out so all
this has not been in vain.
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You can drink in
your own room but not in the communal areas. The worst thing
you could do would be to get really drunk here as you need your
wits about you. You could get evicted as well if you caused
problems.
It‘s hard to be a drinker AND a smoker here as you can‘t
afford to do both. It can lead to arguments with people through
borrowing or lending money, booze or anything else. It‘s
hard to budget out your money as you get it all at once and
it‘s tempting to blow it all on drink then have nothing
left for a few days before you‘re next paid.
I‘m getting on better with my parents now I‘m not
living with them. Although I‘m drinking some days I‘m
not drinking as much, partly limited by finances, and the alcohol
doesn't seem to have the same effect on me here as it did at
home. My behaviour is different here as I know for sure the
hostel won‘t tolerate some of the stuff my parents put
up with when I got really drunk. I could be evicted, and then
where would I go? This is the only hostel in Dudley, unless
you‘re under 25. it‘s not the sort of place it‘s
a good idea to get really drunk in either.
I feel safe here now but I didn't to start with, although In
reality I probably was. It‘s just really hard to start
with, suddenly living with so many people and not knowing the
system and how things work and what the routine is. |
I think a buddy system would be a good idea. Maybe a new person
could have the option of a sober, trustworthy resident just
sort of hanging out with them for the first few days and showing
them the ropes; give them a shout at meal times,
when there‘s a group on etc. They could show you the stuff
the staff have already explained but that you may not have properly
taken in. I sort of did that for a young lad who came a day
or so after me, then he got moved to the under 25‘s hostel.
It would have really helped me if another resident had done
that for me.
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| I hope to get back
to work soon as I still have my job open. Having that has made
it easier as there is a light at the end of the tunnel. I hope
to get my own flat too. In a strange way coming here has helped
me face up to things and made me take more responsibility for
myself. |
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Chris
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