| Before I became unwell I was doing a 9–5 job and was living independently in Bournemouth, taking a couple of evening classes in electronic servicing and sound recording. Then I had a breakdown.
I’d been in hospital for a few months and I reviewed several accommodations but I saw this place, saw the room and I thought I’d feel at home here. The other places seemed to be overly supported; here seemed a lot more laid-back, relaxed.
I liked the staff, I liked the residents. I like the mixed age group – it felt less pressured than other, all-young places I’ve been to. I’ve only been here a couple of weeks, but my impressions are that this is going to be a really good stepping-stone for me to get back into the community.
I’ve chatted with the project manager and he knows what my intentions are – initially I’m going to do some voluntary work, hopefully for a recording studio down the road. After that, we’ll see; I’ll work from there. There are lots of opportunities I think that will be open to me – I’ve started to feel excited about the future.
Illustration by Sybil Harris.
* Name has been changed.
| 
