A Dublin man has opened up about how an Irish charity was like 'a family' to him and supported him to move out of homelessness and addiction and turn his life onto a brand new path. Tommy Kelly linked in with a Crosscare homeless service in , after becoming homeless and being in different hostels throughout Dublin. Read more: Samaritans volunteer Mary Horan gives up her Christmas every year to 'save a life'.
Read more: Kildare family says Irish charity was a 'lifeline' when daughter Emma was in hospital at Christmas. Speaking to RSVP Live, Tommy praised the staff there as he said that their support and interest in their clients was like no other service he had experienced. The way it's structured, you move into different properties of theirs based on how well you're doing and how able you are.
I was there for three years and moved into my own home last July. I can't emphasise how much they act like a family to anyone who needs one. They put their arms around you and nurture anyone that needs it. Tommy also dealt with addiction through his life, and it was during his time with Crosscare that he realised he needed to make a change for good.
Drug taking was all I cared about at that point, and after a failed attempt at treatment in it was at its worst. I basically lost the will to live, I was just waking up to put myself into a drug-induced coma at the time I came to Crosscare.
I don't know what to call it, you could say divine intervention. I realised that if I don't change my ways pronto, there's going to be serious ramifications. I was turning 30, and the way things were I probably wouldn't have made it to my 31st birthday. My mindset just shifted. Tommy moved into a home last summer and has been off methadone for a year, which is down to the work he put in himself, but he credits Crosscare for creating a safe environment for him to be able to change his life.
