Krissie’s story

…It kind of re-awoke a thing in me that reminded me of who I am, or who I could be. And that is massive, I think, in terms of confidence and how you interact in other circumstances. Because I think when you become a problem, you lose all confidence. Because what have you got to offer? You know, you can’t even house yourself.   

So instead of it being something I didn’t know how to do, or wasn’t able to do, this was something I could do. That stretched me, but not in a way that was too frightening. And it reminded me of who I actually am underneath all the dross of just trying to navigate the system, and so on. This gave me a taste of what I could have, and who I actually am. And who, with some effort on my part and some support from people who are very supportive, that I could be, you know, that this could be me all the time.  

It sounds silly and a bit over the top, doesn’t it? But it is life changing. You know, and it does restore your faith in people. And it does build confidence in ways that I don’t even think the Old Fire Station necessarily realise, you know. It’s not just about performance, it’s not just about the skills that you learn. I mean, that’s really important and really special, but it’s the other parts that are life altering in really positive ways. The things that they think are just normal, the way that they speak to you, the way that you’re talked to, involved, listened to, asked your opinion of, those are things that you lose when you become homeless, or you have some massive social crisis, you know. You don’t just lose your home, you lose anything positive, really, you just become this thing to be solved and dealt with. And as I say, because they’re all such nice people, I think they just think everybody is like that. And they’re not, so it’s hugely important.   

I talked to people, and they said, “Why do you need the arts?”  but that’s the bit that makes you a real person, and not a statistic. It’s like being awakened, isn’t it. It’s kind of like you’ve been hibernating for a really long time. And you find that your existing, you know. And I think what this offers, it’s like waking up and it’s spring.   Read the full story.