A PHOTOGRAPHER based in Rhyl has embarked on a new project to shine a light on the struggles blighting those who are facing, or who have faced, homelessness in the town.
Ray Worsnop, 75, photographed three men in Rhyl, all of whom have either lost their homes or been threatened with eviction.
That has, in turn, caused the three men’s mental health to deteriorate, which ties in with the theme of much of Ray’s own photography work.
He said: “Through my photography, I work with a lot of people who have mental health issues, and who are homeless.
“The people with mental health issues who I photographed would never speak about their problems to anyone, so I formed a group called ‘Ray’s Angels’ (comprising of all these people).
“They now talk to each other on a regular basis and do charity work.
“So, I wanted to make more people aware of these people, what happened to them when they became homeless, how they coped with it, and how it isn’t always the individual’s fault.”
Ray also does mentoring work with “PRIME Cymru”, a charity which helps those aged 50 or older secure work, set up businesses or develop skills.
He is also involved in the “Big Ideas Wales” scheme, set up to inspire those aged 25 or younger to enhance their business acumen.
The people he worked with for this particular project, he said, are all “normal people” trying to turn their lives around.
Ray added: “When I photographed one of the gentlemen, he sat in my living room and cried. He said: ‘Ray, I don’t know how you’ve done it, but you’ve changed my life’.
“I tell my daughter: ‘If you’ve got a problem and can do something about it, do it. If you can’t, don’t worry about it’.
“Most of the people I’ve worked with are what we call ‘overthinkers’.”
Below, you can read the three men’s stories, as told by Ray, all of whom chose to go by aliases.
The Man in the Mirror
“‘The Man in The Mirror’ is a complicated man, often looking backwards, rarely seeing himself as himself and only just now seeing a different image moving forward.
“He started life in an unsafe household and went into the social care sector as a young child, moving into a solid, loving family environment until he was 18.
“From leaving this unusually safe, foster care environment, he moved into a flat offered by social services as an exit plan to get him back in to society.
“What hadn’t been put into play was a system to teach him about life and its attractions. He was given money and independence, but had no training on how to live.
“This flat became a base for him to party and be led astray quite willingly, as he now had no guiding hands or parental guidance.
“This resulted in him getting evicted at age 19 for bad behaviour and for acquiring significant debt.
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“This was when homelessness/‘sofa-surfing’ hit, as he then moved into a friend’s flat that was a very similar party lifestyle, resulting in him losing the house, too.
“At this point, he went to the YMCA, where he was surrounded by a whole range of people, many on drugs and alcohol.
“These were horrible experiences, which made him more aware of the drug culture and gave him easy access to these, which he took advantage of.
“He lost his place at the YMCA, as he made a conscious choice not to want to live with these people, so stayed away. He then started ‘sofa-surfing’ for about a year or so.
“He found his mother, and attempted to build a relationship with her.
“This was not successful, and as a result, started mixing with the wrong crowds, once again getting involved in a culture that was extremely dangerous, and setting himself up for a very poor future.
“He was made aware that if he stayed there, he would end up dead. On recognising this, he left there, and moved to reconnect with his natural grandfather, who offered him a room in Rhyl.
“He vowed to stay out of this culture and now, with his grandfather’s help (by keeping him busy and building that relationship), he has left hard drugs behind.
“This relationship didn’t last, as there was a culture clash, and he went back into sofa-surfing excessively across various friends here.
“Unfortunately, many of these were also involved in using drugs and alcohol, which meant that he continued to use these; particularly alcohol.
“He became dependent on drink, and found it very difficult to get help to get away from this.
“He started to hate himself, and as a result decided to take his own life, repeatedly trying different methods and getting increasingly angry, at his own inability to succeed in this, but also because the help put in place with his issues was generally ineffective.
“About six years ago, he met a good friend who helped him put things in perspective and offered guidance and encouragement and was always there for him, helping him take responsibility for his own actions and to get help from the mental health team here in Rhyl, who over a long period of time started to help him develop coping mechanisms.
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“He started to recognise that there was a reason to live, found himself thinking differently, socialising in different environments, and then found a wonderful lady who accepted him for who he was.
“She was able to help him cope, often calling on his friends for help when things were difficult, but also settled into the relationship and this has given him an extra very strong reason for living.
“They were initially both technically still homeless, staying in an unregistered landlord’s derelict property, for over three years.
“This was destructive in many ways, but still gave them somewhere to call ‘home’.
“This gave him a different track to follow, somewhere to go to escape the outside world, and it gave them a foothold to try to move back into the real world.
“They could then find a proper place to live where they could look into the mirror and recognise the new people they have become, while reflecting on the past challenges which were endured.
“They now have a new home, a new child, and a new future.”
The Man in the Mirror said: "If I was to offer advice to anyone who has serious challenges in their life, it would be to understand that you are responsible for your own future and present.
“Make sensible choices and, if struggling with suicidal thoughts, debt, alcoholism, drug addiction, or even just life, talk to those close to you, no matter how hard.
“Ask for help, and become responsible for your own life."
Luke-ing Forward
“‘Luke’ is now 41 years old, and told me he went into foster care at age nine. In total, he was in three or four different homes.
“He went to school, but left when he was 13, and got a job. He said he was give no parenting skills, but left to his own devices.
“His natural father died when he was seven, and he has two brothers, but no contact with them.
“He has never married, but has two children to the same lady; but, at this time, their mother will not allow contact with them. They are his pride and joy.
“He has spent a few weeks in prison, and most of the time is sofa-surfing or sleeping in cold, damp buildings.
“He has contacted the council and registered homeless with social services.
“He hopes that, in two years, he will be a self-employed builder. All of his tools were sold, so he needs to buy new ones.”
PRH
“‘PRH’ joined the Royal Air Force aged 20, and was there for four years.
“His mental health issues started about 12 years ago due to money and physical health worries.
“He has not had a job now for over 12 years, lives on benefits and rents a flat, but is often late paying the rent. He is often threatened with eviction by his landlord.
“His wife died three years ago of dementia and started drinking.
“He was on a work trial for what would be his dream job, but is still awaiting an offer and a potential start date.”
- In March, a project in Rhyl was set up, aiming to support those in Denbighshire housed in emergency accommodation. Denbighshire County Council awarded The Salvation Army the contract to run the “Temporary Emergency Accommodation Support Project”.
- In April, Rhyl charity Blossom & Bloom, dedicated to supporting homeless and vulnerable mothers, opened its own wellbeing hub in the town’s shopping centre, aiming to create an environment where mums and babies can feel supported, socially engage with others, develop and feel safe.
- Last July, Denbighshire County Council leader, Cllr Jason McLellan, said he intends to reinvest council funds into building affordable homes and purchasing new council houses.
- These plans surfaced after a council report revealed roughly 180 households in the county are placed in temporary accommodation annually.
- The report also found that one family of three lived in a cellar, and that a large number of those presenting as homeless are single people aged 35 or younger, and large families.
- The report showed the number of people living on the street in Denbighshire was in single figures.
For support, contact the Samaritans on 116 123.
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