Jaromir's Story

Caught in a cycle of homelessness, Jaromir went looking for help and found Glass Door Homeless Charity. Since working with Andrew, his caseworker, he has turned his life around, going from sleeping rough in London to becoming Head Chef at a pub and enjoying life. 

*Jaromir’s name has been changed and a representative photo used to protect his identity.   

I'm from the Czech Republic, but I’ve been here in the UK for more than 10 years. At first, I was working in the East Midlands for a year or two, but I lost my job and ended up on the street and homeless. During that time, I got a leg infection and was in the hospital for 6 weeks. The outreach worker who helped me get to a hospital bought me a flight back to Prague from London, and gave me some money for a hotel, but instead I decided to stay in London.  

First, I was staying on the street in this area near Victoria Station. And oh my god, it was so bad.

An outreach worker from Poland called Julia* helped me find shelter and a job, so I started working at a fancy hotel in Park Lane and lived with people from my country in a house share for a few years. But in this job, I was cheated. They paid me so little for such a rich area, so the money was no good. And so, the situation was a repeat of last time. I finished this job, and I was on the street again for around one year. After that, Covid came.  

While I was on the street, I volunteered for this homeless charity, Rhythm of Life. Every day, we took food, put it in the car and went to Trafalgar Square to make dinner for people. I liked cooking because it was my hobby, and I made friends with another guy who volunteered there. He introduced me to this lady who offered to help me. First, she gave me a simple phone so I could call my family and use the Internet. But also, because of the Covid-19 pandemic, there was the ‘Everyone In’ initiative, so empty hotels were being offered to people who were homeless.

I ended up in a hotel, there was nice food. I was there for more than half a year. When the Covid initiative was over, I was told I had two options. We can buy you a ticket to your country and send you back. And if you don't accept this, you need to leave this hotel. And for me, this was too difficult because I came to the UK from my country for a better life, and going back homeless wasn't an option I wanted to choose.

So I went from the hotel, back to the street. I slept in an underground area near Hyde Park where homeless people sleep at night, but I was only there for one or two weeks. I couldn't see a future because someone stole my backpack, which had everything in it. I didn't have an ID, I had nothing.  

But then, I went into a church, where a lady told me about a shelter opening soon. This was the hostel that Glass Door was using to house people during the Covid pandemic. I went to the Covid Hostel, and the next day, Andrew, my Glass Door caseworker, came in and started helping me with everything.  

At that point, I had reluctantly agreed to go back to the Czech Republic, but Andrew and Gemma, another Glass Door caseworker, convinced me that it wasn’t necessary, because I could apply for EU Settled Status. So, I got to stay in London.

When I first talked with Andrew, he helped me with a new passport. It was the first step, because it was impossible for me alone.

He went with me to my embassy, and after just one month, I had a new passport. Immediately after, he helped me get a 60+ Oyster card and apply for Settled Status in the UK. Andrew also helped me pay for a room in a backpacker’s hostel for a few weeks, because the Glass Door Covid Hostel closed but I wasn’t eligible for benefits yet as I had to wait for my EU Settled Status to be approved. 

Luckily, I soon found some work. I met someone at the homeless charity I volunteered at who was the boss at a pub in Notting Hill. He was a very nice guy, and we became friends. He said to me, you can come and work in my kitchen. When Covid had finished and pubs started reopening again, I started working at his pub.  

When I started this job, this time I told myself, “This is your last chance.” I did everything I could to stay in this job for a long time. I learned everything in this kitchen and how to cook there.

After one or two years, I was offered the position as Head Chef. I also continued volunteering at the Rhythm of Life homeless charity until my work hours made it too difficult. 

When I first got my new job at the pub, Andrew helped me with new accommodation. We found a room in a shared house, and he paid my first month’s rent. It felt like I started another step in my life, because I had a room only for me. I worked a lot during this time, sometimes 55 or 60 hours per week, and we had good service charge.  

It was big money for me. It was crazy, because I thought about 2-3 years ago when I was on the street, and now in my account was a lot of money. Andrew also helped me get my overseas pension from the Czech Republic and a pension from the UK, helping me make calls and going to the Czech embassy with me to give confirmation that I had been working in London.  

It’s not a lot of money, but together, the Czech and UK pensions are enough, and I still work 20 hours per week. I don't need a lot because I live alone here. I need to pay my rent and that's it. And I save money for holidays. My plan is to go to my country. I have daughters and grandchildren. And they don't need extra support from me or anything, but I want to save money for my grandchildren to have in the future. I want to send that money to a Czech bank account. 

But I want to stay here. I don't know how long I will be here, because at my age, I have to focus on my health. I have diabetes and high blood pressure. I take pills for this, but my nurse said to me, you need to lose weight, so I’m focusing on this. 

After Andrew helped me, it was like starting a new life.

I saved money and I started going on holidays. It was my big thing. Because I like travel, I like history. I like art and everything about this. For me, I don't need to spend time on the beach and lie in the sun. But I want to see places from history. I went to a lot of places in Europe, Africa, and the Middle East. This summer, I'm going to France. My plan for next year is to go to South America on a big trip. 

I’m still working with Andrew because when I lived on the street, I lost my teeth. Now I have money, I want to get an upper teeth implant, and I’ve been paying a dental clinic monthly, but they are causing me some problems. So, Andrew helped me make a complaint. My plan is that before my holiday to France, I want my teeth to be ready for photos and everything. I send Andrew my holiday photos so he can see what I’m up to. Out of all the friends I’ve made in the UK, Andrew is one of the best.